AE-510 Reflection

The Intelligent Building course was a great tool to learn more about current ways, as well as a look into the future ways, that technology is used within the design and construction of buildings. When I signed up for the class I expected a heavy dose of building networks and sensor information which I knew could help me in my career. We did get that for a few weeks. The added lectures on robotics and BIM offered a great deal of information through the guest speaker and Prof. Mitchell’s knowledge on the topics. Exploring the database functions also offered a great deal as many students are not familiar with Access and other database software, which can be put to great use in areas other than buildings.

I would have to say my favorite part of the class was hearing everyone’s thoughts on the various topics during class. I also enjoyed getting experience with building Revit families as well as increasing my knowledge on database creation, even though I could not figure out how to get my reports and forms to work together like I wanted.

I agree with many other students in their posts that this class just scratches the surface of each topic and whole classes can be used to explore each topic further. I also think some people mentioned the workload being heavy but I think the assignments were manageable and easy to complete within an hour or two.

Having taken AE390 and AE391 under Prof. Mitchell and now this course I see that he really appreciates every student and loves teaching what he knows.

Temperature Sensors

There are many different types of temperature sensors, and many of them operate in completely different ways. The most basic type of temperature sensor is the classic mercury thermometer. This sensor works purely based on the expansion and contraction of mercury in a glass tube. The next step up technologically is the bimetallic strip temperature sensor. This sensor makes use of the different coefficients of expansion that different materials have. These sensors are usually composed of steel and copper, which expand and contract at different rates. This sensor takes the temperature change, and turns it into a mechanical displacement. This technique can be used in many different types of sensors.

There are also much newer sensors that instead of turning heat into mechanical energy, they read the heat change in a difference of electrical energy. The two most common sensors are a thermistor and a resistance thermal detector (RTD). These two objects work on very similar principles, they both measure the change in resistance and correlate it with the change in temperature. The main difference between the two is the materials used to make them. Thermistors use primarily ceramic, whereas RTDs use pure metals. This difference in materials usually results in thermistors having a more accurate reading in a smaller range of temperatures whereas RTD stay accurate even at extreme temperatures.

Most of the previous sensors all require contact, or to be within convection range of the heat source to get a viable reading, however there are also non-contact thermal sensors that use radiation. These sensors use Plank's Law to correlate the radiation given off by an object and its overall temperature. These sensors are really useful as you can measure the temperature of something while being far away from it, whether it be the temperature in an oven, or the temperature of the sun.

Of all these sensors, the most useful for our applications is the RTD. The sensors themselves are really just metal, so they have no moving parts, and never need to be calibrated. Because of the simplicity and cheapness of these sensors they can easily be applied almost anywhere in a building. Couple the readings of these sensors along with the HVAC system or even window/blinds control and, without any human interaction, a room could always be at an optimal temperature. This is just one example that these sensors could be used in, the fact that they are so small and cheap and easy means they could be used almost anywhere, in ovens, in fridges, in water heaters, anywhere that temperature levels are of interest, these types of sensors could be applied.

Because I was the first to post, I discussed the history of sensors and their many different types. It seems the other posters used mine as a base and talked about what the different sensors are used for now or what they could be used for in the future. David talks about thermography which, in simple terms, is seeing heat which I think is a really cool concept and, like David said, has many uses including assisting fire fighters to save lives. Nathan goes on to discuss how IR sensors are used a lot in cooking to ensure the quality of food. Not only is it being used to ensure the food is done cooking, but I just saw on the news the other day, police are pulling over food delivery trucks and using these IR sensors to ensure the truck is at correct temperature for food shipment.

Sources:
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4928076_temperature-sensor-work.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/Temperature-Sensor-Tutorial/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bimetallic_strip
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermistor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistance_thermometer

Term Project - Green vs. Intelligent

I am working with Issa Haddad and Jay Ng on this project. We are looking at green vs. intelligent building in light of our senior project, with our design goals serving generally as the “green” aspect and an attempted BIM model as the main “intelligent” aspect. For more background information on our senior design project see either Jay or Issa’s post.

As Gayaneh mentions, the definition of intelligent building seems to be muddy at best. While “green” construction is better defined, especially with the advent of LEED certification in the early 00’s, the concept tends to be mingled with that of intelligent building to form one very confusing impression of the “architecture of the future.” Furthermore this impression tends to resemble a conglomerate of all the cool ideas and new technology we’ve been exposed to, invoking visions of glistening facades and space-agy designs, self-driving cars parking under wind-turbines as a spandex-clad future-human emerges with the press of a button, suavely removes his google-glasses and jetpacks up to the green -roof of his sustainable habitat (by 2020 they will no longer be called homes.) You get the picture.

Our aim, first of all, will be to clear away all of the misinformation and confusion associated with the concepts of “green building” and “intelligent building” by presenting a singular, clearly stated definition of these terms. As Jay points out, the “green” aspect at this point seems to be most easily definable by LEED goals and requirements. “Intelligent building” may likely end up meaning something very similar to what Professor Mitchell has proposed in his first lecture. With a clearer picture of what these separate parts are, we hope to gain a clearer picture of what our senior design project is, or wants to be.

The next step will be an investigation of BIM vs. traditional approaches to building modeling. Steering clear of the obvious advantages in ease of drawing collaboration, modeling capabilities, etc, we hope to take a deeper look at the comfort level of the people using BIM. Is it appropriate in all circumstances? Is it always better? My guess is that the majority of the time BIM trumps all, but there may be a few specific cases we run across in looking at the applicability of BIM to such green analyses as daylighting, stormwater, energy, and life cycle. I suspect interoperability between programs designed for these specific analysis will be flawed if not completely unworkable.

Of course all of this will become clear as we attempt to model our green resource center and include as many systems as Revit will allow. We are hoping that through a discovery of the various capabilities of Revit and linkable analysis programs we will be able to get a much better handle on what exactly our building requires and how our proposed systems can affect these requirements. With net-zero energy, runoff, and environmental impact as our design goals, It seems that Revit will become an indispensable part of figuring this all out.

Some quick research on the topic of Green BIM yielded an interesting viewpoint on the applicability of BIM in the future of green building. It seems that BIM is on the rise in the field, and small “green” renovations are taking precedence among the majority of engineering and contracting firms. The report I looked at went into some case studies, each showing the importance of BIM for integration and import to other analysis programs, allowing for more focus on the design of the building rather than crunching numbers and entering data. This in turn led to higher efficiency in material, time, and money. One of the most interesting examples, pictured below, was the Grange Insurance Audobon Center in Columbus OH,  which used a number of BIM programs for daylighting analysis that clearly influenced the shape of the building.

References:
Green BIM: How Building Information Modeling is Contributing to Green Design and Construction. McGraw Hill, 2010

Not viewable online, but available for download here.

Term Project: Intelligent and Green Buildings

.                For the term project I plan to study the similarities and differences of  “intelligent” and “green” buildings. Next year for my senior design, I want to research the loading on roofs caused by the components that make it a “green” or “intelligent” building. Green buildings and LEED certifications are becoming very important and idealized in the construction of new buildings in our modern day. There has been a big push towards Green design within the past 10 years, and it’s still a growing field. To my understanding, Green buildings deal with making certain components in a structure more environmentally friendly.  On the other hand, I believe that an intelligent building focus more on making existing components more tactical and useful. I feel that “Green” buildings are a lot more popular then intelligent buildings, yet they share a lot of similarities and differences. Like Ryan Krall also mentioned, people hear the word green and immediately want to implement any changes to their building to make it green even if they don’t understand the full meaning or concept of the word. I still feel that people can relate to a green building more than they can to an “intelligent” building. When one thinks green, we think green roofs, storm water management, green walls, and so on. However like Gayaneh Gulbenkian stated, “everyone has their own definition of what exactly an intelligent building is” and for that reason, it will be harder to summarize and describe it as whole.

                Being that both are fields with lots of areas of research, I plan on focusing  my report on green and intelligent design with respect to roofs. Intelligent roofs can vary and define roofing such as solar panels, cool roofs, or sometimes just a more “intelligent” use of the roof space. A green roof on the other hand can be anything related to storm water management, or sometimes even biowalls that greatly reduce the water runoff. I want to study the effects of hydroponics on these green roofs, to see how it’s a combination of green and intelligent building systems.

Sources:

http://www.supergreenme.com/go-green-environment-eco:Intelligent-Roofs-Save-Energy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflective_surfaces_(geoengineering)

Term Project - Sensors in Residential Buildings

In the class so far we have talked about a lot of different types of things that go into Intelligent building design. One that keeps being brought up is the use of sensors to do any number of different things. Rita and Dan talk about the applications of sensors in commercial building, Rita more about what sensors would be useful, and Dan about how the information sensors gather can be used in building. However, in class we have not really seen the use of sensors in residential applications. For our project, Nathan Barry, Jalpesh Patel, and myself will be exploring the use of sensors in residential homes, in both new construction and renovation.

What originally got us thinking along this path was This post by Tom, in which he talks about Nest thermostats and how they can be used in a residential home to drastically improve the quality and efficiency of the building. This is the type of sensor that we will do more research on. In David's post, in which he is working with Tom, they seem to be further investigating how to take the Nest thermostat and make it even better. This is similar to what our group will be doing, but while they are choosing to focus on the Nest, we will be taking a much more general look at all different types of sensors and what they could possibly do for a building.

Our primary objective to accomplish in this project is not to simply talk about sensors that could be used in new construction, but find sensors that could also easily be integrated into an existing home.We hope to find sensors that are easy to install and have a payback time of less than 5 years. Using this information we would like to make a theoretical 'intelligent building upgrade' package which would be a series of different sensors that could upgrade your home in many ways, and would also highlight the saving you could potentially get from have a smarter home.

Sources:
http://www.nest.com/

Term Project - Sensor Database in BMS

For my AE-510 term project I am researching how a collection of data, provided by sensors throughout a building, is compiled into a database and how this database interacts with the Building Management System (BMS) to specifically influence HVAC system control. Like Rita Pauliushchyk stated in her blog post, sensors improve the overall efficiency of building operation. By themselves, sensors provide very little information; it is not until the sensor data is compiled and processed that the information can be used to report data or perform a task. My project will explore the interaction of the sensors in a database with the BMS to operate the various components of the HVAC system efficiently in order to optimize the building and lower the operating cost and environmental impact.

In order to do this I will define the aspects of a building management system which involves a network of controllers, sensors and output devices that can control metering, air systems and water systems within the building. I will then explore the various kinds of sensors and how their data is collected and formed into a database of all the sensors within the building. This data is processed and recorded and displayed to the user through the database so the information can be used. I will look at the specific ways that data is used in order to automate the building systems. I will also look at the future of sensors and their interaction with the BMS.

Many of the students in the class are researching intelligent vs. green building. I believe that the interaction between sensors and the BMS are a link between these two as it is using the intelligence of sensors and automation in order to improve system efficiency, lowering the amount of energy used and minimizing the buildings impact on the environment.

Describe Term Project

The term project I am choosing to work on will be to research and formulate primary and secondary systems that will be employing usage sensors and supporting conservation systems for water consumption in residential buildings. Water is an integral part of our daily lives and is often overlooked as a resource because it is always available and clean when it is needed. This normality may soon change as the population continues to rise and put strain on the already deteriorating water treatment and distribution systems while the amount of investment remains has reduced or remained unchanged. The costs associated with delivering clean and healthy water to American cities will most certainly rise do to major infrastructure investments needed in the water treatment sector. According to ASCE’s “Failure to Act – The Current Infrastructure Investment on America’s Economic Future”, the funding gap for fresh/waste water is expected to be $84 billion by 2020. The funding gap is the largest among the biggest sectors of infrastructure (Surface transportation, water/waste water, electricity, airports and inland waterways and marine ports) with a funding gap of 60% of the total amount needed.

The system that I plan to research and implement relates to Intelligent Buildings in that it utilizes sensors to record the amount of water being consumed for different uses in the building. The system will analyze three types of water resources, solar heated hot water, re-cycled grey water and normal treated water. The system will measure the temperature of the solar water heater product to know if it needs to be heated by other means. Sensors such as Ph-level, bio-mass, chemicals and minerals will be used to determine the quality of the used water to determine if it can be used for grey water or if it has to be sent to a treatment plant. The main concept of the Intelligent Building water system is the capacity to analyze water usage patterns and be able to store or reuse different types of water to avoid paying for clean treated water for every consumer demand. The technology would be intelligent enough to, with the support of external tanks, store clean treated water during off-peak treatment times for use during the next day. An innovative feature of the system would be point of use fixtures that would show the users the current state of the system. This feature would allow for goal setting to reduce consumption levels as well as act as positive reinforcement for lowering operating costs. The usage patterns and goals could be set for different time periods, such as weeks or months. The interaction with the users could be simple graphs or color changes on the fixtures themselves that convey information such as conservation and water reuse.

The challenges that are relevant to a project like this are the costs associated with such new technology and systems. The amount of rework for the distributing pipes within the residence could prove to be expensive and not worth the investment in a new system. Other challenges with the type of system that I am proposing is the accuracy and quality of the sensors to be used within the grey water reuse system. Even though this water will not be used for human consumption, it is still important the sensors are accurate and not releasing water that is not safe for humans to be in contact with, for uses such as cleaning, flushing and others. Another way the grey water could be used would be a closed loop radiant heating/cooling system. I am also agreeing with the challenge that a couple of people have mentioned such as in Gabrielle's blog post, that information relevant to intelligent buildings is hard to find because the idea is very new. I believe that most of the information that is available is all about "green building" techniques. The way that we must approach intelligent buildings to use the available technologies, which some may well be "green", but be truly innovative in developing whole systems and interactive portions of said systems. 

[1] Failure to Act: The Economic Impact of Current Investment Trends in Airports, Inland Waterways and Marine Ports Infastructure. Publication. Economic Development Research Group/ASCE, 2012. Web. 4 Feb. 2013. <http://www.asce.org/uploadedFiles/Infrastructure/Failure_to_Act/Failure%20To%20Act%20Ports%20Economic%20Report.pdf>. 

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