Outreach / Service Archives | Building and Construction Technology

Fall 2025 BCT Lecture Series Announced

September 11, 2025September 11, 2025 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

The start of a new semester brings with it a new series of public lectures. We are happy to announce the four speakers mentioned below, who will present on various current topics in the built environment as part of our Fall 2025 BCT Lecture Series. All lectures are open to the public and are held on Mondays from 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm in the Olver Design Building Room 170. Attendees can get continuing education credits (AIA/USGBC). Zoom options will be available, too. Want to get notified when these are? Sign up for our email list. Speakers: ‘Deconstructing’ the Stebbins House: Architectural Archaeology in Deerfield Michael Emmons, Jr Director of Historic Preservation and Architectural Research at Historic Deerfield09.15.25 | 4:00-5:15pm | John W. Olver Design Building Room 170 Sustainable Mass Timber Construction Patricia Layton, Strategic Advisor, Wood Utilization + Design Institute10.06.25 | 4:00-5:15pm | John W. Olver Design Building Room 170 Building Resilience: A Woman’s Perspective on Building Pretty Good Homes Emily Mottram, Architect, Co-author: The Pretty Good House 11.03.25 | 4:00-5:15pm | John W. Olver Design Building Room 170 The Fundamentals...

Fall 2024 BCT Lecture Series Announced

September 5, 2024September 5, 2024 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

The start of a new semester brings with it a new series of public lectures. We are happy to announce the four speakers mentioned below, who will present on various current topics in the built environment as part of our Fall BCT Lecture Series. All lectures are open to the public and are held on Mondays from 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm in the Olver Design Building Room 170. Attendees can get continuing education credits (AIA/USGBC). Zoom options will be available, too. Want to get notified when these are? Sign up for our email list. Speakers: Technology for Post-Disaster Building Assessment and Damage SegmentationJoe KallasArchitect, Cultural Heritage Specialist09.16.24 | 4:00-5:15pm | Olver Design Building Room 170 Exploring Tiny Homes & Micro HousingDouglas SmithFounder, Beechwood Tiny Homes10.7.24 | 4:00-5:15pm | Olver Design Building Room 170 At the Intersection of Architecture & ForestryJason GrifithAssociate Professor, The College of Architecture, University of Nebraska Lincoln10.28.24 | 4:00-5:15pm | Olver Design Building Room 170 Reality Capture Technology in Building & Civil ConstructionRonald BisioSenior Vice President, Field Systems, Trimble Technology11.25.24...

UMass DesignBuild Program Celebrates Completion of 2023 Build with an Open House

November 3, 2023November 3, 2023 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

On Thursday, November 2, the UMass DesignBuild Program celebrated the completion of its 2023 project, Paper House, named after Holyoke, The Paper City. There, in Holyoke in collaboration with OneHolyoke CDC, the Paper House will be placed on its permanent site where it will become a contributing member to Holyoke’s affordable housing inventory, addressing the inequities of affordable housing and climate justice in an underserved community. In addition to many Building and Construction Technology, Architecture, and Five College Architectural Studies faculty, plus all the students who participated in the DesignBuild program, as well as donors and sponsors of the program, the celebration was attended by multiple UMass officials: Chancellor Javier Reyes; CNS Dean Mike Fox; Humanities Associate Dean Pari Riahi; Environmental Conservation Head, Paige Warren; and Diane Barstow, CNS Development Head. The celebration was additionally honored with the attendance of the Director of OneHolyoke CDC, Mike Moriarity, and President of DOC, Joubin Hassanein both major collaborators. Fresh Cider and Atkins donuts were enjoyed...

Hammer Time: How Students, Faculty, Local Businesses and Holyoke’s Community Development Corporation Are Teaming Up to Fight the Housing Crisis

September 27, 2023September 27, 2023 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

They call it “Paper House”: a modular, 500-square-foot, high-performance, net zero, low carbon house designed and built by the students in UMass DesignBuild, a joint effort between the Building and Construction Technology Program and Department of Architecture at UMass Amherst and the Five College Architectural Studies program. DesignBuild is in its second year, and it seeks to address major problems, both in the educational world, and in the broader world at large. “A builder might go through their whole education and never see the work involved in designing a house,” says Carl Fiocchi, a lecturer and professional master’s program coordinator in the Building and Construction Technology Program. “The reverse is true for architects, too, who might never get any experience actually building their designs.” The DesignBuild class seeks to bridge this gap between the builders and designers with a two-semester sequence. In the spring semester, students are given a set of design parameters—the house’s overall footprint, budget, materials, etc.—and with those in place, design the...

Applications Open for Timber Faculty Workshop

May 9, 2023 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

UMass Building and Construction Technology Program and Boston architecture firm Leers Weinzapfel Associates are this summer hosting a workshop for architecture faculty that provides a thorough background on timber as a building material. See below for more information: TIMBER FACULTY WORKSHOP APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN! Monday, June 26th - Wednesday, June 28th Apply Here Applications are due May 26th, 11:59pm eastern time. Selected attendees will be notified by June 1st Venue: John W. Olver Design Building, University of Massachusetts Amherst Led by: Leers Weinzapfel Associates with support from Building and Construction Technology Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst Venue Host: Department of Architecture and Building and Construction Technology Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst Led by Tom S. Chung FAIA, Principal Leers Weinzapfel Associates and Professor of Practice in Architecture at Auburn University and Dr. Peggi Clouston, Professor of Wood Mechanics and Timber Engineering, we welcome Tenure-track faculty at accredited Architecture schools throughout the US to apply for an intensive 3-day workshop geared towards equipping faculty interested in teaching Mass Timber design. Workshop will...