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Tech and trades students visit construction sites

Trip was first in series of four

Oct. 7, 2011

This week, the Introduction to Technology and Trades classes took their first of a series of field trips planned for the school year.

The classes visited two active construction sites. The first was an Amedore Homes residential construction site in the Colonie area where 6-8 homes are being built. Students had the opportunity to see a number of structures in various stages of the construction process, from foundation and footings to finished sheet rock and painting. With the help of a guide, students were able to tour the site, enter the houses, and ask questions about the various projects underway.

“The idea was to give the students an opportunity to see just what goes into a residential construction site, the various trades represented, and the full scope of the process,” teacher Robert Buehler said.

As part of the class requirements, students had to find certain pieces of information during the trip. This included: what was subcontracted out, zoning and environmental restrictions, if any part of the structure was pre-engineered or built off site, and if the weather has any impact on the day-to-day activities or work progress.

The second stop was to a BBL Construction Services site. This was a commercial site located in the Hannaford Plaza on Wolf Road in Albany where a Berkshire Bank is being constructed. Here, students had the opportunity to view some of the differences in building materials, and construction processes that are done on a commercial site as opposed to a residential location. Students learned a little about the levels of involvement at a project like this, from the laborer up through the project manager and superintendant on the site.

Students will be asked to reflect on the trip in their classes and share information obtained with other students. See photo gallery below.