Dee Dee Strohl - Blog 7

Final Reflection

Like a lot of my classmates have said, AE 410 was like no other class I have taken at Drexel. It covered topics I was only briefly introduced to and allowed me to explore them further. The class was interesting and relevant to my major without being computation based. Though geared towards the digital building concentration, I still found it helpful as a mechanical concentration—especially with the discussion of sensors and BAS. Spending several weeks talking about topics allowed for a well-rounded discussion of them.  The class structure allowed you to learn a lot about the subjects, present what you’d learned, and discuss with your classmates. I liked that we had time to discuss with our groups and work with others for the final project. It’d made the class more interactive and expanded my knowledge by using my classmates as resources.

The discussion of robots and AI was something I had only briefly learned about. Though incredibly interesting, I also find it worrisome. Robots and AI are such a powerful tool and we need to be cautious with how we use it. Though I already used Revit and other BIM software in other classes and at co-op, I had no experience with databases. That portion of the class was entirely new to me and gave me a perspective as to how they work and where they would be useful. With both BIM and databases, the class gave everyone a basic understanding that could be transferred into our classroom and other future experiences.

Not only is Professor Mitchell a wealth of knowledge, bringing in guest presenters to show their experiences with the topics was also helpful. It was cool to hear how this software impacts their jobs and where they see the future of the technology going. One point that I saw as a theme in the class is that this technology is ever-changing and that we need to be prepared to learn with those changes. Keeping that idea in mind while finishing up at Drexel and moving on to a career will be critical. Though the powers of Revit and BIM in general are amazing, it’s only a quick stop in the timeline of the technology—it will continue to expand in capabilities and user understanding.

Overall, I learned a lot in the class and looked at topics I was not familiar with. I was able to connect with my classmates through discussions and use them as resources in understanding what we were learning about the technology and the application of them. I initially took the class to check off part of the professional elective requirement, but ended up seeing how relevant it is in the design and construction fields today.

COMMENTS:

Allison Abad:

I agree that this class was a nice break from the computation-based classes we usually see as engineers, it was a nice way to see a different aspect of the field and hear from people already in the industry. Like you, the database was a challenge for me but was practical for our majors. The class was geared towards digital building concentrations, but it was still interesting and insightful as a mechanical concentration.

Brad DiGiovanni:

I agree that the class schedule was nice—we were able to take a couple weeks to dive into each topic. Prof. Mitchell is very knowledgeable in these topics and did a great job of spreading that knowledge to us. I agree that the class did open our minds to the ever-changing technology of our society, though it worries me. We must embrace the changes or be left behind, but if technology goes too far, we could be in trouble.

Lauren Kujawa:

Like you, I’m unsure how often I will use the database knowledge we learned in this class, but all the topics we discussed were interesting and could become relevant to our jobs as time progresses. Andrew and I also wrote our paper on the differences between green and intelligent buildings. I also have learned about green buildings from other classes so seeing the intelligent building side was a positive change.

Johnson - B7 Course Reflection

I really enjoyed taking this course.  It was very self-guided, which was incredibly satisfying.  You certainly got out what you put into the class.  The research was really interesting because it is information you would never get from another class.  We got a glimpse into the future of our industry by studying how A.I., robots, and BIM will all be integrated, and they are all basically in their initial stages.  The class made me not only consider my future profession in contracting, but also made me think about how it will be different in 5 to 10 years.  Understanding the technology that will be used in the future will keep me prepared and hopefully a more valuable employee.

The freedom allowed from the final project basically allowed for us to research any topic or work on anything we wanted, so long as it fit into the class categories.  This allowed my partner, Brad, and I to research a topic that was not only interesting but also a technology that may end up becoming a norm in the construction industry.  Our research project was on 3D laser scanning and how it connects all professions within the construction industry.  If we ever see scanning being used on a project, we will know how to handle it with knowledge that a typical engineer may not have. 

In addition to the new research that I was able to do, the class also provided a great foundation of knowledge within both BIM and databases.  Revit is a crucial part of any concentration of architectural engineering, so it is important to graduate with as much knowledge of the program as possible.  Creating and editing families is a crucial part of Revit and will be used across all disciplines.  It certainly would have helped for my past coop experiences where I edited families incorrectly.  In addition to BIM technologies, it really helped to have a base knowledge of what a database is, what it does, and how to make one.  Databases can help connect different categories and record certain values for future use.  After the database is created, it is simple to add new parts to the table to expand upon historical data.

Overall, the class is a really good experience.  It allows the students to do independent research based on their own interests due to its “loose” structure.  Its refreshing to take a class that is not strictly by the book.  It also helps students understand that the industry is constantly changing.  To be successful, we must accept change and adapt to new work environments.  There are so many technologies we learned about that are just being started up that will probably be in regular practice 10 years from now and will probably be outdated 10 years after that.  It is important to continue researching so that we do not fall behind the times.

Comments:

1) Deutsch
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.

2) V. A.
Mariano,
I agree that it was tough to understand how sensors and robotics would actually have a great impact on the future of the construction industry before taking the class. Understanding sensors and what they do is crucial for everyone in our line of work. We had a motion sensor on site for one of my coop jobs that would constantly go off. My company would get calls trying to figure out why they were getting high activity readings which was actually just because of wind and not our work. Sensors are important for regulating but it is also important to understand what could be causing different readings when you are on the wrong end of it. They will only get more prevalent in construction as people want to always know what is taking place.

3) Anibaba
Malik,
I absolutely agree that the blog posts were helpful in not only making us research a weekly topic but also getting feedback and seeing different perspectives. This is not only good for the class but also helps when we need to work with others with different backgrounds in the field. The class helped us understand more about our future work and what we will end up dealing with in terms of technology. AE410 was able to teach us both new technical skills with BIM and databases, as well as develop an understanding of what technologies we will face in the future as we advance in our careers.

Blog 7 - Course Reflection - Jianfeng Xiao

I am really enjoy taking this class because it provides me an understanding of how smart technologies can improve building performance. Unlike other calculation base class, this class requires more on reading and thinking. During the term, we need to read various topics about technologies, then we will think about their development and application. This experience is rarely in my previous class but is very common and helpful in this class.

Before taking this class, I have limited knowledge of what is intelligent and green building. As a Digital Building concentration, I am taking this class because this is a required class. But after nine weeks of study, I think this class is interesting and is very worth to take. This class covers many topics like BIM, database, AI and sensors. At the first few weeks, we just learned some basic theory for these topics. I was a little confused on how to apply them at the beginning. Later, we had used Revit to generate the BIM model, and had used Access to create the database. These practical exercise help to strength my understanding of how to apply these theory to real exercise. My favorite part of this class is the final project because we can choose the topic we want to search on. I and my partner Mario Amisial choose to compare the Intelligent building and green building. This project allows me to search on different application aspects of intelligent and green building and their future. I think this class provide me the basic understanding of BIM that will still be helpful in my future professional career. The application of BIM is becoming more and more important in the construction and design industry. BIM allows to create the 3D model as in the real site and provides the monitoring and management system for later maintenance.

Overall, I am very happy that I had take this class. This class is just a start for me to see the current and future industry. It allows me to have many new understanding of technologies used in future industry, which will be helpful in my future career.  

Thomas Sisson Comments:

Thomas,

Your reflection is interesting. I agree with you that BIM will have great impact on future industry. As the job example you present, more company will require to use BIM tools to analyze the structure elements or building system. The learning in this class provides us a basic understanding of how to apply BIM tools used, which will be helpful in future career. Great post.

Allison Abad Comments:

Allison,

Your post is very accurate and interesting. The database is also a challenge for me.  I agree with you that the guest speakers are very helpful. They provide us the real experience in their industries. These experiences give us a professional view point and allows us to think about the application of different tools used in their industries and if we want to join that industry in the future.

Brad DiGiovanni Comments:

Brad,

Your reflection is interesting. I agree with you that this class is slow path. It is more like a reading and thinking class. We had read a lot topic about the technologies and their application. Also, we had learned about the use of BIM tools and database. This class really provide us a basic understand of future technologies and their application in future industries.

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. 

Tran_D - B7 - Course Reflection

At first, I would admit that learning BIM software was my mandatory purpose to register for AE-510. However, course material offered by this class has more topics than what I expected. Intelligent Building is a wonderful seminar about the current trend of AEC industry, and future technologies that would apply to this industry. Moreover, Professor Mitchell constructed this unique class content that would avoid the traditional method in learning course materials: quizzes, exams, and long lecture. In fact, the structure of the course as a combination of short lectures, group works, and self-study allowed me to explore a lot more about the certain topics.

The design-based project offered a great opportunity to learn and practice Revit software. It is an interesting project for me as this is my first chance in modeling structure system, and MEP system in Revit as I came to AE-510 before taking Architectural Engineering Design (AE-390 and AE-391. In fact, I could conclude that MEP system design was the most challenge tasks on Revit, and Plumbing design is the most complicated and annoyed part within a MEP system. Thus, I enjoyed modeling a building in Revit, and would agree that BIM software will be a standard in AEC industry. However, as I mentioned in my project presentation slide, interoperability with other design and/or analysis software within a project is recommended since Revit is a jack-of-all-trade, but master of none software in building sector. 

Guest lecturers from AEC industry makes this course wonderful, as they introduced many different ideas and current trends in the industry. In fact, guest lecturers from the industry offered a different viewpoint in Revit application and other software relates to BIM. Dynamo, introduced by a first BIM guest lecturer, will become a good supplemental programming software to benefit Revit, but will also offer a challenge to engineers on coding and programming. Moreover, virtual design and construction (VDC) is an evolution technology on construction management, which helps manage the project from the beginning to end. Navisworks is a great software in project control, which allows professionals to integrate and review models from different stakeholders. I wish I could use Navisworks in Senior Design to have a chance to evaluate my design abilities. Moreover, a guest lecture for database topic would make its more interesting than driedly theoretical definition, and the repetitive process in database assignment.

In conclusion, this is one of the best graduate-level courses in terms of professional development. Building sector is actually the career path that I would love to pursue even though I got Water sector firms on both Co-Op cycles through ranking. This course helped me understand the nature of Revit, and BIM in a wide picture. My last wish after finishing this course is to experience future technologies discussed in lectures and Evernote articles throughout ten weeks that will become a new standard on AEC industry.

Comments

To Cody Johnson: 

Cody,
I found that your final project is interesting, as how 3D laser scanning benefits to Building Information Modeling (BIM), and I hope I could experience about the technology that you will introduce. I believe that available technologies are changing daily with the advancement of computing devices and equipment, and that current technologies would be phased out after 10 years. You are right that we will become valuable for the industry by having a good knowledge on current technology trends. I wish you could success in contracting industry after graduate.

To Alyssia Deutsch:

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. 

To Dee Dee Strohl:

Dee Dee,
Professor Mitchell, and our guest lecturers who he invited for AE-410/510 are very knowledgeable, and have a solid experience in these topics discussed in this course. I also believe that our course is one of the most unique course offered in CAEE departments that briefly introduces current technologies in building sector, and leaves rooms for us to explore more in our career. Blog post is also a powerful tool in this class to communicate with classmates, and learn from their experiences about the certain topics of intelligent building. 

B7 - Course Reflection

This class has been really enjoyable and has been one of my favorite classes that I've taken this year! Being a Digital Building concentration, I feel like this class was a great way to see the different things I could do or be able to do in the future. This class was a really great break from the typical engineering classes that I've taken that are calculation based, and looked to where engineering is going with the advancements in technology. My particular favorite aspect of the class was all the different speakers that came in from the industry. I find that bringing in speakers is a great way to relate what we're learning in the classroom to the real world, and it's also a great way to network with engineering professionals. I also really liked how each lecture introduced new and emerging software that is slowly being adopted by the industry, and how they can affect how the industry

The database aspect of the class was an interesting challenge for me. Since I've taken INFO 210 before this class, there were a few aspects that I had a good handle on. However, since that class was more of an introduction to databases, this class allowed me to use it a way that is relevant to buildings and engineering.

This class has greatly affected my profession and my future as a graduating engineering student. The speakers that were brought in were very insightful and gave me so many different ideas for what I can do after I graduate. I was always very interested in BIM since I started here at Drexel, so I was looking forward to when the speaker on the topic would come in. Derek spoke about how Revit is currently being used to bring the construction industry into the modern era by using the software for clash detection and visual design and construction of buildings. His academic background was similar to mine, so I was really interested to learn that this was one of the options I could have once I graduated.

I am very happy that this was one of my required classes. I've gotten to learn about so many different technologies that are being used to revolutionize the engineering and construction industry. As a Digital Building concentration, I felt that this class was the first to be relevant to what I want to do, and I'm sure I'll be able to use this knowledge in the future.

Comments
Joshua L,
I agree with you that this class has been very focused for those of us who are digital building concentrations. I think that many people don't really know what that entails, myself included. In fact, even my advisor didn't know what it was when I asked. I feel that this class was a great way to define what digital building means and how it can impact the industry. I definitely think that this class helped mold what I thought I would be able to do in the future.

Thomas S,
It's really interesting to hear another perspective on databases from people who aren't in the digital building concentration track. Understandably, learning and using databases is probably not something you would end up using in the future. I did really like how you mentioned how BIM would affect what you do in the future. I had almost forgotten about Dynamo, I agree with you and think that this software is only going to get more important throughout the design and construction process of a building.

Brad G,
I agree with you that a lot of our early engineering classes mentioned technologies that were so futuristic and irrelevant in our industry today. I think this class was especially beneficial for introducing the different technologies that are being used right now and how we can learn to use them to be better prepared when we graduate. The practical way that Prof. Mitchell has set up the course was the best way to broaden our knowledge of these topics.

Lovett - Final Reflection

The time spent in this course has been very diverse and very much individualized which is what more courses within this broad-spectrum degree should require.  It has helped mold an understanding of what I may desire to pursue further in the future and how relevant technologies may help me achieve that.  The concept behind my paper topic started as a simple exploration of intellectual buildings and how green technologies could be innovated into and improve this state.  The subject grew with time and transformed into something much more that lead me to discover basic concepts about energy capture for sustainability and how intelligent systems can easily augment these processes and ensure precision when and where it is most pertinent.  In fact, the database assignment concerning sensors is what led me to these additional thoughts on the matter.  The humidity and temperature sensors showed the level of precision possible and applying these to a renewable energy resource procurement system such as wind turbines allowed for an in-depth look at how such commodities can be used for two or three different purposes so as not to produce waste.  This is inherently what green building technology is truly about, and it came to be purely by coincidence in my findings.  The latter idea has shown me that these modern and hopefully futuristic ideals can occur easily enough if they are taken seriously by the construction world and the investors that stoke the fire of industry.

Furthermore, collaborating on certain topics and seeing how other students view said topics gives valuable insight on perspectives for how new technologies will affect our workforce of engineers.  Some are more accepting and others confused about the potential that certain technologies can bring to our field.  Of course certain types of engineering will be more exposed to these innovations, but it is a better future for all, regardless.

COMMENTS:

Luciana,

I agree that the course was a good start in terms of using multiple programs that are often utilized in the industry.  There was not nearly enough material or guidance to become even a novice user considering the depth of the programs.  Considering it is a course near the end of a degree, I feel as though there should've been more concentrated direction.


Sarina,

I enjoyed the ability to have an undergrad and graduate level course applied to intelligent buildings.  Group work is definitely a crucial factor in the field and the few in-class blog assignments were a useful tool that portrayed this.  At the same time, the individual posts did, as you mentioned, allow for us to explore personal interests as related to the field.


Tyler,

The weekly blog posts are what I'd say were most relevant to the core material of the course.  Not only did some allow for individuality, but they gave us an opportunity to stay current in the world of technology when we otherwise may not.  This provides incentive for us to expand our knowledge-base of not only the engineering world, but in adjacent fields.