BVH’s Ilona Prosol and Jeremy Rapoza Present on the Design Building’s Mechanical Systems

BVH’s Ilona Prosol and Jeremy Rapoza Present on the Design Building’s Mechanical Systems

For the second talk in our Spring 2017 BCT Lecture Series, we enjoyed a visit by the mechanical systems designers on the Design Building, Ilona Prosol and Jeremy Rapoza, of BVH Integrated Systems. In a two-hour talk and tour, they led students and faculty through the many air handling, heating, cooling, fire suppression, and many other systems that make our Design Building a comfortable home for our program. https://youtu.be/2no2anOLOTk Links BVH Integrated Services BVH presentation ...
Read More
New Trimble Technology Lab Gift to UMass Amherst Expands Training and Research for Building Design and Fabrication

New Trimble Technology Lab Gift to UMass Amherst Expands Training and Research for Building Design and Fabrication

  SUNNYVALE, Calif. and AMHERST, Mass., – A significant in-kind gift from Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) will expand the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s leadership in training and research in 3D building design, digital fabrication and the sustainable built environment. Partnering with Trimble allows UMass Amherst to more fully integrate across its curricula the technological tools that are rapidly transforming how building and living environments are designed and constructed. The gift will establish the 1,300-square-foot Trimble Technology Lab in the new Design Building at UMass Amherst. The lab will include equipment such as Trimble’s laser scanners, advanced robotic surveying systems, imaging rovers, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers and many of Trimble’s software packages including RealWorks® scanning software, Trimble Business Center, Vico Office Suite, GCEstimator™ Suite, Tekla® Structures, Sefaira Architecture and its popular 3D modeling software SketchUp Pro. Potential applications of these technologies range from the scanning of historic buildings to ensure their preservation, design and 3D printing of architectural building models, digital fabrication of...
Read More
Schreyer’s Book on Architectural Design with SketchUp in Second Edition

Schreyer’s Book on Architectural Design with SketchUp in Second Edition

AMHERST, Mass. — The second edition of “Architectural Design with SketchUp: 3D Modeling, Extensions, BIM, Rendering, Making, and Scripting,” by Alexander C. Schreyer is being released today. Schreyer is Program Director of the Building and Construction Technology program, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Conservation, and faculty member in the Department of Architecture at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This book, which has since its first publication become the main reference, textbook, and sourcebook for designing with SketchUp, uses step-by-step tutorials and full-color illustrations to teach anyone 3D modeling and show what one can achieve with SketchUp. Trimble SketchUp, the application at the heart of this text, is a popular 3D modeling software that comes in a free and a professional version and is used by students, architectural and interior designers, landscape planners, builders, engineers, and makers worldwide. Coming three years after a successful first edition, this new version features many updates and improvements but also a completely new chapter on “Making...
Read More
L. Carl Fiocchi wins Autodesk Excellence in Analysis Award

L. Carl Fiocchi wins Autodesk Excellence in Analysis Award

L. Carl Fiocchi, a Ph.D. Candidate in BCT, just won the Autodesk Excellence in Analysis Award. About the project This project is an analysis of the Gropius House, a Modernist icon constructed in 1938.  The intent was to deconstruct and analyze several passive solar shading techniques that Walter Gropius had incorporated into the building and site design: a brise-soleil, trees, and a retractable awning. The building was modeled in Revit and analysis was performed in Ecotect. For more information and to read the jury comments, follow this link: http://sustainabilityworkshop.autodesk.com/project-gallery/sustaining-modernity-analysis-gropius-house  ...
Read More

Simi Hoque’s Urban Modeling

Dr. Simi Hoque is passionate about improving the ways in which buildings use the earth’s resources.  She teaches environmental systems and sustainable design principles in the Department of Environmental Conservation at UMass Amherst. Her research, partially funded by the Center’s Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station, is focused around the application and development of energy-efficient buildings. Dr. Hoque specializes in energy modeling, resource efficiency, and systems design. She is co-author of a recent online publication (October 2013) intended to provide a quantitative approach to assessing sustainability indicators in a city. Research Cities today generate almost two-thirds of the world’s primary energy demand. By 2030, this 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 and programs to address climate change and energy security. Dr. Hoque’s research is aimed at developing an analytical framework to integrate the performance indicators for buildings, transportation systems, and green spaces...
Read More