YBB Featured Partners: Haycon and Boston Real Estate Collaborative (BREC)
This week we're featuring two of our favorite partners- Haycon and Boston Real Estate Collaborative (BREC)
Haycon is a Boston based construction and design build firm that specializes in high-performance and Passive House building. Haycon has been a supporter of YBB for many years, and even generously donated their prize winnings to our organization after being named runner-up in this year's MA Clean Energy Center's Triple Decker Challenge. Most recently, Haycon has helped to establish a newer partnership with affiliate organization, Boston Real Estate Collaborative (BREC).
BREC was founded in 2010 on the premise that a more collaborative development process between owner, developer, architect and builder, would result in smarter planning, a more efficient design and construction process and ultimately better projects. In 2012, BREC added property management to their list of services, and BREC now owns and operates hundreds of units, including units dedicated to affordable, market-rate and furnished housing.
A Commitment to YBB
YBB and BREC have recently established a formal agreement and framework for a community improvement model to invigorate, restore and reinvest in the Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan communities through the building, renovation, and restoration of affordable housing, development of open space, and the placement of YBB graduates on a variety of projects. The partnership outlines BREC's commitment to invest in training at YBB- including the creation of job placement, workforce contract, design and facilities maintenance career opportunities.
As part of this partnership, BREC is engaging our Designery students this summer through a project in Interior Design at one of their buildings currently under construction, and they have committed to hosting an Apprentice under our Facilities Maintenance Apprenticeship Program for the upcoming Fall cohort. Additionally, BREC has worked to establish a series of workshops for our Building Trades Exploration students, which will be hosted by our friends at Haycon.
Photo Gallery: Haycon’s first workshop with our students, hosted at our Designery location.
The workshops will feature hands-on activities around the topics of Passive Design and PHIUS Certification, Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) construction, and Construction Phasing. Haycon will host construction site visits for students to see and experience some of the things they will learn about in these workshops through hands-on training opportunities, such as blower door testing, interior wall fabrication, and learning how to use Procore as a construction management tool. Students will even be able to follow the progress on a real Haycon construction project in real time using the Procore app on their phones, giving them a major resume boost as they apply for jobs in construction or construction management!
A Commitment to The Community
Haycon and BREC's financial support and hands-on engagement with our students demonstrates a true commitment to the community and the young people in our programs. The support of friends like Haycon and BREC enables us to continue empowering youth, strengthening neighborhoods, and impacting the trades industry year after year. We are thrilled and honored to partner with Haycon again this year, and to establish a new partnership with BREC that we hope will last for years to come.