B7 - Course Reflection

Intelligent Buildings was a course that provided a wide variety of exposure in terms of what will be leading most industries in the future. The future which holds nothing, but technological methods and improvement as explored through our lecture topics and discussions.

The initial class discussion of what makes a building intelligent opened doors to understanding how the future industries will account for nothing but technology to complete minor and major tasks of a given work load to achieve time efficiency, and higher productivity rates, while that was proven through the discussed topics of what Artificial Intelligence are, the use of 3D printers, learning and understanding what is a database, and what BIM tools are capable of. In addition to preforming a research to further explore what intelligent buildings are.  

The knowledge taken from this class were all very useful and eye opening to what is going on in the real world, but what I personally feel was very useful was learning how to use Microsoft Access for creating a database as I would never through in million years to check what Microsoft Access is, what it does, and how it works. In addition to using Revit to create families.

Before using Revit to create families, I wasn’t proficient with Revit and I still have more to learn and practice to achieve proficiency using the program, but this assignment has helped me become more familiar with Revit.

This course has definitely well prepared me for the future, as the knowledge gained through this course has allowed me to think out of the box in terms of building design, where every time I will think of designing a building I will thinking about all the technological methods and feature we talked about in class and see how I can implement them to my design to make my building more intelligent. Another thing this course has prepared me for is when I buy my own house when day I will install HVAC sensors to increase energy efficiency and indoor air quality, while having lower utility bills : D  

Since we have come to the end of this course I would like to share my current definition of intelligent buildings: Intelligent buildings is where there are high levels of control that does require constant interaction from human.   

Comments:
Hillinger
I agree with you the guest lectures were interesting and helpful, because it was nice having someone in the profession close to our age that we can related to in terms of our future careers. 

Abad
I agree with you in terms of how guest speakers were very useful to have as I am digital building concentration too, and I was confused about what can really be done with a digital building concentration up until we had our guest speakers and having further discussion with Professor Mitchell.

Sisson
I have to agree with you as engineers I believe BIM tools will just be involved in everything we do whether analysis or design.

Course Reflection - Hillinger

Course Reflection - Hillinger

Carlos Hillinger -AE410 - B7

Final Reflection

          AE 410 has successfully given me a better perspective of not only intelligent buildings, but the construction world as well. I believe that teaching us different technologies and emerging systems in the present world, was like giving us the tools we need to have a better understanding of how the construction world is evolving and how we can evolve with it. I would also like to share that in my opinion the course is structured perfectly. We are given an introduction to Revit with an assignment, that will later help us understand the way BIM programs work. Then, we were asked to create a database in Access, which not only taught us a new software, but also served as a great introduction to database programming, and sensors. The database assignment helped us begin to understand how Intelligent buildings work, by having databases, sensors and a software that allow us to manipulate the building's constraints. 

          Adding on, the guest lecturers and the videos were all very interesting and helpful, they would relate to a certain topic introduced by Prof. Mitchell, and at the same time explain a whole new topic. I believe that no other class had given us an introduction to futuristic technologies like AE 410. Even though we might have heard of some of them, we had not really dug into topics such as concrete 3D printing, BIM, Drone Scanning, Artificial Intelligence, etc. If I had to choose my favorite thing about this course, I would certainly choose the Database assignment and the in-class videos. The database assignment introduces a not only unknown, but very practical topic for an engineer, and in-class videos provided vast explanations of the topics Prof. Mitchell introduced in class. On the other hand, if I could change something about this course, I would probably try to make the class more engaging and increase participation. For example, some in-class videos could be watched at home with a short reflection, and we could use that time in class for activities related to futuristic interesting topics. An example activity could be a breakdown sketch of how 3D printing concrete works. 

          All in all, I believe that classes like this are the ones that set Drexel apart from other universities. Most universities will teach you the same subjects with very few variations, but courses like Intelligent Buildings give Drexel students an advantage over other graduates, since it makes us aware of how the construction world is evolving, and how we can and should evolve with it. 

Main Source:

Carlos Hillinger: in-class experience.

Comments:

Joshua:

Joshua, Thanks for sharing your reflection with us. I see that you liked certain things about the course that I also included in my post, such as how green structures can be innovated. I also liked that you particularly mentioned energy capture for sustainability, it was certainly one of the most interesting topics over the term. Your post is very specific and self explanatory, good work.

Allison:

Allison, I believe that that your post is very honest and accurate. I also found Derek's lecture quite interesting, BIM is definitely one of the topics I was looking forward in this class and he made an excellent job explaining it. The online guest lecturer we had on intelligent building was also helpful to introduce the BIM topic to the class. I agree on your comments about the database assignments and how it relates to INFO 210. Great post!

Thomas:

Thomas, In my opinion your post was very accurate and specific. I like how you used your own real life example from  your future job to show how useful this class is and how the construction world is evolving. I agree, Dynamo is a tool that we will be using more and more, especially for structural members. Maybe it would have been helpful to have a short assignment related to Dynamo as a short intro to what we might encounter in our jobs. Thanks for sharing, great post. 

Object Oriented Databases - Hillinger

Carlos Hillinger -AE410 - B5

Object Oriented Databases

     I recently enrolled in a Database class required for my Intelligent Building Concentration, and it has completely changed the way I think and approach a database. I have learned how to develop Energy Diagrams using Chen notation and how to translate them into relational schema using three methods that our professor (Dr. Frein) has created for us. I will start working with SQL next week, which would have been helpful to complete this week's assignment. Without getting too much into detail, I want to share my thoughts on databases before writing about Object Oriented Databases.

     Databases are basically collections of data organized in a structured or hierarchical way, that can be accessed and managed. When developing a database, it is good to think of it as a group of entities, relationships and attributes that can be linked together with a series of constraints that will allow us to access them without having to do much work. It can be used to solve many problems and even the simplest of businesses will use them to maintain an organized client, inventory or cash database. They form part of our daily lives even if we do not notice them, and they will probably be helpful for you more than once in your life.

     My understanding of Object Oriented databases is that they are databases that store data instead of a relational database that stores code. In an object oriented database, you will be able to input an object directly into a database, like an image, a chart, a video, etc. On the other hand, in a relational database, objects are not directly input into the database, but a relationship is created between an existing entity and the new one. While the object oriented database is able to input all of the information within the object, in a relational database, the "information" is given as attributes attached to the "entity" in the form of tables.

     I have studied relational databases and can understand them well. And while I have not studied object related databases in depth, I can see and understand some of the benefits of using them. An object related database will have a simpler schema to represent complex data. While a relational database may be more detailed, it can also be damaged or have some errors that can be avoided by using an object oriented database. OOD also have direct representation of their references and can reduce the processing type of a CPU since there is less data to process.

     All in all, I believe that both database types are very helpful and we should understand them. I believe that it is of great importance, since they can relate to all the fields that we can study. In my case, as an Architectural Engineer, I can see uses or databases all around the construction world; whether it is for construction materials, budgets and plans, or for employees, salaries ad work hours.

Main Source:

https://www.service-architecture.com/articles/database/comparison_of_object_and_relational_concepts.html

Comments:

Luciana:

Luciana, I enjoyed reading through your posts. I also researched on OOD and there are many things that are easy to miss when researching, which I learned by reading your post. For example, I did not realize that Object Oriented databases require much less maintenance, and that their code is easily reusable. I also like the car analogy that you used to explain the difference between a relational database and an object oriented one. Thanks for reading and commenting on my post as well!

Dee Dee:

Dee Dee, I like the way you structured your post, it is very organized. You begin by explaining what a database is, and you continue by giving examples on how databases are useful from three different points of view. I would also like to share with you that databases don't necessarily have to be used to solve complex problems nor enormous chunks of data. They are used in our every day lives to solve the simplest of problems. I can even consider a grocery shopping list a database of some sort. Great post and great examples!

Deutsch:

Deutsch, Great Post! You provided a very good explanations on what relational databases are and how they work. I would recommend you to take a look at Energy Diagrams to better understand relational databases and how entities are assigned attributes and relationships. It can be a bit tedious to work on given the amount of constraints you have to learn, but once you get a hold of it, it becomes much easier than writing in any other coding language. If you are interested in databases, I can recommend you to take INFO 210, which is designed to help students learn a lot about databases. Great post, the best I have read this term so far!

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.

Future Advantages of Revit/BIM - Carlos Hillinger

Carlos Hillinger - AE410 - B3

Future Advantages of BIM

     In a world that is constantly being shaped by technology, futuristic ways of developing a building are emerging. Among the newest technologies related to the construction industry we can name: concrete 3D printers, brick-laying robots, AI, BIM programs, powerful laser cutters, and many more. And it does not take a genius to realize how technology has already been shaping the way we build today! It was not too long ago when people designed structures with only pen and paper, developed buildings with an organized book and used techniques that seem ancient to us to put together a building. After looking at the advances in construction in technology, the first question that comes to my mind, is, What's next?

     According to Mark Chidwick, "The adoption of collaborative ecosystems combined with the modernization of traditional processes and the introduction of information management technologies will provide the environment necessary to support the needed cultural change in the industry". This is a very interesting article that introduces the use of BIM as a new revolution. They explain how the Agricultural, Industrial and Information Revolutions have been shaping the world, and how BIM is going to create a new revolution, which they call, the Ecosystem Revolution. The Ecosystem Revolution consists in the integration of various disciplines to solve complex problems, and this is achieved through technologies such as BIM. BIM is definitely going to change the way people approach a project, it will look for integration and workflow among all the areas of of a construction and set them together in one place, in order to provide the smarter and most efficient solution. It is a process that will probably take few years, since there is a lot of techniques and information that we need to teach these technologies. But once the programs have more knowledge of constructions that even human beings, we are going to be the ones entering the parameters and they will be the ones designing and developing a project.

Source:

M. Chidwick, Shaping the Future of the Construction Industry. CanBIM, 2017 [Online]. Available: http://www.canbim.com/single-post/2017/10/31/Shaping-the-Future-of-the-Construction-Industry

Comments:

Jordan:
Jordan, I believe you make very good points by pointing out that buildings are soon to be designed by programs rather than people, I made some similar assumptions in my post. I did enjoy the video you shared, although I am not completely sure that programs are going to be extremely easy to use, I believe that there is always going to be some training required in order to be able to use the development tools that advances in technology will offer us.  

Tyler:
Tyler, I liked the way you introduced the use of Revit and BIM in the construction industry, I agree, it is a problem that projects developed in different tools are not able to easily translate into each other's formats. Could it possibly be a solution to create a programming code that would set constraints on how the files of every big construction program should be developed, in order to make it easily editable through other platforms? For example a monopoly of a big company such as Autodesk, in which they would own every emerging technology and make them operable among one another? Now with that been said, this may even cause a bigger problem, a slower rate of newly developed technologies. It is definitely a big topic to discuss, and I look forwards to hearing what professor Mitchell has to say about it. 

Andrew:
Andrew, you wrote a very nice introduction on Revit and BIM, I believe that sharing your own experience is always a good way of getting people into context of what you are writing about. Interoperability among programs is a problem that many have addressed and I share the same point of view. You also went into detail even compared programs like eQuest to other programs like Revit. Maybe another big problem could be that the rate of machines replacing humans will start to grow exponentially again, like in the industrial revolution? It is definitely a big problem for a big discussion and I'm looking forward to talk about it in class.

Carlos Hillinger - B2

Chapter 4:  BIM for Owners and Facility Managers

 After reading through the chapter and researching online on Building Information Modelling, my understanding of BIM is that it is a process for managing and creating a construction project through its entire lifecycle. It serves as an aid for builders to update the construction's status in certain key stages of a project, allowing them to optimize their work. It is sort of a mix of CAD drawings, 3D renderings, cost analysis, and building processes , all put together for a better understanding and better work flow through the building stages. Like the National BIM Library expresses it: "Information Builds the Model".

     Chapter 4 explains a series of benefits of using BIM for the owners, and how it can change the way we address a building from the start. In my opinion, one of the most important uses of BIM is the simulation function for facility operations. I say this because besides all cost, energy and quality improvements, safety, in my opinion, is the most important thing when building a structure, and by using simulations, we can predict how our building is going to perform under different circumstances such as earthquakes, big crowds, fires, etc. Other important benefits of using BIM for owners include: shorter project schedule, cost savings, increase in the building's performance, accurate performance and cost information and better program compliance.

I would like to share this video that gives a clear example of how BIM works for a project, in this case, a restaurant.
https://youtu.be/_beeFtrgQJE

Source: 
National BIM Library

Comments

Luciana Tangari:
Hi Lucy, I agree with your comments, I think you have a very good understanding on how BIM can benefit owners in the construction process. In my opinion, the best benefit of using BIM for an owner is the ability to predetermine and avoid design flaws that could bring a lot of problems and change orders during the process or even affect the safety of the people in the building. I agree with your conclusion, using BIM is definitely a way to save money and time, which are two very valuable things in a construction.

Andrew Maita:
Andrew, I agree with you statements, you clearly state that interoperability is a key component to any system. I also think it is key for any process, all the departments must work separately and together at the same time to ensure that the project completion is being done in a timely manner and with the correct use of the resources. It is clear that working together for different teams in a construction process can lead to a lot of time and cost savings at the end of the process.

Allison Abad:
Allison, I agree with your comments on BIM applications for owners and managers, it is certainly a tool to be used to improve many aspects of a construction process. I like that you used an image or diagram to explain how BIM benefits owners. I also would like to mention that providing examples of your past experiences in coop is a great way to make us readers understand how to relate what we are learning to real world scenarios. Good job!

Intelligent Building - Carlos Hillinger

Intelligent Building

Definition:

It is a building that integrates various systems to provide maximum efficiency of the resources and maximizes technical performance.

Source:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00038628.2015.1079164

Another definition that I found online in the same source, is:

"an intelligent building is a dynamic and responsive architecture that provides every occupant with productive, cost-effective and environmentally approved conditions through a continuous interaction among its basic elements: places (fabric; structure; facilities); process (automation; control; systems); people (services; users) and management (maintenance; performance) and the interrelation between them. (Clements-Croome 2004)"
Clements-Croome, D. J. 2004. Intelligent Buildings: Design, Management and Operation. London: Thomas Telford. [Google Scholar]

Blog Post 1 - Carlos Hillinger

3D Printing & The Future: 5 Ways 3D Printing is Changing the Construction Industry

By Rachel Burger

https://www.thebalance.com/3d-printing-construction-industry-845342

October 23^rd, 2017

This article begins by giving an introduction on how 3D printing is changing the way humans make things, such as shoes, cars and clothes. It then adds that 3D printing will also change the way we build, making the construction process less wasteful. Then, the core of the article addresses the 5 main advantages that 3D printing will bring to construction. After reading through them and understanding them, I believe that the three main advantages that 3D printing will bring to construction are: reduced costs, global development, and greener construction. The other two advantages claimed by the article are: improved project planning and clarity in client expectations. Out of all the advantages, I think that global development is the most important one, because 3D printing  in construction will allow undeveloped countries and cities to build low cost and durable houses and shelter for many people that do not have access to materials or labor needed to build a well designed house.

AI & Robotics: AI and Robotics: The Future of Construction

http://www.conexpoconagg.com/news/october-2016/ai-and-robotics-the-future-of-construction/

October 5^th, 2016

This article begins by explaining that robotics are not a subset of artificial intelligence, it states that even though robots can use AI, it is not a necessity. AI can be used for quality control testing of products, to optimize development and even for forecasting and scheduling. AI is knowledge, and if incorporated with all the human knowledge for construction, it can be use to improve BIM designs; for example, identifying true collisions versus false ones, like waterproofing for specs for sports stadiums. AI would be proactive, it could ask questions to learn, and even interact with voice and visuals. They state that a possible setback is the impossibility of AI to be implemented on small scale projects due to lack of data, but it could certainly be used for large scale projects like government ones. Other advantages addressed by the article for using AI are: fewer errors and omissions, improved workflows, safer jobsites, and less time ‘wasted’.

Robots on the other hand have been utilized a lot for the construction process. Some of the most common robotics are robots that help shape rebars, robots that manufacture plumbing fixtures and robots that help transport construction materials. More complex and recent robotic inventions can include robots that 3D print cement houses and robots that can build a wall placing bricks and mortar. In summary, robots are everywhere in the construction process, they are basically every automated machine that helps improve the process. However, robots will start shaping the future whenever we are able to incorporate Artificial Intelligence with machines that can ‘think’ using knowledge as the input and solve problems more accurately and in less time than human experts. 

Comments:

Jordan S.,

 I enjoyed reading through your post, it is clear to me that we can learn something new out of every post. From your post I learnt that 3D printing is being used to print in braille. I liked that you did not focused 3D printing only in construction, it was sort of refreshing to read, and you make a good point on that 3D printing is all about what it can make. I believe that the main problem with 3D printing is the initial cost of the machines, but it will certainly be improved in the following years.

Luciana T.,

I think you have a very good understanding of AI and 3D printing. Imagine if we were able to use those the technology in those robots you mentioned Alibaba used that can even think faster than the most intellectual human beings, and apply that technology to robots in the construction industry. As it can obviously bring many advantages like reducing costs, improve accuracy and greener constructions, would not it also leave a lot of workers unemployed? It is a question that only the future can answer, but it is worth thinking about it.

Zach A.,

I think that your post is very broad and complete, you certainly managed to cover all the topics and explain them very neatly. I would like to emphasize on your comments about the future, especially when you address that with all these newly developed technologies, many windows for malicious activity open. All this new database systems, robots that function with AI can be hacked, and I believe it is the responsibility of the same people that are creating this technologies to make sure they are un-hackable, and even if they are, to prepare for the worst-case scenario with a backup plan in all of their robots.

Group C - Robotics & AI Relevancy

We believe that the use of robots and artificial intelligence is highly relevant in the field of engineering.

On the construction side, robots can be used to streamline processes such as brick laying, automated concrete pouring, and material fabrication.

However, the design side is still largely dependent on humans therefore the use of robots and AI is not as relevant today. As smart buildings advance and become more common, the use of robotics and AI will increase.

Carlos Hillinger - Introduction

Carlos Hillinger
Drexel University

I am a Junior student at Drexel University currently enrolled in the Dual Degree Program of the Engineering School, specifically in the Civil and Architectural Engineering Program. I am focusing my studies in Digital Building, which is the obvious reason for choosing AE-410 (Intelligent Buildings) as the first professional elective of my career.

I have been interested in construction all my life, thanks to the fact that you are working on something that you can physically see growing in front of you. It is clear to me how technology is transforming every industry, from Amazon changing the way people shop, to computers changing the way we do everything (learn, read, teach, etc.). In my opinion, technology will end up also shaping up the construction industry in well-developed countries.

I believe that coming from an undeveloped country, I can clearly see the advantages of using technology in the construction industry, which is why I am so interested in learning how to use intelligent system to improve the way we build, reducing costs and risk while increasing the quality of the end product. It is also of my interest to see how we can implement building technologies on undeveloped countries to improve quality of life in them.

I expect this class to give me the tools and knowledge to better understand how to use software tools and intelligent systems in the construction industry, and other applications that we might discover along the way.

I found interesting the Evernote post on "The Year in Robots". It is a very clear example on how intelligent systems are shaping our every day lives. It is one of my interested to find out how we can use robots not only to improve lives that are already fine, but to improve lives that do need to be improved.

I would define Intelligent Building as a concept used to describe the variety of systems and robots used to improve construction and reduce its costs. By improving construction I mean improving the quality of the buildings and reducing the time to build.

Last Names for Tags

Below are the names of the student in Intelligent Building in AY2017-18.  This post is used to create the last names as labels/tags to be used when you enter a post.  It's initially alphabetic, but students added after 1/7/2018 may be at the end.

Amisial, Mariano Anibaba, Abd'Lmalik Oladepo

Arnold, Zachery Todd

Bihun, Oksana T

Chen, Lu

daCostaXimenes, Marino Hero Sutejo H S Dahroug, Shaden

Deutsch, Alyssia M

DiGiovanni, Bradley S

Gibson, Christopher A

Hillinger, Carlos Luis

Hollis, Sarah

Huxley, Jake

Johnson, Cody James

Kujawa, Lauren E

Lovett, Joshua M

Maita, Andrew

Milligan, Kerry M

Mutso, Maria-Irena

Odorizzi, Mark R

Oo, Nay Ye Quelly, Peter Isaac

Shuster, Jordan W Sisson, Thomas

Strohl, Diedre H

Thach, Christopher Tangari, Luciana

Tran, Bach Tran, Dung

Tufano, Sarina Angel Wahbeh, Jacob Tareq

Wicker, Tyler C

Xiao, Jianfeng

Zhang, Shuyuan