Course Reflection

To say the least, this course was not what I was expecting. I was expecting to perform Revit projects for the whole term. But the information taught in class was a refreshing change of pace. It almost seemed as if I was stepping out into a completely new field of study. With lectures focusing on robotics and sensors, I was not sure how this was architectural engineering course. But as everything began coming together, I could see how all these pieces of technology fit into building design. Building design is not all about aesthetics and structural calculation, it a means of making the future bigger, brighter and more efficient. And this is exactly what was taught in the Intelligent Buildings course. Elements such a construction drones and robots and 3D printing all tie into how buildings will be created and maintained more efficiently as technology advances. Never before have I seen so many engineering fields being intertwined with civil and architectural engineering.

During my study here at Drexel University, I had a concern that may or not may not face many civil engineers. I was worried that my field was evolving very slowly, and that anything new or groundbreaking never really happened. A few different codes release a new edition every couple of years, but nothing really extraordinarily new comes along. In fields such as software and electrical engineering, new systems are being developed rapidly while civil engineers are moving at a moderately stagnant pace. However, through the knowledge gained from AE 510, I know this is not true. With advances in technology, the way engineers think about traditional building design and maintenance can become completely obsolete. This is an exciting concept that can possibly make the structures of tomorrow come alive today.

Directly relating to my profession as a structural engineer, I do not see many direct impacts from the class. While all of the information taught by Dr. Mitchell is valuable, it is not necessarily useful in developing a framing plan for a structure. But, like I said before, traditional structural design may be upset with heavy advancement in manufacturing and labor technologies. Only the future will tell how “intelligent” buildings can become.

Comments

Ian – I completely agree with you on the speakers that presented to us in class. They were extremely intelligent and taught me a lot about intelligent building design. I especially enjoyed the speaker from Bentley who presented very useful tools foe engineers. I also have to agree about the database assignment. While the assignment provided great insight towards the creation of databases, it does not necessarily relate to me.

Ivan- 3D printing was one of the most interesting topics from the class to me as well. The possibilities for this technology are endless and it is exciting to see what kind of object will be printed next. I hope within our lifetime that we can see printed materials used in space, but based on the budget being cut for NASA, we may never see it. However, being able to order a physical good from a website and being able to materialize it within my own home is a very exciting concept!