Course Reflection

I originally selected this course because I thought it would require minimal effort for a good grade but as the term progressed I found myself wanting to put more effort in to learn more about the topics. One of the most intriguing aspects of this course was the fact that we were looking to the future and what might be expected in our field. I have always enjoyed using BIM to design buildings so when we started to learn about how BIM is becoming more prevalent in construction and maintenance of buildings it led me to want to learn more.

            For my final project I was able to learn about software being used by residential designers in my area called softplan. Softplan is a BIM software that allows one to create photorealistic renderings of the home which proves to be invaluable for the future homeowner because many people cannot visualize what it will look like from blueprints. In addition to creating nice visuals it also meets the needs of the builders that will be using the plans by easily creating drawings in the same way that the builders are accustom to. Without having had this class I would have never been exposed to this software and never known about how smaller companies manage to design projects quickly and effectively while still maintaining that connection with the client and their design.

            Professor Mitchell did a great job at bringing in people from various parts of the industry and having them give their take on the how technology will advance the design, construction and maintenance of a building. Along with that came the inevitable pitch of each company that presented but it was nice to see what there company was doing with the topic of intelligent buildings and how we could get involved and learn more.

Comment’s on Posts:

Dave: Congratulations on securing a job at L.F. Driscoll as an assistant project manager! I too would agree with your comment on how many people tend to be satisfied with one or two aspects of a building being intelligent, but when you think about the future systems should be created to completely interact with each other.

Ted: Although I don’t have the same passion about 3D printing, I do share the curiosity of where 3D printing will take us and what affect it will have on the construction of buildings.

Week 7 - Movement Sensors

There are many different types of movement sensors that can be used to open a door, turn on a light, flush a toilet, or most importantly protect us. Ask yourself this, when your wife tells you to pick up milk on the way home from work and you get out of the car to walk into the store, do you think about the movement sensor that opens the door for you saving you from the embarrassment of running into a door? I would say you probably don’t. This is a perfect example of how seamlessly sensors fit into our daily lives without us even thinking about how they work or what was done before them.

For store entrances, an active sensor is used to detect a change in frequencies. The high frequency sound waves are sent out, bounce off all of the surfaces, and return noticing any changes in the environment.

As everyone knows, public restrooms aren’t places people want to be touching everything in. For that reason, an infrared sensor is used to flush the toilets, turn on the faucets and the hand dryers. Infrared sensors are passive, which means that instead of emitting energy like the active sensor it detects radiation emitted by other objects. This is not only useful in public restrooms but also in the application of alarm systems, since the sensitivity can be set to the temperature of the human body thus preventing any false alarms.

Although the common uses of movement sensors were discussed, there are some very interesting ways in which movement sensors are and will be used in the future. For example, it is possible for doctors to place a movement sensor into bones during surgeries to monitor the progress of repairs. This just proves movement sensors will only continue to increase in popularity as we seek to make things more convenient and efficient.

Comments on other Posts:

Ian Lagrange de Carvalho:

Since we are both smart guys, we used the same source. This means some if not all of our content is the same. I like how you mentioned about the safety factor of motion detectors on doors whereas I was just simple focused on the convenience of them.

Teddy Bruder:

I enjoyed learning more about ultrasonic, microwave, and tomographic motion detectors because I did not touch on any of them. It was difficult for me to understand what a tomographic motion detector does so I look forward to talking in greater detail about it during class.

References

http://illumin.usc.edu/printer/165/motion-sensors/

http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/35351/what-is-the-difference-between-types-of-motion-sensors

Week 6 - Databases in Construction Firms

            A database that is implemented into a construction firm is an invaluable tool that helps to organize equipment, materials, payments, meeting minutes and work progress. With aspects of a project managed through a database, a historical database can be established and easily referenced in the future for similar projects.

            A Record of when equipment and materials are delivered and where they are located on the site helps to decrease time finding and making use of them. In J.W.S. Maxwell’s book Applications of Information Technology in Construction, he states that it is common practice for payment of labor and payment of materials to be separate in construction projects. For this reason, it is required that the finances of the work preformed and the quantities of the materials used be documented in the database.

            All documentation including meeting minutes, technical correspondence, contractual correspondence and all other documents relating to the design should be uploaded to the database. This will ensure that the construction firm is protected from any unforeseen conditions that might be encountered.

            As stated before, the use of a database in a construction firm is invaluable and organizes all aspects of the project into one central location that can be accessed by anyone in any location. This helps organize and results in less confusion for everyone on the project. When data is entered, it allows for the creation of a historical database that helps apply documents from past projects to future projects that may occur in similar locations.

Comments on other Post:

Donahue:

It’s very interesting to see where the future of the design industry is headed and how databases fit into that. Much like the future of other technologies in our industry, databases are also addressing defects earlier in the design process allowing for smoother design and construction phases.

Morimoto:

I thought you did a great job explaining the history of relational database theory and showing the different companies that have relational database management systems. Most of the time students just simple use software without actually knowing the things going on internally but it was nice to see the connection you made with Relational databases and BIM programs.

Sources:

Application of Information Technology in Construction by J.W.S. Maxwell

http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/build02/PDF/b02142.pdf

Week 5 - Project Description

Project Description: I choose to create a residential house on an existing site and incorporate some of the necessary systems into the home.

o   Existing Conditions

§  Model the existing conditions of the site to show the changes that were made throughout the project.

o   Architectural System

§  Model all of the things that would make this house look like a home. (Appliances, Furniture, Automobiles, etc.)

§  Create realistic renderings of the space to give clients a visual understanding of what the spaces will look like.

o   Mechanical System

§  Model a simple HVAC system for the home and show the connection of the components throughout the home.

o   Structural System

§  Model a simple structural system to a residential home and show the framing system separate from the architectural and mechanical system.

o   Site

§  As well as incorporating the existing conditions, model the post construction site conditions to show the progress and result of the project with respect to the site.

Why Chosen:

After hearing Eric Kuszewski talk about the future of BIM last week, it confirmed my belief that BIM will be the future of the engineering and construction industry. With that in mind, I wanted to learn more about BIM (in particular Revit) and become familiar with the tools that will be utilized to design buildings. By adding the existing conditions and further exploring the different systems, I hope to gain more knowledge and be better prepare myself for the uses of these technologies in the real world.

Relation to Intelligent Buildings:

The use of BIM to output energy usage is a key feature that often gets overlooked but is vital in the building running efficiently well after completion. After effectively setting up an architectural, mechanical and structural system, I hope to show that this design software has the capability of outputting such parameters that will help in the daily maintenance and operation of this building.

Challenges:

The challenges for this project will be to model the site conditions as they exist and will exist before and after construction. This may not end up being a very big challenge but I have little experience in creating a topographical map of the site and showing the changes throughout construction so I am hesitant to say it will be easy. The other challenge will be to model the mechanical and structural system in a residential house. I have no experience in modeling mechanical and structural systems in a residential house and am not sure if room needs to be left for mechanical chases or if it can be ran through the walls.

Post Awareness:

Although there are a fair amount of students that are focusing on BIM for their projects, I feel the exploration of Revit and it capabilities with different building systems will benefit all students as we move on into our careers.

References

Eastman, Chuck, et al. BIM handbook: A guide to building information modeling for owners, managers, designers, engineers and contractors. Wiley. com, 2011.