B4 - 3D Modeling and Intelligent Buildings

My AE 410 project is to discuss how 3D modeling scanners and software can be used to assist the construction industry and even the in parts of the design industry that are "behind the times:". The point of this is to be able to increase the technological complexity of new and existing buildings alike. By doing this, a wider range of buildings will be able to become smarter and environmentally friendly.

Starting with the construction industry, many aspects of that industry are considered old school or outdated. Many tradesmen and women have been doing the same job for 20+ years, and introducing new technology infringes on what they've come to know and perfect. Criticism of this old school mindset has been pretty well documented, and my group believes that there is plenty of room to improve. However, some of this criticism is unfair in my opinion. For example, an iron worker doesn't need a fancy 3D model to set steel. From my experience, all that the crew needed was a few sheets of paper and a competent foreman. Why mess around with a tablet and fancy 3D graphics when a line on a sheet will accomplish the same task. This is one of the reasons my group decided to focus heavily on 3D scanning. We believe that scanning can be used in conjunction with current construction practices, instead of totally replacing them, to improve the industry overall. For example, 3D scanners can used to scan the MEP system in a new building. This as-built data can be compared to the design model for review and comparison. This gives the owner a complete model of the building that has just been turned over to them, so any design work done on the building going forward has an exact representation of what is currently above the ceiling. These 3D scans, done after installation is already complete, do not change how construction workers do their basic tasks. Instead, it provides valuable construction information to the owner. I believe that a building with an abundant of as-built 3D model data can be considered an intelligent one due to the huge long term advantage it provides, as mentioned above. My group also plans on discussing how 3D scanners can be used in the pre-construction process to speed up the design process. Surveyors are slow and not always precise, so using a portable scanner to get an accurate measurement of a site is valuable.

Citation:

Link, Jeff. “Drones in Construction Are the Next Big Technological Boom.” Redshift, 30 Oct. 2017, www.autodesk.com/redshift/drones-in-construction/.

1) Carlos, I like how you will talk about the technology development levels for different countries. It will be interesting to see what challenges some countries face, while other countries are able to avoid the same problems. As someone who was born in America and have only been immersed in our construction industry, it may be eye opening to me seeing some of the things we take for granted, being a novelty elsewhere. I hope you don't stay too vague in your report, as you mentioned above, just so there is enough substance and information for each country.

2) Kerry,

I have never heard of the movie "Smart House", but it sounds interesting! I hope your report talks about the life cycle analysis and "initial costs" of green appliances. For example, if every person goes and throws out their old dishwasher to buy a new green one, the overall environmental savings might not outweigh the wasted embodied energy of the thrown out dishwasher. I've heard this argument been made somewhere before, but for cars. Where people who get rid of their perfectly serviceable cars to get green ones actually do more harm to the environment than help. I can't find the article that said this, but it would be interesting if you investigated it.

3) Mark,

Thank you for sharing your project and 3D model. It seems very detailed and I look forward to seeing how the project progresses. I hope you document the MEP design process well because it would be cool to see how you laid out the system. I've done design processes for civil work and for structural projects, but never for MEP. Even though I've done some in class layout work, seeing how a system comes together starting from scratch really interests me.