Team 3 - Group Project Reflection

As a group, we learned that people bring different ideas to the table; these ideas can be influenced culture, geography, and other outside factors.  We also learned the importance of stating your definition and expanding on the idea you are speaking about.  As a group, we all had different definitions of intelligent and green buildings, and your definition may take your project or paper in a different direction than someone else's.  Technology can be defined differently depending on the time period.  Technology is constantly evolving and influencing the design, construction, and operational phases of a building's life cycle. 

B7 Course Reflection - Gibson

After going through the course AE 410- Intelligent Buildings, I have found a new passion for future technologies that are going to play key factors in my work field. I relished the use of new programs and learning about how we can fine tune our skills to become the most efficient engineers we can be. The new software I used in this class were Microsoft Access and the incorporation of Grasshopper as well as Rhino into Revit. The weekly blogs become a tradition for me as I got to reflect on the lectures from class and understand how my peers are thinking about these new topics too. Although, my favorite part of this course I would have to say would be the guest lectures.

During the guest lectures I found some real connections between all the new technologies discussed throughout the course and the design/construction industry as a whole. This gave me a first-hand experience from professionals on how they use each of the technologies or how they would use their databases to optimize the project timeline. In addition, this helped me to see what I want to do in the future as I am new to the idea of intelligent buildings and upon graduation.

Comments:

Wicker:

I enjoyed reading your post as I too have similar interest as you. This class really opened my eyes to the applications that Revit and Access can be used for as well as the amount of information each can produce.

Bach:

After reading your post, I see you as well favorited the guest lectures. As it made us feel connected to the real world and see specific ways these technologies are used out in the field.

Strohl:

I too agree with you without the deep intellect that Professor Mitchell has from working in the field so long and working with many students he delivered a great message to incorporate these new technologies.

Gibson B5 - Databases in Construction Firms

My article discussed how Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a new system that can replace humans and actually outscored 615 of 906 human teams at the last three science competitions. The first prototype seemed to work very well after performing better than more than half of human teams. This device is called "Data Science Machine" (DSM).  The DSM was able to produce answers to these science problems with 87%-96% accuracy, however, it took human teams of scientist all around the world months compared to the 2-12 hours the machine took. The massive amount of data that this device can run through can be crucial to the time-consuming design of a structure. By using different tables and charts of data in the DSM, it can help project cost and time. These are two key factors that are lacking in the construction world.

With this type of precision and accuracy, simple design calculations will not need to be redone or take up any time excess time allowing engineers to quickly check its work and move on to other ongoing projects. In the construction world time is money and this device can be greatly taken advantage of in major construction firms to increase overall efficiency
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Response 1: Jacob Wahbeh
Jacob, after reading your post I better understand how databases and BIM work together. These incorporated BIM databases would have made my second co-op so much easier and available to access at any time.

Response 2: Dee Dee Strohl
Dee Dee, I really enjoyed your post and your definition of what an actual database is. I struggle with the types of databases and complexity of them. I appreciate how you broke a database down from different points of views.

Response 3:Shuyuan Zhang
Shuyuan, I like your definition of what a database is to you in your own words. Again this and the previously read post have given me a strong idea of what a database is and how exactly it can work. Your co-op experience is pretty interesting as I was on the other side of the design team (structural), so reading your techniques used in HVAC design helped me realize the big picture of how it all goes together.

Source:
https://scitechdaily.com/data-science-machine-replaces-human-intuition-with-algorithms/

Gibson - B4

I decided to work alone on this project, and choose to research 'intelligent" versus "green" buildings. I will focus on what makes each type of building its own and describe each of its unique charaterictiscs that attracts consumers to build these type of projects. One major aspect, I have discovered so far is the way to optimize but also hvae the most energy efiicent building to be the most diffcult challegene for both buildings types.

A further look into, a intelligent vs. a green builing break down of a power grid is depicted in the figure below. A key component to conserveing the energy in these type of proejcts comes down to the swtich agents and how quicly the buildings systems interacts with the surrpoding as well as interior envirnonments.

Response 1: Jacob Wahbeh

I appreciate you honestly, in your post becuase during my own research I have come across serval varying definition for 'intelligent' and 'green' buildings. So it is good to know that I am not the only class member going through the same issue.

Response 2: Chris Thach

Great post! I really enjoyed reading your post about the new Smart Houses that are beginning to turn into a new must have at top ausment parks like Diseny World. The study of intelligent applicances I belive is the nect step to having completey efficent inteillgent buildngs.

Response 3: Bach Tran Nam

I found your post about the tallest structures in the world to catch my eye in the fact that they tpo are implenting this new type of technology in their buildings as well. 

Gibson - B3 Post

How does Revit relate to Autocad and other drafting programs?

After watching the YouTube video, on linking AutoCAD drawings files into Revit files once can see how well AutoCAD can really relate to Revit and other 3D drafting programs. Once creating any DWG. file type in CAD, it then is directly linked into a Revit model. So, this turns all the 2-D lines drafted in CAD to specific families in Revit based on the layer you drafted each line in CAD. These 'families" in Revit give the drafted lines a whole new meaning with the actual real-world properties of what the line will be out in the field. For example, a beam of a structure drafted on a certain layer in CAD (depends on how one's AutoCAD layers are set up) when linked into a Revit Structural model will display the actual 3-D steel W24 beam or whatever exact beam that is needed for the structure. This beam can then be seen in a whole new light as the actual construction of each and every member of a building can be seen in 3-D and depicted accurately with all the correct dimensions needed for field work instead of just a solid line which is what will be displayed in AutoCAD.

In addition to the 3-D modeling, Revit allows one to cut sections/elevations or plans views from the model. Also, in the model, one can turn off and on certain links that linked into the Revit file to allow for clearer details when trying to figure out how a connection or specific detail fits together in a structure. These links can then be synchronized into the central model for all parties to be up to date at all times. This lets engineers, drafters, and contractors all the ability to work on a single model at the same time unlike in AutoCAD by a simple click. 

Source:
https://www.evernote.com/Home.action?_sourcePage=VTHa1U_BCx3iMUD9T65RG_YvRLZ-1eYO3fqfqRu0fynRL_1nukNa4gH1t86pc1SP&__fp=0mLHj7SLOWI3yWPvuidLz-TPR6I9Jhx8&hpts=1517333438651&showSwitchService=true&usernameImmutable=false&rememberMe=true&login=&login=Sign+in&login=true&username=cag332%40drexel.edu&hptsh=adQ3vVdYIHNbNYUgaRXFLC1DvmA%3D#n=3393c56f-8725-4e2a-90c6-12e2ad530aae&s=s3&b=3ca5dd9b-8b1c-4939-875f-262706dc1487&ses=4&sh=1&sds=5&


Response 1: Andrew Maita
I enjoyed reading your post about current issues with Revit and BIM, especially for most users who have started drafting in AutoCAD. I went through similar problems when first trying to use Revit rather than CAD during my co-ops. Also had to do the same can of calculations for the same structure in Revit using SAP2000 and eQuest for structural and HVAC calculations respectively.

Response 2: Dee Dee Strohl
I agree with your post stating the major advantages of utilizing Revit and other BIM software. As I talked about in my own post the use of sharing a model has many benefits for all parties. Specifically, you discussed how it allows for many users to work on it and upload their specific MEP parts of the building and that can be automatically seen by the structural engineers so they know what they have to take into account for when designing.


Response 3: Tyler Wicker
After reading your post, I agree with the problems Alex has experienced in Revit. To be specific, the certain issue with Revit restricting the user to orthogonal pieces unless you create a module or family. I have experienced similar problems with Revit and find it very time consuming to create a new family each time unless one is saved in a database for future use.