Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Architecture Students Gain Insights from Shawmut Construction


Architecture Students Gain Insights




Friday, September 16 was a day filled with architecture students immersed in BIM - Building Information Modeling - from one of the leaders in the application of BIM, Shawmut Construction. BIM is the latest digital tool used by architects, engineers, construction managers, and contractors to document and coordinate the design and construction process of buildings.

The day was divided between an intensive morning session in the architecture studios followed by a visit to the construction site of the new St. John Hall Student Center at Choate Rosemary Hall school. The Center was designed by Bowie Gridley Architects and is being constructed by Shawmut. During the morning session students were shown how BIM allowed the design and construction team to visualize the project and coordinate the architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and building systems elements before the construction began, saving time and expense for the owner. Tom Perry, Nick Kornacki and Tim Grant, all from Shawmut, brought the students into the process through demonstration and hands-on experience with the BIM software. 

After lunch the students took a short bus trip to Wallingford to walk through the new student center under construction. Lisa Bendas, the project manager for Shawmut and a graduate of the University of Hartford Department of Architecture Bachelor of Science AET program, gave the students a detailed tour of the building as it was taking shape. They were able to physically walk through spaces that they had virtually walked through in the morning. It was a tremendous learning experience and helped the students see the reality of construction - preparing them to visualize how their future designs turn into reality through the construction process.

This event was developed through the collaboration of the Construction Institute, the University's Facilities Department, the Department of Architecture, and Shawmut Construction . The Department thanks Nancy Greenwald of the Construction Institute for her continued support of programs such as this, Nick Macy of the Facilities Department for his tireless work in coordinating both the morning and afternoon sessions, and Shawmut Construction for their time and expertise.

 UNOTES - 10/11/16

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