BCT Summer and Fall Continuing Education Courses and Events at Mount Ida Campus in Newton Announced

BCT Summer and Fall Continuing Education Courses and Events at Mount Ida Campus in Newton Announced

BCT is again offering continuing education courses and professional-focused events at UMass Amherst's new Mount Ida Campus in Newton, MA. Extend your knowledge and expand your professional horizon with BCT’s continuing education courses. Join us for convenient after-work in-person courses or learn online at your own pace. Continuing Education Courses and Academic Programs Our upcoming courses (at Mount Ida, online, or in Amherst) are: Sustainable Building and LEED Certification (Summer 2019) Online | BCT 414 (undergraduate) Instructor: Ho-Sung Kim | 3 credits | Course details | Register Sustainable Building and LEED Certification (Summer 2019) Online | ECO 697DL (graduate) Instructor: Ho-Sung Kim | 3 credits | Course details | Register Introduction to Building Energy Modeling (Fall 2019) Mount Ida Campus | BCT 597BE Instructor: Peter Levy | 3 credits | In-Person | Course details | Register Legal Aspects of Architecture, Engineering, and the Construction Process (Fall 2019) Mount Ida Campus | BCT 597N Instructor: Steve O’Neill, Esq. | 3 credits | Hybrid (In-Person + Online) | Course details | Register Legal Aspects of Architecture, Engineering, and the Construction Process (Fall 2019) Amherst Campus | BCT 597N Instructor: Steve O’Neill, Esq. | 3 credits | Hybrid (In-Person + Online)...
Read More
Peter Levy speaks about the role of energy modeling in building design and construction

Peter Levy speaks about the role of energy modeling in building design and construction

Peter Levy (MS, BEMP, LEED AP, CPHC), who is now co-owner of The Green Engineer Inc., a building energy consulting firm, is an alumnus of BCT's undergrad major as well as our Master's program. He spoke in his presentation about the value of building energy and daylight modeling and highlighted where those fit best into the building planning process. Interested in this topic? Peter will be teaching "Introduction to Building Energy Modeling" as a continuing education course at UMass Amherst's Mount Ida campus starting Fall 2019. More information... Synopsis An overview of the role that energy modeling plays in the design of buildings; including discussions about how energy models are used to inform design, pursue LEED (and other) certifications, procure utility incentives, and demonstrate code compliance. Additionally, how daylight modeling is used to optimize daylight opportunities, mitigate glare problems, and pursue LEED certification. https://youtu.be/54E_30owU1M Links Presentation Slides The Green Engineer ...
Read More
Ezra Small speaks about UMass Amherst’s sustainability efforts

Ezra Small speaks about UMass Amherst’s sustainability efforts

The first lecture of our spring BCT seminar series was given by Ezra Small, who holds the title of Campus Sustainability Manager at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. In his engaged presentation, Ezra outlined the various efforts that UMass is undertaking to improve food supply, reduce waste, promote green building and reduce energy consumption, and support climate- and carbon-goals of the university and the state. Synopsis Mr. Small’s role within Facilities & Campus Services includes implementing sustainable systems to reduce the campus environmental footprint in energy, transportation, and waste. Notable accomplishments include establishing the Sustainability, Innovation & Engagement Fund, installing the largest solar project on a college campus in New England, winning the Massachusetts Leading by Example Award for outstanding environmental and energy leadership, helping the campus win the Second Nature Climate Leadership Award, and most recently launching ValleyBike, the largest electric assist bike share program in the Americas. Links Presentation Slides Sustainable UMass Presentation Slides https://youtu.be/IiwIIfEpLdc...
Read More
Register Now for BCT’s Spring 2019 Continuing Education Courses at UMass’ Mount Ida Campus

Register Now for BCT’s Spring 2019 Continuing Education Courses at UMass’ Mount Ida Campus

Starting with the Spring Semester 2019, BCT will be offering courses at the new Mount Ida Campus of UMass Amherst in Newton, MA. For this first semester, we provide two courses that target continuing education students and professionals that are interested in furthering their education in sustainable construction and building technology. The following 3-credit, semester-long courses are available for registration now. Start date for the semester is January 22, 2019. Legal Aspects of Architecture, Engineering, and the Construction Process (BCT 597N) Legal issues arising from design and construction services, with a practical focus on risk management and liability awareness. Topical areas include basic legal doctrines, contract documents, contract administration, liens & bonds, claims, professional liability, human resources, legal evidence & recordkeeping, and dispute resolution. The course will also touch on the special legal challenges presented by technological, scientific, and cultural developments including sustainability, BIM/VDC, mass timber, automation, and climate change. Instructor: Steven J. O’Neill, Esq. High Performance Building: Issues and Perspectives (BCT 597Q) This course examines...
Read More
Zac Bloom of Competitive Energy Systems speaks on Energy Procurement Strategies

Zac Bloom of Competitive Energy Systems speaks on Energy Procurement Strategies

In the third talk of our fall lecture series, BCT alumnus Zac Bloom, spoke about Designing Energy Procurement Strategies. Zac, who is Director of Sustainability and Renewables at Competitive Energy Systems (CES), was intricately involved in many energy projects including the recently installed UMass 5 MW solar array. In his talk, he gave us a broad and eloquent overview of the many factors that influence energy purchasing and systems selection. Synopsis Mr. Bloom originally joined Competitive Energy Systems (CES) in 2012 as a Business Development and Account Manager and was soon promoted to Director of Sustainability & Renewables. Now CES's Vice President, Head of Renewables & Sustainability, Mr. Bloom primarily consults with universities and large commercial customers on energy procurement strategies, budgeting, sustainability, energy benchmarking and CES’s proprietary Utility Tracker. Prior to joining CES, at UMass Amherst, Mr. Bloom focused his studies on energy benchmarking and data visualizations for large data sets associated with building’s resource consumption profiles. https://youtu.be/UjClvszwKd8 Links Presentation slides Competitive Energy Systems UMass Solar Projects ...
Read More