Research Archives | Page 2 of 5 | Building and Construction Technology

Hoque’s IUMAT research featured on NextCity

March 8, 2016March 25, 2017 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

BCT Assistant Professor Simi Hoque's research into the "Integrated Urban Metabolism Analytical Tool" and her NSF CAREER award were just featured in a blog article on NextCity. Link: https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/math-tool-big-data-planning-solution ...

Hoque receives NSF CAREER grant to study urban development impacts

January 28, 2016March 25, 2017 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

Cities today contribute almost two-thirds of the world’s primary energy demand. By 2030, this fraction is projected to increase to three-quarters, matching the urban sector’s expected share of global energy-related CO2 emissions. The current urban outlook demands a comprehensive understanding of urban sustainability policies to address climate change and energy security. Dr. Simi Hoque, assistant professor in Building and Construction Technology, has been awarded an NSF CAREER grant, valued at over $550.000 to develop an Integrated Urban Metabolism Analytical Tool (IUMAT) to measure, evaluate, and predict the impacts of energy and water use, land use, and transportation systems at an urban scale. This interdisciplinary project will involve a collaborative research coalition comprised of Amherst Town Conservation Department, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland, and faculty from Civil Engineering and Urban Planning at UMass-Amherst. Broadly, IUMAT will be applied to evaluate city sustainability planning scenarios and support outreach STEM activities among middle...

BCT Program Wins 2015 USGBC West Branch “Green Giants” Award!

December 2, 2015December 2, 2015 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

The UMass Amherst Building and Construction Technology program was honored on December 1st, 2015 at a joint WMAIA/USGBC event at Hampshire College for our efforts in educating future leaders in green building and sustainability. Program director Alexander Schreyer and Associate Professor Peggi Clouston accepted the award on behalf of the BCT program. This is a biannual award and we are very proud to have received it this year. From the program description: The Green Giants program honors the work of trades people, educators, and owners/program directors who help build, teach about, envision and fund green buildings in Hampshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Berkshire counties. This program is intentionally distinct from other building awards in that it honors a wider range of participants in the sustainable building industry of our region. This is the second year of the West Branch Biannual Green Giants Awards program. This award reflects the amazing work of our faculty, adjunct faculty, and our student groups. They are all engaged on a daily...

Excitement builds about possibility of local wood use for Cross-Laminated Timber

October 22, 2015March 25, 2017 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

The Republican and Masslive reported today about Peggi Clouston's recent grant: AMHERST - Peggi Clouston gets almost giddy when she talked about the cross laminated timber beam that was on display at the celebration of the new $52 million design building at the University of Massachusetts. The associate professor of environmental conservation at UMass is hoping that this new composite can use wood species from the Northeast that are not being used now. She and colleagues received a three-year $390,000 National Science Foundation grant to show that the new material can incorporate currently underused wood species and creating a market for local trees and opening jobs in rural communities. Read on... The announcement was also featured on NPR in Connecticut. Click below to listen to the story: http://cpa.ds.npr.org/wnpr/audio/2015/10/ps_151027_eri_wood_demand.mp3...

Team UMass @ ARCC 2015

April 15, 2015April 15, 2015 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

A picture of the happy UMass team at the ARCC 2015 conference on the "Future of Architectural Research" in Chicago, which took place last week. Left to right: Caryn Brause (Architecture Faculty), Carl Fiocchi (BCT PhD student), Troy Peters (BCT/Arch PhD student), Ajla Aksamiya (Adjunct BCT Faculty), Ray Mann (Architecture Faculty), Simi Hoque (BCT Faculty), Somayeh Tabatabaee (BCT PhD student)....