Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Blog Post 7 - Course Reflection (Alyssia Deutsch)

Final Reflection

This class has helped me so much in opening my eyes to all of the new technologies that are being developed and applied in the construction and building fields that exist today. Before this class I had no idea how much smart technologies could be applied to any stage of construction and how much BIM aids in design and development. I also had very little knowledge of how many programs exist within the BIM environment that allows so many different but related professions to collaborate most effectively during the making of a building.

Being a structural major usually has had me more focused on the structural parts of the design and the math that goes into it rather than how it is actually created after the fact in real life. For example, I have knowledge on how it is decided where and how and what type of CMU (masonry) grout / mortar / rebar are placed but I did not know that there were AIs used often now to place them. Other areas such as how fast a building can be built and the widespread definitions of what building intelligence can mean have been added to my knowledge which will help me so much now and in any of my future employment decisions.

I enjoyed how the class had a lot of integrated activities that also assisted us in our outside of class assignments. Being able to communicate and discuss with other students while being introduced to a new subject matter is very helpful and assists in demonstrating that almost everyone is new to the material so its not as daunting. Without this class I would have not been able to learn as much about Revit and Access as I am happy that I know now. I also really enjoyed the topic that my partner and I picked for our Final Paper which allowed me to apply many aspects of this class to my field more specifically which will heavily lend to how I approach issues in the workplace concerning the design phase of a project.

The only two complaints I have about the course is how cold the room was all the time because its super hard to learn when you're freezing and the second is that maybe a more integrated in class activity with Access should be implemented. Don't get me wrong, the provided course videos were excellent but there were still some issues and questions I had after completing the assignments that might have been able to be explained in person more adequately than the internet was able to relay to me. Other than that, I find this class to be one of the most useful and best ones I have taken here during my Master's Program Studies. I also found it really helpful how there was a wide array of guest speakers because this is really helpful when concerning job opportunities for students here. It also helped in showing how applicable all of the different class activities are to real life and how often BIM is relied on. Overall, I found this class to be quite enjoyable and would definitely  recommend it.

Comments:

Carlos Hillinger:
I agree very much with what you said about Access being super helpful and applicable to any type of engineering field. I do wish as well that we had learned more about a few other topics such as 3D printing and delved further into more types of AI but I believe that this may have been due to the length of the terms here. If it had been a typical 17 week semester, I'm sure we would have had a chance to learn even more of the applicable intelligent topics.

Shuyuan Zhang:
I like how you pointed out that this class made us sort of become our own leaders in how creative and thoughtful we wanted to be depending on the topic at hand. I also agree that although I knew BIM was important, I did not fully grasp how important before having experienced this class. The Revit project was a bit challenging for me too since I had never used it previously but now I am so glad that I have because next time it will be a lot less challenging!

Shaden Dahroug:
The point you make right away about how much of the information we gain from this class will keep on being very applicable and built on in the future is great. Just like most students in this class, I knew databases were created but I had no idea how. Learning this skill helps so much in the real world like you have mentioned and aids so much in allowing us to connect to our fields in a deeper level of understanding. I also feel as though this course has added to my preparation in the future.

4 comments:

  1. Alyssia,
    It was interesting that you have mentioned the many technological concepts learned during this course, and your opinions about the classroom and some of the things that we could improve in this course are truly appreciated.

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  2. The classroom in the cadlab is ALWAYS cold - it’s absurd. I like how you discuss the blend between your technical knowledge and the real-life application of that knowledge that we discussed in AE 510. I think that is a key benefit to the course - it builds awareness of the technology being integrated into our profession. Now you know that you may need to read up on some AI applications for CMU design. I similarly felt that the course offers motivation to learn about these new software, like Dynamo, and continue to read and remain aware of the technologies associated with an Intelligent Building.

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  3. Alyssia,
    I thought you made a good point about not really thinking outside your concentration. Since you are structural, you always think in terms of structural design. I think the class did a good job of pushing students to see aspects of the industry from different perspectives and how other aspects can apply to you, even if they are indirect relationships. I also agree that the research and collaboration aspects of the course were some of the most helpful as they helped you hear how other people view the topics. Overall, it gave a great base knowledge and helped build understanding for other's views.

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  4. Alyssia,

    I have a good time reading your course reflection by the complaints about heating issues in our CAD Lab. I hope that the air conditioning in this room will work properly during Summer time. Also, I like your discussion about the integration of technology and engineering knowledge discussed in Intelligent Building, and how they are applied in a real-life project. I believe this is a biggest aspect of the course. Throughout my project, I also learn that while designing an architecture model, and a structure system for a typical building, we will have to leave some spaces for MEP system, and AI devices to monitor the building.

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