Fisette Archives | Building and Construction Technology

BCT’s Ben Weil discusses Ice Dams on Boston.com

December 27, 2015December 27, 2015 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

Ben Weil, BCT's extension faculty member in building energy, was called upon recently by Boston.com to discuss the ever-popular winter topic of ice dams. The following article features his very helpful tips for avoiding this common winter nuisance: Ice dam basics: How to prevent them and avoid a lot of costly water damage For more on the topic, also check out our other article on this site: Preventing Ice Dams....

Welcome to a new academic year!

September 10, 2015September 10, 2015 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

At this beginning of the 2015-2016 academic year, we at BCT would like to welcome all of our current and new students (back) to UMass! With the Design Building now starting to take shape and a new faculty member joining BCT, there are lots of interesting things happening these days. Let me elaborate on some of those: As you may have seen, the (Integrated) Design Building construction site on Lot 62 (next to the Studio Arts Building) has reached foundation depth, which means that concrete is (finally) being poured. If you find yourself at the south end of campus, drop by the site and peek over the fence a bit. We also would like to invite all of our students and friends to the Construction Celebration that is being planned for October 16th, at which we will celebrate the new building with everyone, who made it happen. With the beginning of the academic year, we are also very happy to announce that Dr. Chao "Luna" Xiao is joining...

Commencement 2014

May 10, 2014May 11, 2014 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

We had the absolute pleasure to congratulate our graduating undergrad (BS) and grad (MS) students today and yesterday at UMass' commencement. Most but definitely not all of our undergrads are shown in the image above. Below are more impressions from these ceremonies. We are so proud of you all!!! All the best from us....

Paul Fisette named to National Academies Panel on U.S. Capitol Complex

June 21, 2009May 20, 2013 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

The National Academies has invited Paul Fisette, Professor and Department Head of Natural Resources Conservation to serve on an expert panel to explore the scientific and technical issues related to implementing energy and sustainability initiatives throughout the U.S. Capitol Complex. The U.S. Capitol Complex comprises 25 major buildings on Capitol Hill, including the Capitol building, the House and Senate office buildings, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, the U.S. Botanic Gardens, and various support facilities. Since 2004, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) has been undertaking the development of a new Capitol Complex Master Plan. The review will include an in-depth critique and evaluation of a draft Sustainability Framework Plan and the identification of energy efficiency and sustainability opportunities in two new projects to be accomplished in the near future: a whole building renewal of the Cannon House Office Building and a new parking garage for the Senate. The AOC is seeking to learn more about state-of-the-art...