Green Building Archives - Building and Construction Technology

UMass DesignBuild Program Celebrates Completion of 2023 Build with an Open House

November 3, 2023November 3, 2023 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

On Thursday, November 2, the UMass DesignBuild Program celebrated the completion of its 2023 project, Paper House, named after Holyoke, The Paper City. There, in Holyoke in collaboration with OneHolyoke CDC, the Paper House will be placed on its permanent site where it will become a contributing member to Holyoke’s affordable housing inventory, addressing the inequities of affordable housing and climate justice in an underserved community. In addition to many Building and Construction Technology, Architecture, and Five College Architectural Studies faculty, plus all the students who participated in the DesignBuild program, as well as donors and sponsors of the program, the celebration was attended by multiple UMass officials: Chancellor Javier Reyes; CNS Dean Mike Fox; Humanities Associate Dean Pari Riahi; Environmental Conservation Head, Paige Warren; and Diane Barstow, CNS Development Head. The celebration was additionally honored with the attendance of the Director of OneHolyoke CDC, Mike Moriarity, and President of DOC, Joubin Hassanein both major collaborators. Fresh Cider and Atkins donuts were enjoyed...

Hammer Time: How Students, Faculty, Local Businesses and Holyoke’s Community Development Corporation Are Teaming Up to Fight the Housing Crisis

September 27, 2023September 27, 2023 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

They call it “Paper House”: a modular, 500-square-foot, high-performance, net zero, low carbon house designed and built by the students in UMass DesignBuild, a joint effort between the Building and Construction Technology Program and Department of Architecture at UMass Amherst and the Five College Architectural Studies program. DesignBuild is in its second year, and it seeks to address major problems, both in the educational world, and in the broader world at large. “A builder might go through their whole education and never see the work involved in designing a house,” says Carl Fiocchi, a lecturer and professional master’s program coordinator in the Building and Construction Technology Program. “The reverse is true for architects, too, who might never get any experience actually building their designs.” The DesignBuild class seeks to bridge this gap between the builders and designers with a two-semester sequence. In the spring semester, students are given a set of design parameters—the house’s overall footprint, budget, materials, etc.—and with those in place, design the...

Applications Open for Timber Faculty Workshop

May 9, 2023 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

UMass Building and Construction Technology Program and Boston architecture firm Leers Weinzapfel Associates are this summer hosting a workshop for architecture faculty that provides a thorough background on timber as a building material. See below for more information: TIMBER FACULTY WORKSHOP APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN! Monday, June 26th - Wednesday, June 28th Apply Here Applications are due May 26th, 11:59pm eastern time. Selected attendees will be notified by June 1st Venue: John W. Olver Design Building, University of Massachusetts Amherst Led by: Leers Weinzapfel Associates with support from Building and Construction Technology Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst Venue Host: Department of Architecture and Building and Construction Technology Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst Led by Tom S. Chung FAIA, Principal Leers Weinzapfel Associates and Professor of Practice in Architecture at Auburn University and Dr. Peggi Clouston, Professor of Wood Mechanics and Timber Engineering, we welcome Tenure-track faculty at accredited Architecture schools throughout the US to apply for an intensive 3-day workshop geared towards equipping faculty interested in teaching Mass Timber design. Workshop will...

New Book from Alexander Schreyer: Fundamentals of Residential Construction

October 6, 2022October 4, 2022 by Alexander Schreyer Comment Closed

Director of the Building and Construction Technology program is the lead author of a new book Alexander Schreyer, director of the Building and Construction Technology program at UMass Amherst, is the lead author of the recently updated “Fundamentals of Residential Construction,” the most authoritative resource on the topic. This newest, fifth edition is thoroughly revised to reflect the industry’s latest methods, materials, technologies and green building approaches, offering the most up-to-date explanations of today’s residential construction systems and current building codes, including the International Residential Code and energy codes. This edition features entirely new materials sections on metals, plastics, and composite construction as well as expanded and updated content on ventilation, air-sealing, decks and outdoor structures. Provides a solid foundation in residential construction methods, tools, and processes Discusses the latest codes, costs, trends, and best practices in design and construction Offers timely coverage of sustainable building, energy efficiency, multifamily construction, prefabricated building components, CAD/BIM planning tools, and carbon-conscious construction Includes access to...

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...