Lovett: Week 2 Discussion

Chapter: BIM for the owners

Chapter 4 of this text focuses on the benefits the BIM process can offer owners and managers.  This is at first aimed at the delivery of a product in the most efficient method possible, mostly relating to cost incurred upfront (capital and the estimation of costs), during issues (change orders and scheduling liquidation damages), and throughout the lifecycle of the project.  This concept is restated several times over in different manners, though the fact that the BIM tools are directed for use of architects, engineers, and the like.  

To address the construction process as seen by the owners, the adaptability of BIM has become a benchmark in the construction industry.  It has not only made the capability of large-scale projects possible, but the process of integrating large change orders in a project has been simplified by the possibilities of families and being able to carry-over more complex assemblies from one job to another.    

The increase in efficiency for the structures can be carried over from commercial to residential projects seamlessly, which allows for a growing diversity of larger firms offering new opportunities to individual home owners. 

3-D Printing with Steel Bridges
It has been long-sought after to build larger scale objects utilizing 3-D printing but this approach to build a bridge is still a modest ambition.  It will be used for foot traffic, ideally, and will actually be composed of a composite steel.  The reason this is such a large undertaking is that the generic 3-D printing usually requires a boundaries box and with this installment of innovation by MX3D, there are no boundaries to speak of.  This is a monumental leap forward considering the potential applications of 6-axis automated welding.  The possibility of structural repairs using this method are incalculable. 


Citation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITCneG2GnO4


3-D printing with Building Envelopes
Building envelopes have evolved over time from simplistic cladding to flowing pieces of art that incorporate a degree of the same qualities as its predecessors due to its inherent nature.  Layering these "sheets" have similar effects of geosynthetics in that the qualities of each layer can be seen as a whole, cohesive unit.  The flexibility of the materials involved also allow for more artistic liberties to be taken during the design process, which can also lend to a warmer feeling for the inhabitants.  The main concern for large-scale production of these features is the inevitable waste created when non-degradable polymers are disposed of.

Citation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiMWsqo82I4


3-D printing entire structures
Bringing the concepts mentioned above together is the ultimate goal of engineers working with 3-D printing.  MIT has developed a prototype for fully designing a structure.  This approach is currently limited by materials needed for the structure that are not necessarily available for 3-D printing yet.  Ideally this will become a completely autonomous process so uninhabited areas (particularly relating to space exploration) could be constructed without the need of human labors or the excess resources they would need during this time. 

Citation:
https://scitechdaily.com/mit-develops-a-system-that-can-3d-print-the-basic-structure-of-an-entire-building/


Comments:

Dung,

I appreciate your candor on the matter, particularly pertaining to feeling haunted by many school not offering guidance with this software, especially Drexel of all.  This is a clear gap in knowledge that our graduating class will certainly be penalized for.  Knowing more about the company and its origin is a helpful start to the process.



Jordan,

I couldn't agree more concerning the handbook's take on efficiency being paramount for today's field.  Scheduling is obviously an important factor, though when the inevitable changes occur mid-project it is comforting to know how simplistic the updates to design and the subsequent integration into the construction can be when approached in this manner.  You bring up another imperative point concerning the international factor that is forever-growing.  Helping bridge the language gap by the use of universal software is nothing short of a miracle and will save everyone involved the time and money that the problem may otherwise cause.


Kerry,

The complexity of BIM software and its related databases are certainly growing as the product and environment evolves.  I enjoyed your honesty when addressing the learning curve for users to be acclimated to the layers of BIM that you mentioned.  The convenience cannot be exaggerate at this time, though fully understanding an assembly and furthermore how the BIM tools utilize and update in real-time is a challenge in and of itself.  This chapter makes a decent attempt at fleshing out the conceptual side of BIM and you took it a bit further so thank you.