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

New Book by UMass Amherst’s Schreyer Expands Understanding of Architectural Computer-Aided Design Software

AMHERST, Mass. – Alexander C. Schreyer, assistant director and lecturer of the building and construction technology (BCT) program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and faculty member in the architecture + design program, has released a book on SketchUp, a popular three dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) software, titled “Architectural Design with SketchUp.” Published and released as paperback and e-book editions, the book is now available through online and local bookstores. SketchUp is a popular three dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) software owned by Trimble Navigation Ltd of Sunnyvale, Calif. Schreyer has taught courses focusing on SketchUp and other 3D CAD and Building Information Modeling (BIM) software to students in the BCT and other programs since 2003. His courses include construction materials and methods, wood properties, advanced topics in “CAD and Tectonics 3,” the capstone structural course for the master’s of architecture program at UMass Amherst. He also has authored various plugins for SketchUp and is a regular beta-tester for this software. “I realized that...
Read More
Alexander Schreyer to Speak on “Geo-Based 3D Modeling and Visualization”

Alexander Schreyer to Speak on “Geo-Based 3D Modeling and Visualization”

The third IGERT seminar in the spring semester will be by Alexander Schreyer, faculty member in Building and Construction Technology, on Thursday March 8 in the Kellogg room in Elab II at UMass. The talk will start at 12:30. An abstract can be found here: https://windenergyigert.umass.edu/seminar/3d-modeling-and-visualization  ...
Read More

BCT Students Model Amherst College in 3D

BCT Students in the BCT 420 and ECO 697SB classes just finished modeling 30+ buildings at Amherst College in 3D. Once approved by Google, those will appear in the official "3D Buildings" layer in Google Earth. Follow the link below to watch a video or download the KMZ file for Google Earth: http://blogs.umass.edu/bct420-schreyer/student-work/amherst-college-in-3d...
Read More

SketchUp Plugin by Alexander Schreyer Featured on Google Blog

A plugin for the popular 3D CAD software Google SketchUp, which was written by Alexander Schreyer (Assistant Program Director and Lecturer in BCT) was recently featured in one of Google's case-studies on their official blog. As can be seen in the image above, his Ruby Code Editor plugin, which allows a user to write and execute code in SketchUp's 3D environment has been used extensively by Turner Construction. Some of the case-study examples include Turner's construction of the WTC Transit Hub in New York City. The case-study can be found here: Official Google SketchUp Blog: Pro Case Study: Turner Construction and the WTC, Part 2 The plugin for SketchUp can be downloaded for free here: Ruby Code Editor...
Read More