Whiting-Turner and UMB team up to host a family-friendly event.
Baltimore-based construction firm Whiting-Turner and the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) recently paired up to host “Construction Day” for the children of employees in UMB’s Office of Design and Construction. The two-hour event provided attendees with a morning of interactive construction-themed activities. During the day, they got the opportunity to explore some of their favorite construction vehicles, discover how buildings are planned and built, and take an on-site tour of a live construction site.
Attended by 14 guests, the day began with a kid-sized construction presentation and finished with lunch from Chick-fil-A. In between, the kids learned about how a new building gets planned, constructed, and ultimately finished.
Led by the Whiting-Turner construction team, the attendees learned that the new University of Maryland School of Social Work building will have as much indoor space as 90 single-family homes. the team explained to the kids (and accompanying adults) that the building is being constructed with a focus on sustainability and has many earth-friendly features. The building will have a green roof, will capture energy from the sun via solar panels, and will be heated and cooled with a geothermal system with over 40 wells reaching more than 600 feet into the ground.
After the presentation, the floor was thrown open to questions. Attention in the room — from both kids and adults alike — quickly centered on the crane rising 180 feet above the construction site. The kids learned that the crane operator climbs over 500 steps to reach the top, and that the crane cabin can sway up to 6 feet when it’s windy.
After the initial presentation, the junior construction team was turned loose to explore some of the diggers, dozers, and dump trucks used by the team. After lunch, the kids took turns operating a miniaturized, remote-controlled version of the crane.
To emphasize the importance of safety on the job site, each kid got to take home their own hard hat and vest.
Cooper Meyers, age 9, enjoyed the day. “It was really fun. We got to honk the horn of the truck and sit inside the excavator,” he said. “We got to learn all the stuff about the heating and electricity.”
When it comes to the future, Cooper said a career in construction was definitely a consideration. “I want to be a builder. Or an archeologist. Or maybe a marine biologist,” he said.