Course Reflection

This term's course was really a great exploratory course in which our own work served as a great source of the knowledge gained. I loved how it was more of a course that was generally shown and we were allowed to go off and do our own thing, we were able choose our own methods to achieve the goals set forth in this course. Being able to choose our own methods was a great aid to our own learning and encouraging us to be a life and self learner after we leave Drexel and move into our careers.

The exploration into Revit was a great help, knowing that nearly all building engineers are moving into this realm of design. We were able to achieve a more detailed and deep understanding of Revit and the things that can be done within the program. With this sort of program there is always so many functions and tools within the program that it seems impossible to learn them all before the newest version comes out. This course helped to see the inner workings of the newest version and different elements that are held within all the different versions.

I was really happy that I was able to take this course. Being able to see what the future holds for us and I believe that it helped prepare me to expect what is to come and what I will be facing and expected to understand as I progress in my career.

Class Reflection

Prior to taking this course, I thought its content would have been more focused on the design of intelligent buildings, or the intelligent design of buildings. However, after the first class I realized it was much more than that. The class, to me, was very conceptual. While I can't say that I walked away from this class with a full understanding BIM, robotics, or databases, I can say that I have a very broad understanding of these topics. With that understanding came my ability to come up with ideas and understand how building design could be done more efficiently, and intelligently. All of the aspects of the course can be tied back to idea of designing a better building.

One misconception I discovered I had during this class was that intelligent and green buildings can go hand-in-hand, but aren't one in the same.  Professor Mitchell mentioned that Bill Gates's house is extremely intelligent, having televisions that follow people on the adjacent walls throughout the house. However, that does not make his house very "green".

Final Blog Post

I really enjoyed this class. It was very interesting and brought up a lot of very interesting points. It was great seeing different perspectives regarding the future of the construction industry and listen to guest speaker that we would otherwise would not have had to chance to hear. This class has a lot of implications to my specific field (HVAC) in my opinion, especially in terms of building automation and BIM.

I think this course is a bit too sporadic for a three hour night class. We jumped between topics quite often and it was hard to stay focused. Maybe splitting this class up to twice a week would make it easier to concentrate. Also, some of the exercises, especially the Google Doc ones, got very hectic most of the times. I did enjoy having the class split out to different groups for most of the exercises, though. It was very beneficial to collaborate and hear other people’s opinions.

I do feel like I learned a lot in this course and I think I will definitely keep an eye out for innovations similar to the ones discussed in class. It is indeed a fast industry and with plenty of potential to exhibit “science fiction-like” characteristics very soon.

And by the way, I did really like you ties, especially the one with the Philadelphia map on it.

Course Reflection

     When I first signed up for this “Intelligent Buildings” course, I was very intrigued by the name and how it would relate to the class. Throughout the term, we covered four major topics in class: BIM, sensors, databases, and robotics. I feel that Intelligent Buildings are a field I am much more aware of, thanks to the four major topics that we studied. For instance, I learned that BIM is important to intelligent buildings, because of the relationship it creates with the building and the designer. Like Natasha, one of my favorite guest lecturers was Eric of KlingStubbins, because his BIM presentation was really captivating from the beginning. Some of the features that his company are developing, I feel will be integral to the future of on-site design. He introduced a program similar to the Google glasses, which allows one to see different information about buildings. This also linked together the other topics relevant to an intelligent building. BIM is starting to rely more and more on databases that are stored wirelessly via a cloud, which shows the connection between the two.

                Aside from the general connections between certain topics, I like the way the course was ran. Dividing into different groups, like many others stated, was very helpful. Being able to hear someone else’s opinions only benefits us, because we are listening to something new, or  hearing it a different way that makes a topic easier to understand. Like Ben-David mentioned though, although the class was interesting, it would have been better if it was divided into two different sections. I felt that some of the topics would have still been discussed with as much detail, just divided up differently. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the class, and learned a lot about the future of design, BIM.

Course Reflection

Coming into this course, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. My intention behind taking the course was that it would fill a professional elective requirement and the class name "Intelligent Building" sounded like it could be interesting.

After taking this class, I am leaving this term with a much more realistic view on where the engineering and construction industries are going.  Going through the core architectural engineering classes, I have focused more on the academic aspect and have only been given a glimpse of the real life engineering industry through my co-op positions.  This class allowed me to explore and reflect on technologies such as robotics, sensors, BIM and databases and how those technologies can be applied in engineering and construction.

Professor Mitchell tended to focus on the possibilities of these technologies and encouraged us to discuss the most extreme developments and uses possible. The speakers we had in class were a helpful balance by providing us with a more realistic perspective on how these technologies are currently being used and developed.  I enjoyed learning about BIM from Eric of KlingStubbins because I was able to see the possibilities that BIM offers and how it can be applied when designing real life building systems.

Week 10: Course Reflection

This has honestly been one of the first classes in a while that I enjoyed while attending Drexel University. During the application process to colleges, a sense of creativity and ingenuity is valued in perspective engineering students and is commended during their high school years. However, for a large amount of engineering students’ college career we learn more about standards, codes, regulations, and previously rectified design methods. I feel as though the inspiration of our creative senses and imagination has been bound for so long being told “this is how it should be done.” It was refreshing to finally come across a course that asks its students to take perspective of the advancing world around us and then ask us “how would you do it?” This course reawakened my sense of creativity and has made me more aware of the advances in technology and useful tools that will help me along my career as a professional after Drexel. Also, I learned the value in being a life-long-learning engineer; once you become set in your ways and refuse to adapt to the ever-changing world around you, you slowly become obsolete and invaluable. Having an introduction to Revit and Microsoft Access was very beneficial and I see myself exploring further into these tools to become a more efficient and valuable engineer. I enjoyed learning how far BIM has come and look forward to seeing how far engineers, architects, and contractors will expand its use to further optimize the building process.

AE 510 - Course Reflection

Week 10

3/12/13

David Bregande

                Overall, I found this course to be very interesting and thought provoking in its range of topics and activities.  Each class presented a different subject as well as a different way to approach learning about it.  Between Professor Mitchell’s knowledge and that of the guest speakers, I obtained more information about engineering in the real world than in any class prior.  It was very beneficial to see how the little things we are learning about all come together in so many different fashions in the real world.  Someone I know asked about the lecture on databases and if it was interesting or not; I found it very satisfying to respond that to about 90% of the world population it would have been boring nonsense, however, I found it extremely interesting and beneficial to learn about.  It is amazing how many companies are dependent upon something that most people take for granted.  Each, more or less, seemed to invoke that same curiosity and respect for something I had previously been ignorant of.

                As asserted above, I found the most beneficial classes to be the ones with guest lectures or where Proffessor Mitchell was just speaking on his own accord.  Although group exercises are good practice, in this environment they are generally ineffective and time consuming.  I obtained the most knowledge and enjoyed my time spent the most when listening to the lecturers. The BIM and Database assignments were also very concise and beneficial.

                I felt that the blog process was very beneficial and an interesting way to communicate with the class without feeling the need to physically get everyone together and share.  Not only did I spend time each week on writing my own blog, but was also engaged in other peoples thoughts by being asked to include some reflection on them.  I wish that the grade weighted more heavily on these posts as they were a weekly requirement and continually kept the class engaged.  I felt the post themselves were actually more beneficial than the term assignment because so much more time was spent focused on them.  The term paper was sort of left hanging in the background and then at the end played a very important, and unfortunately confusing, part in the grading process.  This sentiment, along with a general feeling of difficulty with the assignment schedule, was expressed by many other people including Rita Pauliushchyk.  Either way, a very enjoyable course that was well worth the hours spent on campus late at night.  I agree with David Morrison, if the title of this course and the content presented within it does not excite an Architecural Engineer major, than the major is probably not for you.