Week 10 - Course Reflection - Nay Ye Oo

AE 510: Course Reflection

I came into this course with no knowledge about what the term Intelligent Building means at all. And I expected to learn more about what makes a building intelligent and how technology is applied in the field of civil, architectural and environmental engineering. As a BSMS student, I talked to some seniors about to complete the program and they recommended me to take this course because there were some principles and projects that would help out in future classes. Now that I have taken this course, I do see the value in the projects assigned in this class and how useful it is - database project.

I always liked excel and would use it as much as possible in any type of project during my Drexel life as a student and being exposed to Microsoft Access was an eye opener. I might not have been able to complete achieve a full understanding of the program's capability but now I can pick it up whenever I have the time to explore its full functionality better and be able to apply it in my future career.

My favorite parts of this class would be the lecturing videos that feature any type of innovative technology or application of it in the construction industry and the guest lecturers that Professor Mitchell brings to class. I always categorized the CAEE engineering as the most archaic type of engineering, at least when comparing to similar engineering branches such as computer, electrical and mechanical. Personally, the videos shown in class are a bit stretched out in the sense that using AI in construction is plausible but not efficient enough in terms of cost. But give or take a couple decades and we might just be seeing an actual impact of technological advances in construction. The more palpable improvement we can see is in the design phase. Software such as AutoCAD, Revit, Naviswork, Rhino, Grasshopper and more have all definitely made our lives as civil and architectural engineers easier and more efficient.

So to conclude, I am glad I took this class as my grad elective as it is an eye-opener for me to remind me that the engineering path I chose still has a lot of more room for development. It is just a matter of time and resources.


Comments

Johnson
Good point on talking about the applicability of this class in our future profession. I definitely got exposed to naviswork and software that are 'next-level' to that of Revit. And since I am planning to pursue a career in design, I think it is very helpful to have taken this class. For your final project, 3D laser scanning sounds like an interesting piece of niche knowledge to pick up on so I am glad this course was also helpful to you too.

Odorizzi
It seems that we picked up interesting and beneficial nuggets of information from this class. Databases was completely new to me so it was great to have another tool to add to our belts of engineering knowledge. Unfortunately, I did not have as much prior Revit experience to expand on that front. So kudos to being able to take the extra mile with the Revit project and even making your Final project about it. Hopefully I get to watch you present on Thursday.

Tufano
It is nice to be able to meet with fellow BSMS students in our undergraduate classes because it gives us a chance to work with 'like-minded' people. Also majority of the class is based on class discussions, online discussions and group work where everyone gets a chance to collaborate and discuss. I think this sense of non-traditional way of teaching really shines out compared to the more traditional approach of lecturing and listening because I get to work with a group of people who have such different ideas and opinions that the learning experience is exciting and informative.

Odorizzi - B-3 Future Problems with BIM

For Group A, the topic of the blog post this week is “possible future problems with Revit/BIM.”

The first problem that I can envision surfacing in the future with BIM is the disparity between hardware development and software development. As the capacity of what BIM can accomplish increases, the demand on the computers running BIM also increases. I think that a very real problem in the future could be that companies will need to invest in new hardware to support BIM. However, if BIM development continues to progress faster than the computer hardware, companies will face the problem of repeatedly investing in new computer technologies to support the power of BIM. If I think back to the consulting firms that I have worked at, I have difficulty imagining them overhauling all of their computers in order to use a BIM software.

A second problem that may arise in the future with BIM is overdependence. We saw in class how BIM has the capabilities to reroute ductwork based on clash detection, and make design decisions based on the data in the software. I find it dangerous to blindly trust software that can make those types of decisions. I said in a previous post that our generation of engineers will be the first to fully embrace Revit/BIM. Along with that, I could also state that our generation of engineers will be the first to trust Revit/BIM fully right out of college. The engineers that we worked with on co-op all had experience drafting by hand, conveying ideas through sketches, and had an inventory of projects they had worked on in the past to give them a sense of what is good and bad design practice. My boss at my last job told me once that when I am starting a new project, I shouldn’t even touch a computer until I had a sense of what I want my design to be. I think we should be cautious as we graduate not to blindly trust the software we will be using at our jobs, but to keep a healthy degree of skepticism about design choices BIM may offer.

Comments:

To Dung Tran:

I think your point pertaining to curriculum based on BIM is very valid, and is a topic I did not discuss in my own post about the future problems of BIM. You are absolutely correct that courses in BIM would benefit students in their professional careers and make them desirable hires for an engineering firm after graduation. I think a few additional challenges that would arise in developing a BIM curriculum is that it must be dynamic. As we learned in our guest lecture, Dynamo (which is a tool I hadn’t heard of before this class) is becoming a prominent tool for BIM users. A valuable curriculum should be able to learn and adapt with these new trends, which is very difficult. The best professors for BIM courses would be adjuncts that can relay to students how Revit is actually used in the real world, and they may be using these new and upcoming software tools.

To Joshua Lovett:

I think it is undeniable that the advantages of BIM are very appealing. When I was reading your first paragraph about the complexity of the models that can be generated today, it made me think of the steel connections extension that can be downloaded to Revit. I think the company that I co-oped at last just purchased it while I was there, and it allows you to model in detail every weld, gusset plate, shear tab, base plate, etc for steel structures. I think as BIM advances, it will be able to produce very detailed, 3D representations of the building. Currently, the time it takes to do this is too costly, but I would not be surprised if the user interface continues to improve and drafters can rapidly produce this level of intricacy. As the modeling for all disciplines gets this intricate, so will the “collision” detection, and it will become more and more powerful. (and the file sizes will get bigger and bigger)

To Sarina Tufano

I think RAM Structural System and Revit have a nice link between the two software platforms. I have never used it to this capacity, but I was discussing it once on an interview. If I recall correctly, currently a RAM model and Revit model can be linked such that an updated design in RAM will automatically populate to Revit. I completely agree with you that the future will have a problem if Revit loses its compatibility with other software… or on the reverse end of the spectrum, Autodesk may just create a monopoly and dictate all the software for the construction industry, in which case we wouldn’t have an issue.

I also really like your comment about a better program coming along. I love thinking about things we can’t even imagine! It’s similar to the point our guest speaker made - that everybody thought music had reached its optimal form when a portable mp3 player came along. We currently think BIM is the best thing going for the construction world. I wouldn’t be surprised if you are right, and we’ll have newer and fancier programs to work on during our time in industry.

Intelligent Buildings Definition

Intelligent Buildings Definition

Professor Mitchell's: 

"Intelligence" requires the use of adaptive computer technology.

¨Intelligence" may exist in any system or phase of the building process.

We may thus talk of

Intelligent Building Industry

Intelligent Building Design

Intelligent Building Construction (including renovation)

Intelligent Building Operation

We may also subdivide by systems – structure, HVAC etc.

Mine:

An "Intelligent Building" is one that maintains efficiency and connection as well as the flexibility to improve on the original design within an evolving community. 

This does not only have to do with the immediate technology that is expected to be used by individuals within the finished structure every day but starts at the very beginning phases of design and construction as well.