Building Systems Archives - Building and Construction Technology

UMass Design-Build “HyggeHaus” at the Green River Festival

July 15, 2022 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

Residents of western Massachusetts have long marked the start of summer by the opening of the Green River Festival. Now in its 35th year, the three-day music festival held in Greenfield, Massachusetts draws a large crowd hungry for food, fun and dancing. This year, thanks to students and professors in UMass Amherst’s Building and Construction Technology Program, as well as the collaborative efforts of the UMass Department of Architecture, the Five College Architectural Studies program, and East Branch Studio, festival-goers were able to rock out at the HyggeHaus, a modular, 350 square foot, high-performance, net zero, low carbon accessory dwelling unit that served both as an auxiliary stage and as a model of sustainable living addressing both equity and the national housing shortage. Hygge, pronounced “hyoo-guh,” is a Norwegian term that signifies “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” This DesignBuild project was started begun by a group of UMass students and instructors in 2020, but the build was postponed due...

Wesley Stanhope & Ken Neuhauser Present on Building Commissioning

March 31, 2021June 9, 2022 by . BCT . Comment Closed

Synopsis Buildings are comprised of potentially competing systems that are expected to work in harmony with each other. Commissioning is a living and adaptive process that can be implemented at any point throughout the lifespan of a building, ensuring that the building systems are reviewed and tested for optimum performance. Wes & Ken shared lessons learned from projects to explain why the most successful building Commissioning starts before design has begun. https://youtu.be/zbeDksdTxU8 Links Building Evolution Corporation ...

Tedd Benson speaks about a better way to build in the 21st Century

November 11, 2020September 25, 2022 by . BCT . Comment Closed

Tedd, founder of Bensonwood (1973) and Unity Homes (2012), has devoted his life to developing a better way to build. A key figure in the revival of timber framing in America, he was one of the founders of the Timber Framers Guild of North America (1984) and authored four books on the subject. Through the decades, Bensonwood established itself as a creative leader in timber frame design, engineering, craftsmanship, and CAD- CAM technology. This work has taken the company to nearly every state in the U.S. (Oklahoma is a holdout), as well as Canada, England and Japan. After having spent many years with the Bensonwood team developing processes, systems, logistics, and technology, Tedd went on to found Unity Homes, now a sister company, with the objective to make high performance homes affordable and normal. Today, Bensonwood continues to lead the industry, pioneering the use of Mass Timber and CLT’s in buildings large and small, and collaborating on innovative projects to...

Giancarlo Tosi speaks about a revolutionary technology that is changing the way we cool our buildings.

February 10, 2020June 9, 2022 by . BCT . Comment Closed

Giancarlo Tosi the Regional Manager of DADANCO offers a presentation on the use of radiant heating and cooling with active chilled beams. Over the past 150, periodically, we have experienced significant mechanical system changes and introductions into our buildings. These systems delivered, what has become our rigorous expectation, for both occupant comfort and convenience. Central Heating, Indoor Plumbing, Electric Light, Ventilation, and of course Space Cooling. All have enormously improved our indoor experiences, the place where we spend 90% of our time. It has, of course, come at a cost. An acceptable financial one, but also one that was first not understood, but now of course is ---the negative impact on our climate. Mr. Tosi’s presentation is about a revolutionary technology that is changing the way in which we cool our buildings while at the same time spectacularly reducing the energy usage of what is one of our principle building loads ---Space Cooling. Presentation Slides https://youtu.be/UlgZ-5fUQSA Links DADANCO...

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

April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

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)...