UMass Team Places 7th in 2024 NAHB National Student Competition

UMass Team Places 7th in 2024 NAHB National Student Competition

The 2024 National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Student Competition for four-year programs was held at the 2024 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, NV on Feb 26-27, 2024. In this competition, the UMass Amherst team placed 7th in the Custom/Small Build category. The mission of the NAHB student competition is to expose students to an in-depth residential construction project from concept to closing. Using real projects, students compete with other schools as they display their problem-solving abilities and learn more about homebuilding. This year’s competition team included 7 students from the BCT program, the Department of Architecture, and the Isenberg School of Management. During the Fall semester, the students worked on developing a business proposal that included market analysis, product design, construction management, project management, financial and risk analysis, and sustainability related to a property in Woodstock, Georgia. The students traveled to Las Vegas, presented their proposal to the judges, and attended the International Builders’ Show, which is the housing industry’s largest...
Read More
UMass Student Team Places Eighth at National Competition

UMass Student Team Places Eighth at National Competition

The 2023 National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Student Competition for four-year programs was held at the 2023 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 31 - Feb. 2, 2023. The UMass NAHB Student Chapter team placed 8th in the competition. The mission of the NAHB four-year student competition is to expose students to an in-depth residential construction project from concept to closing. Using real projects, students compete with other schools as they display their problem-solving abilities and learn more about homebuilding. This year’s competition team included 14 students from the BCT program, the Department of Architecture, and the Isenberg School of Management. During the Fall semester, the students worked on developing a business proposal that included market analysis, product design, construction management, project management, financial and risk analysis, and sustainability related to a property in La Plata, MD. The students traveled to Las Vegas and presented their proposal to the judges and attended the International Builders’ Show, which is the housing industry’s...
Read More
UMass Students Place 11th in National Competition and BCT Program Receives $100k Grant

UMass Students Place 11th in National Competition and BCT Program Receives $100k Grant

Students Participate in Residential Construction Competition As in years past, a group of UMass students traveled to the International Builders Show (IBS), a national conference, which was held this year in Orlando, FL. There they competed in the "Production Homes" category of the Residential Construction Management Competition, which allows our students to practice many aspects of their coursework, such as estimating and budgeting, scheduling and various other pre-construction topics. Under the faculty supervision of BCT's Dr. Ho-Sung Kim, this group had been busy preparing for this competition for the entirety of the fall semester. The UMass team landed the 11th place spot this year out of 27 competing schools. Its members were Akira Ontsuka, Matthew Klingman, Mohamid Zabir, Lauren Nothe,  Oliver Pullin, and Samuel Khokhlan. See the gallery below for some impressions from the event. BCT Program Receives $100,000 Grant From NHE's HELP Program The Homebuilding Education Leadership Program (HELP), launched in 2006, establishes closer relationships with institutions of higher education by awarding major...
Read More
Awards Abound for NAHB Student Chapter in this Year’s Residential Construction Competition

Awards Abound for NAHB Student Chapter in this Year’s Residential Construction Competition

Our UMass NAHB student chapter just capped off the most successful year in its history. In this year's NAHB Student Competition, in which teams have to create a proposal for a housing development, the UMass team came in 8th place. This was the highest the chapter has ever placed. In the proposal, the UMass team had to create a site plan, construction schedules and estimates, a sales and marketing strategy along with a detailed financial analysis of the project. Additionally, the UMass chapter was awarded 2nd place for the Outstanding Student Chapter Award. The NAHB Outstanding Student Chapter Award recognizes NAHB student chapters at schools that go the extra mile to engage with their local HBA, the community, and student body of their schools. The strong relationship between HBRAWM and the UMass chapter was a major factor for this award. The members of this year’s team included Hunter Apteker, George Boccelli, Hayden Cantoni, David Ibrahim, Robson Stewart, and Winnie Wang (see also image...
Read More
BCT student team participates in NAHB competition and Leah Cicalis receives NAHB Outstanding Student Award

BCT student team participates in NAHB competition and Leah Cicalis receives NAHB Outstanding Student Award

As in years past, BCT sent a team of students to participate in the NAHB Student Residential Construction Management Competition, which is a part of the International Builders' Show (IBS), held in Las Vegas, NV. After a semester of preparation, the students presented their project proposal, which this year landed them a spot in the top 20 (19th place to be exact)! We all congratulate them on a job well done! BCT also recognizes the supporting efforts of the group's faculty sponsor, Dr. Ho-Sung Kim, and the local NAHB affiliate group, the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Western Massachusetts, including our alumnus Zach Kushner. Outstanding Student Award Goes to Leah Cicalis We are also proud to be able to announce that one member of that team, Leah Cicalis, a senior in the BCT program, was awarded the NAHB Outstanding Student Award 2020. This rewards her efforts in the student group as highlighted by the award description, included below: "This exciting award recognizes student...
Read More