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.

Humidity Sensors

Week 8

2/19/13

Humidity Sensors

                Humidity sensors, or hygrometers, come in multiple forms depending on the desired measurement (absolute vs. relative), cost factor and level of accuracy.  These sensors are used to measure the moisture content in the air.  Measuring the relative humidity is most practical because the reading depends on an associated temperature; where a ratio of current moisture content to the maximum moisture content at that temperature is developed.  This makes the most sense as we are dealing with both moisture and ambient temperature when designing a room to be as comfortable as possible.  In this way, data from a hygrometer will be fed into an HVAC systems computer which will either humidify or dehumidify the air based on the requested conditions.

                Due to their ability to be used in multiple scenarios, low cost and relatively high and stable accuracy, the capacitive humidity resistor is the most commonly used type.  In this style, a film capacitor is sandwiched between a ceramic and a dielectric polymer.  The polymer will absorb or release moisture based on the relative conditions.  The addition or subtraction of water will change the capacitance of the capacitor which can be converted to a digital reading.  These sensors have an average accuracy of about +/- 2%.

                The least accurate humidity sensor is called the metal-paper coil and gives a good visual of the principle that makes the more accurate types work.  In this style, a piece of paper that has been saturated with salt is attached to a metal coil.  When humidity increases, the paper absorbs water and changes the shape of the coil.  These changes are calibrated so a dial can be used to provide relative readings.  Although the accuracy is limited to +/- 10%, these gauges are cheap and require no digital feedback to function.

 Brian did a good job in his post to point out the range of options from the most accurate to least accurate.  He refers to the idea that “primitive” methods of something physically changing such as the length of a hair have been superseded by more technological methods that use electrical properties and digital conversion.  In the end, however, these primitive methods still do the job that they were designed to do.

                Originally, I only thought of hygrometers being used in conjunction with HVAC systems for air condition quality purposes.  Jeanine’s post made me realize that their uses go far beyond just providing comfort.  Having a controlled humidity level in a hospital scenario is very important for controlling the spread of airborne germs and bacteria.  Industries like greenhouses can benefit by controlling the amount of moisture introduced to the plant life.  The uses obviously stretch much further than home comfort in thermostats.   

Object-Oriented Databases

Week 6

2/12/13

Databases – Object Oriented Databases

                An object oriented database is a particular type of database that is most commonly used when CAD software is being utilized.  When the database is used alongside some kind of computer program that functions on object-oriented programming (C++, Java), it becomes a object-oriented database management system (OODBMS).  This acronym is common because a object oriented database is only relevant when being utilized in this way.

                The easiest way to explain the difference between an OODBMS and a traditional relational database is that the “data” is stored as objects rather than large columned lists.  These objects are created when multiples data sets have defined relationships and characteristics.  In this sense, data can be given specific attributes that allow these defined relationships between the data to be taken advantage of.  In this sense, an object is something that will contain strings of data input along with a functioning code that manipulates and presents this data in a meaningful way.  As Kayleigh points out, large MEP manufactures like TRANE and Touzer can use OODBMS to provide accurate representations of their systems from large sets of data and create realistic “models” of their products.

                This characteristic allows for data to be much more useful and relevant because it can be manipulated and altered in order to analyze various design options.  The data is no longer “2-D” and can be used easily as a visual object in some kind of GUI program.  Instead of looking at a list of thousands of temperature differences resulting from window angles in a building and trying to deduce a reasonable design, someone can take an object in a OODBMS that represents a window and apply multitudes of different designs and implementations to that window.  Data is being simultaneously called up from multiple points and put through en executable code that reflects that change in the design.  A real world example of this is provided by Jeanine in her post.  She explains how people like aircraft carriers can use OODBMS to manage, organize and enhance the thousands of small parts used in an airplane.  Instead of gathering tensile stress on a component and throwing it in a list, someone can use OODMBS to understand the effects of the data, designs something better and implement in the real world.

                I want to close this by saying that I am no extremely computer savvy and am especially challenged by the world of programming.  The information above is what I was able to take out of what I read while trying to make sense of a lot of programming language.  I am open to comments and corrections from someone less confused by the subject matter.  

SOURCES:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_database

http://www.comptechdoc.org/independent/database/basicdb/dataobject.html

Term Project - Autonomous Houses

Week 5

2/5/13

Research Project Description – Autonomous “Off-the-grid” Houses

                My initial plan was to analyze how a building can function differently given the presence of a “green-roof” system.  The focus would have been on the impact to the building in regard to thermal quality, water runoff, appearance and increased loading and on the community in regard to environmental advantages.  It became clear during research that this topic does not present enough opportunity to engage in Intelligent Building design as it has been presented in class.  The focus turned more to the environmental and aesthetic side rather than technological and intelligent aspect.

                My new topic is autonomous homes and will suite the idea of Intelligent Building much better.  I plan to present detailed research on the different methods of producing a house that can completely sustain itself and not rely on outside resources.  The services discussed will range from electricity and heat to building materials and water runoff issues.  In addition to current and proven methods, I plan to extend my discussion to conceptual ideas that will be the next wave of technology.  The research will not only focus on the equipment used to design an autonomous home, but also on the impact that a structure like this will have on the community and environment as well as economic impacts to the owners.

                Although I did not think of it originally, it was brought to my attention by Junwah and Kayleigh that this assignment can relate to and enhance senior design projects.  Although I have not yet started senior design, I have been thinking about the possibilities.  I have always enjoyed incorporating the environment and efficiency into building systems and this topic will help me develop further ideas for my Senior Design project.  I also found it interesting how John Scanlon proposed to investigate the advantages of advanced materials and energy efficiency means on pre-existing buildings that would need to undergo renovations.  By focusing on the city of Philadelphia and basing the designs on a realistic renovation cost of 10%, John is creating something that is both personally interesting as well as practical.

BIM Handbook 2011 – Chapter 4 – “BIM for Owners and Facility Managers”

Week 4

1/29/13

David Bregande

Group C

               The purpose of this post is to compare chapters from the 2008 BIM Handbook to the most current 2011 edition.   The executive summary is exactly the same between the two versions of the book.  The first notable addition is introduced shortly afterwards when the 2011 version goes into the details of Integrated Process Delivery, or IPD.  This concept is used in order to better communicate the project to all aspects and departments involved.   This especially applies to the owner of the future structure and the ability for this person to be included and informed from beginning to end.  In the 2008 edition, this section is primarily used to discuss how the owner can benefit from BIM most when it comes to cost projections and being the most efficient economically.  The idea of IPD being included in the current edition makes sense to me because integration between personal has been a recurring issue under constant improvement and has been discussed frequently in class and in previous readings. 

                The trend towards an owner’s better understanding of the design and physical nature of the project itself, as well as an economical payoff due to better organization through BIM, is further displayed in the 2011 version as it leads off section 4.2 with “Design Assessment”.  This section, as compared to the first section of 4.2 titled “Cost Reliability and Management”, goes further into explaining how the concept of the project in its functional phase can be realized before ground is even broken.  This idea allows for owners and managers alike to make alterations and design changes as necessary with as little disruption to the process as possible.  This means a faster and more economical turnaround as well as the creation of a better-suited and more functional result.

               I also found it interesting how the increase in mobile technology and computer systems between 2008 and 2011 allow for BIM to function in a way never thought of before.  As Kayleigh mentioned in her post, the traditional office is being redefined as mobile technology is allowing for people to be unchained from their desks while still being prepared and able to work.  Not only is this nice for the average office worker being able to get some fresh air, but whole projects are now accessible for multiple people from lightweight laptops which allows for instantaneous information almost anywhere.  Jeanine points out that with BIM software becoming more commonplace and practical, there are going to be the need for and an increase in students graduating with vast knowledge with some sort of BIM software.  What was once a tool used by the few to get an edge on the competition, BIM will soon be a requirement for graduating with an engineering degree and landing a good design job.

SOURCE:

BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors.  Chuck Eastman, Paul Teicholz, Rafael Sacks and Kathleen Liston  Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Architectural Engineering & BS/MS Students

Here is the list of Architectural Engineering students in the course.  This post is also used to create a "label" for each student so it's easy to label your posts later. – Updated 1/14/2013

Group	Last Name	First Name	Major
B	Barry	Nathan	Architectural Engineering
B	Ben-David	Tom	Architectural Engineering
B	Butler	Mitchell	Architectural Engineering
B	Cifligu	Elda	Architectural Engineering
B	Morrison	David	Architectural Engineering
B	Sawin	Michael	Architectural Engineering
B	Scanlon	John	Civil Engineering
C	Bregande	David	Architectural Engineering
C	Hindes	Brian	Architectural Engineering
C	Houde	Kayleigh	Architectural Engineering
C	James	Daniel	Architectural Engineering
C	Lancellotti	Jeanine	Architectural Engineering
C	Martines	Natasha	Architectural Engineering
D	Gonzalez	Maria	Architectural Engineering
D	Ng	Junwah	Architectural Engineering
D	Patel	Jalpesh	Architectural Engineering
D	Pauliushchyk	Margarita	Architectural Engineering
D	Tedesco	Matthew	Architectural Engineering