Week 5 - Bach Tran - B4 Underground Intelligent Building

Hello everyone,

Marino Da Costa and I, are going to research and design an underground intelligent building. Nowadays, people keep competing for constructing the tallest building in the world. We wonder if building taller and taller building make any sense. According to the latest report of Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, on average, up to 27% of the height of the top ten tallest buildings is vanity height (non-occupiable height). Take Burj Khalifa as an example, at 244 m, the vanity height of this building can be a stand-alone skyscraper. I think this is such a huge waste of money, labor and materials. Besides, skyscraper like these pose a higher risk for their surrounding in case of collapsing due to earthquake or other disasters. My partner and I wonder wouldn’t it be more reasonable to build deeper into the earth. We believe an underground building will have a higher chance of surviving disaster and less effects to the environment. In this project, we are going to look at previously built underground shelters, to learn about the probable construction materials, budget, as well as architectural and structural designs. In addition, we will need to identify issues and concerns for building underground structures, and attempt to integrate intelligent features to make such building efficient. Some of possible issues are waste disposal, energy sources, accessibility, building materials degradation, and so on. At the end, we are aiming to present a Revit model for our underground intelligent building.

Citation

http://www.ctbuh.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=k%2BK%2FgAvA7YU%3D&tabid=5837&language=en-US

Comments:

Shuyuan,

I would love to have a HVAC system with sensors and controls for my house. This winter I got a ridiculously high gas bill because of heating. I had to manually raise the temperature at night and kept forgetting to lower it in the morning, as the result the whole building was kept heating all day. I wonder if it would be possible to integrate such sensors and controls to an existing HVAC system, also will the cost of installing such system worth the cost of electricity or gas that it can save.

Dung Tran,

I really like the minimalist and futuristic look of this building. It would be interesting to see how you design and HVAC system for such building. I concern that a glass envelop like this will require a huge amount of heat in the winter. In addition, you might want to think about a security system or something that can ensure the privacy for the occupants if the building is to be built in an urban setting.

Allison Abad,

I am a big fan of Elon Musk and his ambitious vision of human living on Mars. I think finding a building method on Mars would be a very challenging task. I still think that it would be more realistic to have some astronauts on Mars to control all the robots and drones. In addition to limited energy sources, Mars is infamous for intense dust storms, thus you might want to take that in consideration. Good luck on your project!

B4- Green Building vs Intelligent Building- Amisial

B4- Green Building vs Intelligent Building

My final project will be to write about these two concepts as the title indicates; the objective is to hopefully provide a clear distinction between the two, and to further assist by elaborating on the basic knowledge regarding the subject. This will be done by discussing the concepts and general theories developed on the subject, providing the main characteristics and definitions of both intelligent and green building, method of construction, materials, advantages and disadvantages, impacts on the environment, common interests and connections between the two.

As mentioned above, this is primarily about intelligent building, and it will discuss how intelligent building technologies can develop green building. Additionally, some of the common knowledge that has been already found about intelligent building are: they have higher level of security, easy to monitor, and include information integrated systems, but they were also proven to be of higher cost due to installation systems, and system complexion. Some of the challenges that we might encounter are: issues in finding case study for the two concepts (green & intelligent buildings) to illustrate the arguments presented and concrete data to elaborate on the comparison between the two.

Comments:

Tyler,

Your writing on how intelligent building technologies can be used to make a building more green will be very interesting; This is one aspect of intelligent building that I have not given a lot of thoughts, but the summary of your paper highlights everything that I needed to get a clear picture on this relationship between intelligent and green buildings. I agree to the fact that both buildings have closely similar goals but they use different methods, and I would have appreciated to know which one is more efficient in some specific goal as example impact on the environment.

 Thach,

I found your project subject very inspiring, and implementing intelligent appliances into intelligent building is a must in order to get the network system of the building more efficient. I completely agree with the fact that switching these appliances in an old hose is one of the first step into intelligent building, but I wonder what would be the outcome if such appliances are installed in a green house.

Bach,

Your project subject: underground intelligent building is very interesting; you have addressed some of the most important concerns that we have nowadays about tall buildings. You have mentioned that about 27% of the top ten tallest building are vanity height; I was hoping that this fact was elaborated a little more, and I agree that building underground seems safer, but I question if the environment impact will be less on the surrounding.

B4- Intelligent vs Green -Tangari

My term project will explore the two building types, “green” and “intelligent”. These two types are constantly being used interchangeably in the architecture and engineering design world. But these two categories can yield very different building types. My hope with this research paper is to create a clear distinction between the two and learn how they both aid to the operation and functions of a building. Without much prior knowledge my understanding is that an intelligent building focuses more on creating an environment that is comfortable and equipped with technologies that simplify redundant tasks as well as improving operation of facilities by providing feedback on systems. A green building’s main focus is to be able to be able to minimize or eliminate any harmful effects onto the environment while paying attention to human wellness as well.

Within the paper the main focuses and goals of each will be outlined and determined. With this it will become clear how the two are commonly mislabeled and how or if one type can be another. I also plan to see which hold better benefits or if one is a better option than the other. The knowledge obtained from determining the differences between the two would be beneficial for future endeavors; to have a clear understanding could help in modeling buildings to the right standards, as there is much confusion over the distinction currently.

Through conducting my research I hope to focus on a specific topic as this is very broad. Right now through my current research I have just been developing a broad base of understanding the two. I  plan as I delve further into this topic more to be able to narrow in on a particular concept addressed by both in order to be able to see clear advantages and disadvantages of each. Being this is such a broad topic I can see this being the difficult part of the assignment, but I feel overall will be a pleasant experience because of my interest in how buildings are operated and managed.

Comments:

Carlos Hillinger
Carlos, I like how you are taking your topic and focusing it on other countries. technologies here are so advanced and able to accomplish so much that it is not a common thought or even a clear understanding of how other countries are developing their infrastructures. I like how you are going to research the background on the area as to understand the dynamics and limitation that may be imposed on building structures, economically and politically and even availability of resources. 

Malik Anibaba
Malik, I see we have chosen almost the same topic to research. I like how you plan to determine if there is a scale for how intelligent a building can be as there is one for the level of "green" a building is.You had mentioned narrowing your focus and I think possibly looking at the energy uses of each may be a start to making the topic a bit more direct, which is where I plan on starting being it is such a broad topic. 

Cody Johnson 
Cody, I really like how your topic is aimed at finding a way to improve the construction industry. It is very true what you said about 3D models, which are generally seen by the client and the designer and never passed on further. 3D scanning would be very helpful for even site walk-throughs and even in places such as pharmaceutical labs. Many times once a lab is sealed workers/designers are unable to get back in and have to rely on the fact that construction was done according to the plans exactly as well as rely on pictures which are not always accurate. 3D scanning would be great in this case to be able to have accurate plan of what is in the space, which was a daily problem I saw at my first coop. 

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.

B4 - Project Description

For my term project for AE510, titled “Revit House Model with Major Systems”, I am working independently to create a 3D Revit model of Glass House in New Canaan, CT. Designed by Phillip Johnson as his own residence and a weekend retreat in the future, Glass House has affected the architect in many of his further designs. Influenced by ideas of German architects “Glasarchitektur”, the structure of Glass House features a steel-framing system with mainly glass panels anchored in place [1]. It inspired the modern architecture in design open floor plan and using steel and glass in residential house design. Before his death in 2005, Johnson donated his property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the building is now an art museum stored David Whitney’s collection, and furniture designed by Mies van der Rohe. These gentlemen have developed partnership in art world through years. Figure 1 features the current Glass House in CT, and below is the current model that I have done so far.

Figure 1. Phillip Johnson's Glass House [2]

Figure 2. Glass House architectural model at its current state

I chose to create a Revit model including primary systems: architectural, structural, and mechanical to expand my BIM skills through the course and learn about how these systems integrate within Revit and BIM. It is also a great opportunity to gain skills from modeling structural and mechanical system of the building, which I wish to expand while taking AE 390/391 sequence next year. The simplistic design of Glass House provides a good individual practice for modeling structural system, as it was not hindered inside wall system. In fact, Architectural drawings found in Glass House’s homepage provides a nice reference to accurately create its architectural and structural models. lively reflections created by glass panel are also interested to figure out through shading in Revit. I aimed to finish the architectural model within Week 5 before working on other systems.

Expectedly, several challenges have emerged since I started working on this project. Learning a new software and applying it into a certain problem is a time-consuming task, as I am still watching tutorials to solve some Revit problems while modeling the Glass House. Moreover, once I start working on structural and mechanical models of the building, it will be more challenging to discover how elements within each system connect with each other to generate a workability model. In fact, connections between structural members such as beam, column, etc. are tricky to assemble with details provided on the technical drawings. For this project, HVAC system will be newly customized into the building model for learning purposes as it was not included on the technical drawings provided by Glass House’s homepage. Moreover, multiple components that are not stocked in Revit libraries must be created to closely accomplish the accuracy in modeling the historic house. For example, the brick cylinder, served as Glass House’s bathroom, may consume a good amount of time. Therefore, the past assignment was essential to learn about creating a workable family to depict those components.

Upon project completion, I hope to accomplish a final model of that can accurately describe the existing structure and provide a possible plan to install HVAC system into the historic house. For example, several mechanical elements are attached to the ceiling of many Drexel’s historic buildings including Randell Hall. Furthermore, one of the possible outcomes of intelligent building is using computer technology to understand building. Therefore, depending on how quickly I can finish the complete model, structural analysis and energy analysis will be aimed for inspecting the functionality of the structure. Finally, I wish I could discover about the fact that Glass House has not been used as a daily residence throughout the project.

Reference

[1] Pierce, Lisa. (2010). "Through the Looking Glass", pp 1, A4, The Advocate, Stamford, CT.

[2] Perez, Adelyn. (2010). "AD Classics: The Glass House / Phillips Johnson".  <https://www.archdaily.com/60259/ad-classics-the-glass-house-philip-johnson> (Feb. 5, 2018)

Comments:

Zac A and Mark O

I am looking for your future update, and presentation of your project at the end of this term. Your project is even deeper than my goal as building a project from a sratch. A design following the industry standard would benefit largely in your Senior Design as well as your professional  practice after graduation. I have never touched to the MEP side of the building (AE220 is the basic of the basic), so I wish you two could finish your model to enrich my reference. Good luck!

Thomas S and Allison A

Martian settlement is a new, but ambitious topic through years, with a boost from the movie "The Martian". Your post already emerges a solution on using automated technology to construct structures in Mars without human intervention, which is very interesting even though human still have to control the robot to construct a dwelling right in Earth. You also clearly describes your challenge in your research, as supplying power for automated systems are a big problem in such an isolated situation (140 million miles away from us). However, please keep up with your work, since your idea is very innovative.

Carlos H.

I am coming from a developing country, so I can understand your statement about difficulty in applying new technology to improve lives on these countries. In fact, lack of investment, group of interest and law regulations in construction are tightening any innovative idea that is trying to emerge to the public. There is one problem that I want to share with you. It is about operating and maintaining those technologies which you will present about in Week 10. There is a huge probability that it would require high budget, and high-skill engineers to maintain technological devices, and the local government would practice corruption while operating those devices. Anyway, I am looking forward for your presentation, which I will reserve as one of the options to discuss while going back to home. 

B4 - Term Project Description

Thomas Sisson and I will be working together on the term project “Automated, Lightweight Construction on Mars”. Our project explores the idea of autonomous building construction in an isolated environment roughly 140 million miles from Earth. The main goal of this project is to research a construction method that can be deployed prior to astronauts reaching the planet. The primary benefit to autonomous construction in this situation is that we can send up a construction rocket to begin construction of a colony before humans get there. This would save on construction time and could even prevent loss of life in the event that the construction rocket is damaged en route to the location.

My group and I chose to do this project since it directly relates to our senior design project which is to build a self-sustaining colony on Mars. The idea of living on Mars is becoming more and more probable, and the use of automated construction methods are most likely going to become a requirement since traditional construction methods are challenging in a foreign environment. While the futuristic skyscrapers that have been the backdrop of many sci-fi films are still lightyears away, traditional construction methods are both time and money intensive. The use of automated construction methods would be cost and time efficient, as well as prevent any loss of human life. These methods aren’t just for building in space either, automated construction could be implemented now and would impact the way construction is completed on Earth.

This project relates to intelligent buildings because it takes the topics we have been discussing in class, such as robotics and artificial intelligence, and directly relates it to designing and constructing buildings. Automated construction is most likely going to be the next step in the engineering and construction industry and is already prominent in some countries.

There a couple problems that come with this project, with the primary being location. While we have a general map of Mars from what was gathered from rovers and satellites, it doesn’t have any of the technologies, such as GPS tracking, which is what we use for robots on Earth. Another challenge we face is power, all the methods we have researched for this project will require a way to recharge since batteries don’t last forever and solar power is 40% of that on Earth. A way of working around this by creating a colony that uses lighter materials which will reduce the power requirements. The weaker gravity on Mars also poses a challenge for drone construction, the major issue is not knowing how much lift will be generated on Mars. This does not eliminate drones all together, since they could still be used for ensuring proper alignment of the structure.

Comments:
Mark O,
I really like that your team is deciding to follow the design process used in the industry since it's what you'll probably end up doing eventually! I think this is a great way to experiment and play around with the other things Revit can do aside from the architectural and structural elements. I've always wanted to do this myself, since we don't get a lot of classes that allow us to explore the MEP side of Revit. I would love to read the rest of your experience!

Kerry M,
I remember watching that movie! It was actually one of the movies that sparked my interest in buildings and the idea of a "smart" house. I like how you addressed the idea that only new construction can be "smart", since most people don't have the money to move into a new place. Intelligent appliances would be the easiest way for an existing home to turn into a smart home.

Jordan S,
I like that you are incorporating one of your interests with this term project. I think the idea of having robots in an archival space such as a library is very interesting and is most likely another step in the way of intelligent buildings. I'm assuming that these robots will be using some type of code to locate the book required, but what would happen if the book is misplaced? I'm sure this issue would come up in your research, I look forward to reading more about it!

Anibaba - Project Description Blog Post

I have decided to look into a comparison of green buildings and intelligent buildings. I will be exploring what it means for a building to be intelligent using information we learn about in class and what it means for a building to be green. I will be considering buildings level of intelligence and level of “green”. The biggest question I will be answering is can a building exist as both intelligent and green or is it one or the other. My current stance is that an intelligent building can be green and a green building can also be intelligent. My project will look at green technologies and intelligent technologies and their impacts on building life cycle.

I have chosen this topic out of shear curiosity. It is one of the questions I had come into the class with and alas it may be answered due to this project.  I personal am into green buildings and technologies and I feel building intelligence can play part to greener buildings. The impact of the discussion of green buildings versus intelligent buildings can bring about collaborations that I can only see as beneficial for the building industry.

This topic is in direct relationship with intelligent buildings seeing as we will be exploring what an intelligent building is and what intelligent technologies are. Project research will also be looking at possible levels of intelligence. We currently have a rating system to how green a building is but I am unaware of how we rate a buildings intelligence. Lastly project will look into the big question, How smart is too smart?

I can imagine the intense amount of information to go through could pose a challenge. Discussion with Professor Mitchell has encouraged focusing on a concept of the green vs intelligent building argument. Being such a broad topic can be overwhelming and limit technical analysis of the topic. Another challenge that may occur is moving away from my bias. If research and analysis prove my current stance to be inaccurate, I would have to re-position my believes and objectively look at the facts of research and analysis.

Jordan Shuster Comment: Jordan i like your topic very much. it explores a specific building technology. My problem is that i cannot fully understand the concept of robotics in a building space. Does implementation of robotics in a building space make it intelligent or is a space just making use of a robot. I am sure from reading your paper i will have a better picture of your idea and its relation to intelligent buildings. Best of Luck.

Mariano Amisial Comment: I like how exactly you want to look at this topic. I have the same subject matter for my term project, however we have different angles of approach. I am looking at the similarities of green and intelligent buildings and exploring their overlaps, where as you plan to completely distinguish a difference from the two. I am curious to discover your findings and im sure you would like to see mine as well. Best of luck.

Term Project Description - Hillinger

Carlos Hillinger - AE410 - B4

Term Project

     My project is going to explain how we can use new emerging technologies to improve lives in developing countries. It will explain how the use of technologies that are changing the way we build in developed countries can directly impact in the economy and development of underdeveloped countries. The project will focus on solving construction-related problems, but will also address other areas such as healthcare and farming.

     I will address the main factors impacting the difficulty to develop of some countries and compare them to other countries with similar characteristics that have managed to developed. This factors are the countries' government and their geography & meteorology. I will also include some benefits of building in such countries, such as less regulations that will make engineers' lives easier. 

Other topics I will address are "main problems to be solved" and "technologies already being implemented" in the construction industry of developing countries. I will vaguely research and write on most topics because I do not want to loose focus on my main point, which is how to implement new technologies to improve construction and lifestyle in developing countries. As I will focus on construction, I will also write about improving farming, healthcare and resource provision, which in my opinion are critical to think about when looking to improve a lifestyle or construction methods. 

The main technologies I will research on, and think how to apply them will be: "3D Printing", "BIM technologies", "Robotics" and "Online Education". Most of the previously stated technologies we have talked about in class. The reason why I included Online Education is because it is "newly" developed technology, and because I believe that to improve a country you can't just do things for them, but show them how to do them, give them the tools, and allow them to build their own country.

I will finish my project by showing two real life scenarios and how to improve those countries with the technologies I researched and each of their unique characteristics. So far, I chose to use Venezuela and Madagascar as my scenarios, because of their uniqueness, but I may end up changing them.

Finally, I will write a conclusion on whether I think my research was helpful and how someone (or me) could continue to research and write about this topic. I hope my topic will help my classmates understand how to address construction problems in undeveloped countries with technology, and make them aware of their situations to inspire them to contribute to this cause in the future.

Comments:

Kerry:

Kerry, I think you chose a very interesting topic. Technology is not something we can only use to improve the way we build, but also to improve the way we use our building. I think that appliances is something that definitely falls under ways of using our building. It could also be fun to look into other technological improvements that you can add to a construction. A good example is induction charging for electrical vehicles. It was actually implemented in a residential building for the first time here in Philadelphia, in the building Walnut 500, which opened this year. 

Sherry:
Sherry, I enjoyed reading your post, it is definitely a very important technology to look at. The advances in BIM and Revit will allow us to change we build and change the way we address a problem in any construction. I like that you mentioned that Revit could help you predict how would a building react to extreme weather conditions. It is a long shots but with good research as backup, you could make some very interesting points about it. 

Nay Ye Oo:
Sonny, I think yours is one of the most interesting topics I have read so far. Maybe I find it interesting because I also share a concern for all these emerging technologies. It is something I will also consider in my project, maybe not to the same extent, but will definitely share a similar perspective to yours. I also think that advances in construction is going to affect the amount of engineers needed in the field, but I would predict at least 10 years until we see an important impact. I would love to read your project once you are done, as well as discuss this problems in class. Great topic.

Term Project Description

Mark Odorizzi and I are working together on the term project. We chose to do a project which entails creating an entire Revit model for all three major design areas of a building. We are doing this in conjunction with AE-391 which many of you are familiar with. We were originally working separately on different term projects, but realized after talking that we were doing very similar projects where we were going to be using Revit to create various models of a building we designed. Also, we are working together in AAE-391 so it is only fitting that we work together in this class as well.

What we will be doing with this project is keeping a log of what we do in Revit for the AE-391 building we are designing. We will be discussing what we did that day and the challenges we had faced. We will discuss some of the new things we are doing in Revit which we haven’t done before. At this current moment in time we have completed the Architectural Model for our building, which can be seen below. The shape of the first floor of our building gave us the name for it, “The Keep.” There are a few challenges we had to overcome when creating this model, like how to go about creating the amphitheater or add a continuous clerestory of windows. The overall Goal for our project is to have a set of plans that have been generated from Revit that include the architectural plans with furnishings, landscaping plans, structural plans, mechanical plans, electrical plans, and plumbing plans. Then, if time permits determine where we have clashes in the design and attempt to both show them and fix them.

“The Keep” – 3D Model of our Architectural Design of the Building

This relates to this class because more and more each day architectural and engineering firms using Revit to design buildings. This is to help determine if there are any design flaws that most likely would not get caught on a set of 2D plans until the General Contractor or Subcontractor points it out in a meeting or even possibly while they are constructing it.  This is also why almost every general contractor that I have spoken with are implementing the use of BIM tools to estimate a job. While a project is in the estimation phase it is critical that the GC or subcontractor not miss anything major costing them or the owner a lot of money. There are many abilities that a BIM Tool like Revit has that can be implemented in the construction field much easier than the design world because as of right now Revit is simply creating a model (picture of the building in 3D) that is not producing any data that a structural or MEP engineer can use.

An example of when having a 3D model is essential is when there are two GC’s competing for a job and one of them has produced a fully modeled building in Revit that they can show the owner.  I can guarantee that 95% of the time the owner will go with that contractor because they know they are getting a better-quality product, there will be less change orders (surprises), and that this company is more serious than the other because they took the time to create a model of the building. I have worked in the estimating department of a heavy civil construction company where many times they were chosen by the GC because we were able to show them that we knew the job. We were able to point out the potential design issues with possible solutions to the problem.

COMMENTS:

Cody Johnson

Your project seems to be very interesting and you are correct in saying that if 3D scanning could be an industry standard it would save a lot of people a lot time both in the construction and design industries. I also would like to point out that to this day, many of the sites are scanned by drones to get the initial elevations for both the CAD drawings and the plans. There is still a lot of needed improvement though because if the site has a lot of brush or trees, the initial scan will come up with elevations 2’ higher than what they actually are. Having this ability in the construction industry would help tremendously.

Carlos Hillinger

This is a very interesting topic to focus on. I believe that the main area to focus most of your time on is the 3D printing. In many underdeveloped countries their infrastructure limits their abilities tremendously. I believe looking further into 3D printing of bridges for countries like this is time well spent. Will we ever get to the point where it will be more economical to send a team of 2 or 3 guys and some “robots” to construct bridges for these countries? I believe looking at some of the economic aspects of all of these new technologies is also a beneficial route to look into. I only bring this up because in this country, I believe the main reason as to why the construction industry has not changed is due to the fact that technology is expensive and we don’t need it. We have been building buildings, roads, bridges, etc. for hundreds of years without robots, scanners, and more so why change it?

Dung Tran

You seem to be doing a very similar project in which Mark and I are doing and I too look forward to seeing your final presentation and how your building turns out. I have spent a good amount of time using Revit and learning how to use the Architectural Modeling tools but have not personally worked on any of the structural or MEP capabilities Revit has. I believe learning a new program for yourself is a very rewarding and intensive task, but once you learn Revit it will only benefit you in the long run. I personally am excited to learn how to link models, and create the other models. I believe that Revit will continue to be the leader in 3D modeling, and that AutoDesk will ensure that Revit can talk to other programs. I believe that Revit will be in the construction industry for 20+ years. Owners love to see models of their building, and GC are using it to solve problems. 

Milligan - Blog Post 4

B4: Term Project Topic

Chris and I are doing our term project on intelligent appliances, and how they connect to a residential building automation system to create an intelligent home. We chose this topic because we are both big fans of the Disney movie Smart House. In the movie, a home is designed utilizing intelligent appliances and an AI automation system to create an intelligent home for a lucky family to live in. Unfortunately, in the movie, the AI takes over and becomes evil, but that’s besides the point. We hope to research ways to create an intelligent building step-by-step, in a way that is accessible to many homeowners. Unlike the movie, it is not every day that a forward-thinking family wins a contest to move into a smart house. Because of this, it is important to provide ways to achieve this status on a budget and in a methodical way that doesn’t require large capital input or luck.

Purchasing, installing, and connecting intelligent appliances is a great method for achieving the status of an intelligent building on a budget, over a period of time. Intelligent buildings do not have to be built from the ground up. It is possible to renovate and retrofit existing buildings to function better and be “smarter.” Per Professor Mitchell’s definition of intelligent building, “intelligence” may exist in any system or phase of the building process. This clearly includes retrofits and renovations, as well as adding intelligent features, or appliances, after a home or other building is already complete.

There are some challenges we expect to face for this research. First, most information regarding intelligent appliances and residential building networks will most likely be sponsored by manufacturers who provide those products and services.  This might be biased information which we should be careful of. I also suspect that there is much more information about building intelligent buildings from the ground up, as opposed to making changes and additions to existing buildings. Additionally, there is a huge range of appliances in a house, and we will have to narrow down to the most important and interesting ones for purposes of the paper. We have not dove into the research that far yet, so maybe these challenges will be minimal, but they are some of the things we expect to face.

Comments:
Jordan: This topic is really interesting! We're at a point in the construction industry where we cannot fully function without some physical information, such as old documents, books, or CDs - we are not fully digital. This idea takes that reliance on physical media and updates it to be as efficient as possible while we still require those documents. Not only does this idea make the space or building it is in more intelligent, but it can be used for intelligent building design and lean design and construction practices to improve efficiency.

Mark: Attempting to follow the process of design followed in industry is a great idea for this project! I think you'll probably learn a lot, and the process of doing this for just one project will stay with you as you begin your career. I think it is also really interesting that there is a heavy focus on sustainable design with your project, which I'm sure will impact your intelligent building design process in an interesting way. I'm in no way a Revit expert, so I am excited to hear about what things you learn through this process.

Tom: This is a super cool project topic. It is very interesting to think about how we would create an ideal civilization from scratch on a new planet - it is essentially saying how we would re-do our life on Earth if we could. It gives you the chance to correct all of the things you don't like about the way life functions on Earth. Your idea to have the foundation and structure put in place completely automatically is truly the definition of intelligent building construction - a building that can build itself! You make a great point that not only can you use what you learn from construction on earth to improve construction on Mars, but the opposite is true too. Things learned through this process of attempting to build on Mars will provide ample insight for construction on earth. Your challenges seem well thought through, and it's great that you already have some possible solutions to those challenges.