Lectures – Building and Construction Technology

MoMA Panel Discussion on Mass Timber with Prof. Clouston Now Available

May 20, 2022May 19, 2022 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

A presentation and panel discussion on "Material Worlds: Mass Timber" was organized by the Museum of Moden Art in New York on Dec 14, 2021 and included BCT Prof. Peggi Clouston. From the MoMA website: Wood construction is ancient, and surprisingly more relevant than ever before. The United Nations predicts that nearly one Manhattan worth of floor area will be built every two weeks globally over the next 40 years (GlobalABC, IEA, and UNEP 2018). Since the built environment is responsible for almost half of global carbon emissions, it is essential that we redesign what these cities are made of. Mass timber laminates small pieces of wood into scalable structural elements that have strength comparable to concrete and steel, enabling urban density, a key component in a low-carbon way of life. It has the potential to be more renewable and carbon-sequestering than any other structural material in existence. But questions remain. Who has access to healthy building materials like this? Are there enough...

NTSB Presented on a Miami Bridge Collapse Investigation

April 27, 2022 by Katherine McCusker Comment Closed

Senior Investigators of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) joined BCT for the last lecture of the Spring 2022 semester. The talk focused on the investigation into the Miami Florida International University Pedestrian Bridge Collapse in 2018, and the communications materials that were produced about the incident. On March 15, 2018, a partially constructed pedestrian bridge crossing an eight-lane roadway in the city of Miami, Florida, experienced a catastrophic structural failure in the nodal connection between two truss members and the bridge deck. The 174-foot-long bridge span fell about 18.5 feet onto a road partially open to traffic. On the day of the collapse, a construction crew was working to retension the post-tensioning rods connecting the bridge canopy and the deck. Eight vehicles located below the bridge were fully or partially crushed, seven of which were occupied. One bridge worker and five vehicle occupants died. Five bridge workers and five other people were injured. The presentation provided a general overview of the...

Alex Wilson presented on Resilient Design

April 11, 2022 by Katherine McCusker Comment Closed

Alex Wilson, President of the Resilient Design Institute joined us for our third lecture of the Spring 2022 semester. Climate change will influence building design over the coming years. Examples of resilient design strategies are presented as responses to flooding, wind, extreme temperatures, drought, wildfire, and the cascading impact of power outages. https://youtu.be/FypS4AGUs28 Links The Resilient Design Institute...

Rose Mary Su Returns to BCT for a Second Lecture About Building Acoustics

March 2, 2022 by Katherine McCusker Comment Closed

Rose Mary Su, Principal Consultant at ACENTECH presented a lecture titled Acoustics and Vibration in Mass Timber. Acoustics is the key to success for many buildings and building spaces. Most of us have dined in a noisy restaurant unable to hear our friend sitting across the table or tried to study in a library full of distracting noises. Workplaces today tend to be open and collaborative, but the noise level may inhibit productivity. Learn how acoustically comfortable space is achieved in the face of multiple obstacles. https://youtu.be/CmYh5YyiI2M Links Acentech - Acoustics & Vibration Consulting Services ...

Seth Lawrence-Slavas Presents the First BCT Lecture of Spring 2022

February 11, 2022February 16, 2022 by Katherine McCusker Comment Closed

Seth Lawrence-Slavas, President and Principal at Wright Builders Inc. (and BCT Alumnus!), presented a lecture titled Affordable High Performance Construction and the COVID Era. As material prices soar, labor availability plummets and shipping delays cause mass chaos in the building world, there remains the need to provide affordable, safe, energy efficient housing for the majority of the population. Mr. Lawrence-Slavas explored the real-life world of project development, estimating, physical construction and how to manage the unexpected and expected consequences of the virus. https://youtu.be/c1oFWZGulus Links Wright Builders Inc. ...