UMass Student Team Places Eighth at National Competition

UMass Student Team Places Eighth at National Competition

The 2023 National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Student Competition for four-year programs was held at the 2023 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 31 - Feb. 2, 2023. The UMass NAHB Student Chapter team placed 8th in the competition. The mission of the NAHB four-year student competition is to expose students to an in-depth residential construction project from concept to closing. Using real projects, students compete with other schools as they display their problem-solving abilities and learn more about homebuilding. This year’s competition team included 14 students from the BCT program, the Department of Architecture, and the Isenberg School of Management. During the Fall semester, the students worked on developing a business proposal that included market analysis, product design, construction management, project management, financial and risk analysis, and sustainability related to a property in La Plata, MD. The students traveled to Las Vegas and presented their proposal to the judges and attended the International Builders’ Show, which is the housing industry’s...
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New Book from Alexander Schreyer: Fundamentals of Residential Construction

New Book from Alexander Schreyer: Fundamentals of Residential Construction

Director of the Building and Construction Technology program is the lead author of a new book Alexander Schreyer, director of the Building and Construction Technology program at UMass Amherst, is the lead author of the recently updated “Fundamentals of Residential Construction,” the most authoritative resource on the topic. This newest, fifth edition is thoroughly revised to reflect the industry’s latest methods, materials, technologies and green building approaches, offering the most up-to-date explanations of today’s residential construction systems and current building codes, including the International Residential Code and energy codes. This edition features entirely new materials sections on metals, plastics, and composite construction as well as expanded and updated content on ventilation, air-sealing, decks and outdoor structures. Provides a solid foundation in residential construction methods, tools, and processes Discusses the latest codes, costs, trends, and best practices in design and construction Offers timely coverage of sustainable building, energy efficiency, multifamily construction, prefabricated building components, CAD/BIM planning tools, and carbon-conscious construction Includes access to...
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Kent Hicks presents on making Net Zero homes & energy retrofits affordable, healthy, and low in embodied carbon

Kent Hicks presents on making Net Zero homes & energy retrofits affordable, healthy, and low in embodied carbon

To make a substantial and faster impact on reducing carbon emissions in our built environment, we need to remove the cost barriers of energy efficiency in new homes and of energy retrofitting our massive existing housing stock. Key to this strategy is the methodology of designing and building assemblies and systems that reduce building materials and increase construction efficiency while using healthy and low embodied carbon resources. For twenty years, Mr. Hicks, one of the first Passive House Consultants in the country, has been committed to mitigating climate change and incorporating best practices in building science while developing innovative approaches to affordable, healthy efficiency. Links Kent Hicks Construction East Branch Homes Presentation Video https://youtu.be/MjYiTYVRiCo...
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