Final Blog: Course Reflection

At the completion of the “Intelligent Buildings” course, I can confidently say that the included curriculum has greatly exceeded my expectations. Similar to a number of my peers, I also believed that the course would be in large centered around the BIM design and construction technique. The amount of material presented on BIM was sufficient, as it broadly covered the many applications of the practice but did not detail all of the many features, as would a class on the subject. I found the speakers and their presentations of the applications to be inspiring, partly due to my construction operations background but mainly due to the futuristic but real-world applications of the technology available to my peers and I. This was a recurring trend when the class learned about artificial intelligence and the many ways that the industry can use the technology to advance designs and continue to provide services to clients and the public alike in an efficient and highly sophisticated package. The information naturally sparked conversations about morals and values with regards to the artificial intelligence, which further reinforced the consequences that engineers and designers must always keep in mind. Our work directly and indirectly affects human lives in ways that are not necessarily measurable in the broadest sense. I found the information and projects including raw databases useful because it was my first experience working with them outside of sophisticated Excel programs utilizing macros. Databases can be used to record vast amounts of information and require the designers to make provisions for the system to be designed for user interoperability as well as system efficiency. The database section made me realize that they are used for a number of tasks of which many I witnessed at my workplace. They use a few in-house databases for estimating and pre-construction purposes which are increasingly more important with shrinking margins and new construction techniques such as design-build. The marketing department is employing a database for customer relation management (CRM) to build and maintain current, past and prospective clients. I recently learned a project management software that was largely a database that contained all important project contract documents such as payment applications, schedules and budgets. The program had many of the database characteristics and required the effort early in the project to properly organize information effectively. The information presented on sensors and recording information was useful to my career because I am a MEP engineering student. Now and in the future, I expect to see a lot of the monitoring practices that we learned in class make their way into all buildings. The term project I chose to complete reinforced the ideas of the sensors and data management and allowed me to think in detail the equipment required to monitor energy required for one aspect of a building. I found it important to hear the experiences of one of the speakers which involved sensors and energy monitoring from the field point of view, as it is imperative that the product of the designers work is utilize correctly and to its full potential.

After reading Gabrielle's blog post and her feeling towards the database section, I've realized that while sometimes the least popular subject, databases can be used for a vast array of tasks. She mentions using databases for finances, for which I was surprised. I automatically use Excel when attempting to track costs and budgets, but her comment made me curious as to how the power to produce queries and reports can be used to track finances. Before this class, I would have not been interested in using databases to replace Excel with regards to computing and tracking finances.

The class was exactly what a professional elective should be; it was exciting, thought provoking and contained information relevant to industry procedures. Great choice!

In class presentation :
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11aSVuzmcpZD8IbCrQFZIo6SFaqRxDGQBwGJcrfXrJQ4/present?ueb=true#slide=id.p

Measuring Flow with Primary Sensors

Flow measurement of fluids, including air and liquids, are measured in a variety of ways. Each type of measurement technique has advantages and disadvantages and therefor implementation varies across the broad field of flow measurement. The applications of different technology vary due to some of the inherent properties of the fluid being measured, resolution of the results, life-span/capability of materials, cost, pipe size, pressure and velocity. Other factors such as cost vary and are sometimes a function of the primary variables, such as reading resolution and operating pressures.

Measurement of flow parameters are often performed by positive displacement methods. An analogy to this method is a bucket and a stopwatch. The bucket is filled with the fluid and the time is recorded that it takes to reach a filled state. The volumetric capacity of the bucket is known and the time duration to fill is known, which constitutes a flow rate. The sensors that can be implemented for this type of monitoring would be a mechanical switch paired with a floating device, which trigger the timer when the cavity is empty and full. The most popular types of positive displacement meters use pistons that operate in a cavity of known volume. Every time the cavity is filled to capacity, the piston is forced to move and subsequently rotate an axle that it is connected to. The signal from the rotating axle can be transmitted to the user by a magnetic drive, needle dial and a counter such as an odometer. A turbine also uses mechanics to produce flow measurements, but instead of positive displacement, the fluid is exerting force on the components and creating work. A turbine is place in the path of the fluid being measured, so that the fluid produces a force on the area of the turbine. The force causes the turbine to rotate, which once established at a steady speed, is proportional to the velocity of the fluid.

A vortex meter uses the phenomenon of Van Karman forces that are created using an object that is located in the flow path of the pipe or channel. The object that is placed in the path is known as a bluff body and results in vortices created in the wake of the body. The Van Karman forces vary between the two sides of the bar at a rate proportional to the fluid velocity. For measurement, a piezoelectric sensor records the number of times the vortices are created by transmitting a voltage pulse.

Similar to the Van Karmen forces, where an object is placed in the path of the pipe, Jalpesh describes in his post the affect that a restriction can cause. The post did an excellent job explaining how the flow was measured using the differential pressures through the restrictions. Each type of restriction was presented and explained correctly. This type of meter was one of the few I saw in the flow sensors postings that relied mostly on heavy theory from fluid dynamics. The other sensors definitely included theory, some of which might have been more complicated than Bernoulli Theorem, but they didn't seem as classic. One thing that wasn't mentioned in the posts I looked was the types of sensors that relied heavily on more calibration and empirical data, such as those that are transcribing through magnetic needles and other sensitive components.

Aside from mechanical flow meters, fluid velocity and flow can be measured using optic sensors. The optic sensors take advantage of lasers of light passing through a tube or pipe containing fluid. Two lasers are contained in a small area of the pipe which track particles suspended in the flow path. The first laser sends a beam of light through the medium and the particles scatter the laser. On the oppisite side of the pipe, a photo detector records the amount of light and sends an electric pulse through a circuit. The same suspended particle then passes another laser beam that completes the same process the first has done with a photo detector sending another pulse. The time between pulses is known as well as the distance between the two lasers, therefor it is possible to calculate the flow rate.

Source:

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

Databases in Design Offices

In the USA, design firms offering geotechnical services are typically given the responsibility to perform an investigation and afterward produce a report based on the findings. This single company approach is different from the way the same services are performed in the UK. The technical information gathered by firms in the USA can be contained in databases developed by each company, as the report is the only documentation that must be understood by more than one party. In the UK, the geotechnical services are often performed by multiple companies, signifying the need for a universal input format to allow information be interpreted by multiple players. This need was met with the implementation of the “AGS” format, which offers the highest level of acceptance into other programs and databases. The information can be accessed in text editors and then imported into each companies chosen form in order to produce bore logs, graphs, table and cross section figures. Design firms are known to use the information from soil borings early in the process to establish the extent and schedule of the tests that must be performed by themselves or an investigative contractor.

In the office, architects and engineers use databases that contain discrete information of objects in the BIM process. Software systems such as Bently’s Microstation and Autodesk’s Revit allow the user to create tags and assign them to elements different elements in the modeling environment. This feature allows the designers to export the information to useful platforms such as Excel or a database program to sort and record in relation to other parameters. Designers at manufacturing companies are using databases to store information of each of the products that they carry. Portions of these databases are then shared with designers to allow the smooth exchange of specifications and other project specific details. An example of this is in Brian's post, where he described creating families using objects to organize information of each component in the building. These objects contain information that is taken, sometimes from other sources and linked to the BIM. This allows designers to pull information about the object to include in schedules, charts and other analysis procedures.

I have experiences with databases as a user and developer were those that included cost information of each construction trade for completed projects. Project information was accessed using a search query that included the type of building, number of levels, construction materials and function. Once the reference building was selected, the user could duplicate the project and then change various parameters, such as the current year, location and indexes of material costs. Jalpesh's post mentions that design firms can archive the information used for a design so that the firm can access the information for future projects. This archiving process is valuable because designers can re-use portions of the design that they know already work. This has been happening in design long before databases but was known as "rules of thumb". Similar to design, after the project is selected it could then be modified by omitting certain trades based off of the building the user was attempting to model. The database contained information for adjustments due to location and time and would output a project file that included costs for each trade involved. The information was utilized in a design-build project team to deliver accurate costs at the conceptual level of design. I believe that at a point in the future, with the progression towards integrated design with multidisciplinary teams, specialty contractors will begin to share more database information with the designers in order to expedite project completion and minimize errors.

Companies can utilize databases for estimating material and labor costs for structural steel. The database of each type and size of steel members were linked to respective information such as weight, area, required bolts, crane lifts and various other metrics for the piece. Information could then be derived from the job summary such as labor hours for painting and assembly, crew productivity rates as well as weight for the galvanization process.

1.      Chadwick, Neil C. "Data Transfer and the Practical Application of Geotechnical Databases." Data Interchange for Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.

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>. 

Comment left on: 
http://ae-510-ay12-13.blogspot.com/2013/02/project-intelligent-andor-green.html

BIM for Architects and Engineers - Future (5, 10 and 20 years)

During the next 5 years of the construction industry, BIM will leave a significant mark on each aspect of the design, construction and operation of the worlds buildings. Owners will choose BIM for the new design experience and witness effective results by the different members of the design team collaborating between each system. The process will be under constant scrutiny when compared to traditional design methods because of the unproven integration between all parties involved. As mentioned in Maria's blog post, larger firms that are already implementing this technology could help the smaller and medium sized firms realize that the inevitable change to BIM is real and current. Maria also gives examples of projects internationally that have been using BIM for the design and construction processes. In the next five years, there will be plenty more projects being managed in all phases by utilizing BIM. Government agencies that have adopted this process of building management will most likely author the first of many manuals and design guides in addition to the required new specification sections and contractual agreements. The construction industry will start to see the benefits of model to factory processing where the results are nearly error proof and the amount of detail and the variety and complexity of designs will increase greatly. Building components will no longer be confined to simple shapes and plane geometries, as also mentioned in Rita's blog post where she believes that the current projects that undergraduates are studying could prove to be obsolete in the future of the design and construction of buildings. The construction firms that adopt BIM will see the schedule and monetary benefits from utilizing BIM features such as construction assembly. The building's operation personnel will being to benefit from the efficiency of completing maintenance issues that arise with equipment and other systems in the building. The personnel will be able to use the building models to reference mechanical equipment that are represented by families, model numbers, locations, quantities and schedules.

In the next ten years nearly every building will be designed using BIM and will be a rarity if an owner decides to design utilizing 2D drawings. BIM execution plans will be a staple in specification books and will be a requirement for each prospective design team. Designers will utilize the capacities of BIM to design buildings that contain a number of design elements that are standardized within the building program. I believe that their is a capacity for multiple construction firms to specialize in their own building components that have proven successful in past projects. These components will be designed or modified by the individuals at construction firms that are proficient in building modeling for the assembly of buildings. For this very reason, regular usage of BIM will make it necessary for new digital rights and securities to be developed to protect the authors of each component. In the facilities and operations realm, BIM will allow building owners to connect into the building automation system and receive real time feedback of the HVAC, electric usage and security systems among other important systems. The facilities managers will also be able to use the management software to keep virtual stock of inventory for the building. Each component in the building will have a specific identification tag that will carry information such as part numbers, compatibility requirements, specifications, prices, locations and replacement date.

In twenty years designers will take on a lessening role of chief designer and more of project manager. Architects will still be utilized for their space-planning, conceptual ideas and creativity that is required to translate a need of a client to the design space. Architects will be employed as project managers or "master builders" where the primary responsibility is to delicate design responsibilities, manage the design process and act as the owners representatives. Physical boundaries of design teams will be broken, as inter collaborative meetings will be able to take place across multiple countries and locations through the use of web meetings and conferences. This idea is expanded on by multiple classmates, such as in Junwah's blog post that mentions the use of mobile devices being integrated into construction management. As the design of buildings moves towards the most energy efficient and net zero buildings, the energy using systems will be the primary importance. This will obtainable through BIM, at this point in development, fully able to take multiple inputs from a myriad of illustrating programs and deliver real-time results to the design team and owners. Changes to the building will be able to be made, based off the amount of information available, that can be seen from the prospective of the "construction assembly team" as well as the facilities management through energy and maintenance programs. Construction firms will take on a role of an assembly manager as they could be interacting with smaller companies that specialize in each component of the building. Designs will begin to be analyzed and then modified based off best uses of the materials and construction practices.

Commented page:

 http://ae-510-ay12-13.blogspot.com/2013/01/bim-in-future_28.html?showComment=1359490237619#c410421265614393920

 

Eastman, Charles M. "Chapter 5: BIM for Architects and Engineers." BIM Ha

ndbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2008. 149-206. Print.

BIM for Architects and Engineers

The process of using BIM in building design and construction will change the type of product and level of building performance that is realized in the early stages of design. In the past, decisions made at the conceptual design stage included the site use, building function, space allocation and general systems awareness. Project designers were able to take the information from the owner and begin to produce building solutions that coincided with past examples of similar functioning buildings as well as accepted practices. With the current green direction that the construction and similar industries are heading towards, a lot of buildings are becoming the first of their kind, with respect to building materials, functions and energy efficient operations. Designers have the opportunity with this new technology to use analysis methods and the results to see how changes to the conceptual design of the building effects design elements such as solar shading, site orientation, space allocations and other building characteristics as well as the overall performance of the building. In reviewing my peers blog posts, I saw that Rita documented that the information gathering at the time of conceptual design includes a few more components, such as "building program, layouts of floor plans, the massing and general appearance of the building".

One of the most significant impacts that BIM has on the building process of design and construction is the ability to perform cost estimation of the project at nearly every staged of design. The cost of construction projects at all design levels in years past were estimated by counting and applying unit costs to each object. This process has worked well but being performed by humans, was susceptible to human error of the correct count of objects and took a considerable amount of time. Using BIM to perform the cost analysis, the resources needed for the project are realized as early as the conceptual design stage. The power of BIM can be used to fill in the missing details at the early stages of design and yet still produce a fairly accurate cost estimation. While the architects and engineers review the design with all involved parties, the cost implications of changing the design across multiple systems can be recalculated and can allow the process of value engineering to take place throughout the design process. Before the abilities of BIM, these changes most likely took place towards the end of the design stage, effectivly the most expensive and troublesome time to make such changes.

Another way the BIM technology will change the way construction industry is the formulation of design teams and the labor resources that must be allocated to each design undertaking. Under traditional design practices, teams would consist of a few senior designers, junior designers and administration help. Projects demanded that the design effort include a large amount of the cost to be dedicated to labor and administration. In the past, design teams spent a considerable amount of time on building the construction document set of 2D drawings. This process required junior engineers to draft drawings and check to make sure that all the details were married to the appropriate sections and plans of the rest of the documents. The BIM design process significantly reduces the amount of time that a construction document set can be compiled by aid of the 3D model and the details that are assignable to each object. Another reduction in labor costs can be seen from the reduction in the number of RFI's and CO's that the team has to process. With BIM, the entire design team, construction managers, subcontractors and vendors are involved with the design process, therefor reducing the likelihood of such errors and omissions. In the future, design teams will be formed taking advantage of the junior professionals that have been exposed to BIM and similar technologies along with fewer senior designers and even less resources allocated to administration. An example of the reduction in the amount of labor hours per project taken from the BIM handbook can be seen in a table located in the post by Jalpesh. It is seen in the table that the intern architect's hours have been drastically reduced from 320 to 96 hours for the particular project. The 233% reduction in labor is due to the use of BIM processes. It should be noted that the amount of hours for the project manager did increase with using BIM. I shared my comment on this blog post. 

In relation to the way that the design teams will be changed, the majority of the personnel will need to be well trained in each BIM feature that is inherent to their particular task. Maria expands on this topic and adds that the initiation of the project as well scheduling will be affected from adopting this new technology and that design firms can use this change in the industry to increase the amount and quality of their work.

SOURCES:
Eastman, Chuck et al. BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, n.d. 15 Apr. 2008. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. 

3D Manufacturing Capabilities

Regarding the future of 3D Manufacturing, the time span I am considering is 3, 5 and 10 years. 3-Dimensional printing is currently seen in one aspect as a hobby for individuals and is more commonly accepted as "additive manufacturing" in relation to the manufacturing industry. In the next 3 years, I expect that home hobbyist will be able to purchase and gain more experience operating cheaper and more advanced 3D printers, which can be purchased for $3,000-$4,000. Taken from the article "The Plant of the Future: 3D Manufacturing" [1], this craft will allow the hobbyist to produce objects that can be customized but are not likely to not be more than trivial decorations, tools or toys. However, in the same sense, smaller companies will have the opportunity to purchase a few of the printers and employ some skilled technicians and mechanically inclined employees that can troubleshoot small appliances, vehicles and other machines for compromised parts of which could be replaced and returned to operation. As the printers become more of a common tool in factories and their capabilities realized at the stage of early design, components will begin to be multifunctional. These multifunctional components will replace numerous parts that in the past would have to be manufactured separately and then assembled.

3D manufacturing has been experiencing a lag in use for mass production due to the high initial cost of the printers and the slow manufacturing time that is inherent to printing parts with multiple colors and material types. Until recently, printing either multiple colors or materials was completed using one print head which had to be changed in the middle of printing, while now the colors and different materials can be printed using one head with multiple ports.

Within the next 10 years, I expect 3D manufacturing to have a significant impact on the construction industry. A professor from USC has researched a method to build residential structures using additive manufacturing techniques, for which he coined the term "Contour Crafting" [2]. This method of building employs a gantry crane outfitted with nozzles that disperse concrete mixtures that can be modified regarding compression strength just as in conventional construction methods. One of the design mixes that is being used is a 10,000psi concrete, which greatly exceeds the capacity of conventional concrete used in buildings of 3,000-5,000 psi. The additive process uses exact amounts of the material to achieve the same results as conventional construction, resulting in far less waste.  The process significantly reduces the amount of human labor involved in construction, therefor lessening the required man hours and inherently the safety of workers. The construction of a residency is reduced from 6-9 months to 1 day. I believe that this type of technology will add to the types of construction methods that are available. The technology might begin to be seen in projects where human building methods are known to be especially dangerous.

I accept the information that I have found as credible because of the current 3D manufacturing products showcased at the 2013 CES. At the show, some of the products were small and compact 3D printers for the hobbyist. I have also seen the same general time-line for these manufacturing milestones mentioned in my peers blog posts. Two of the blog posts that I have read mentioned the number of years until 3D printing has a significant place in manufacturing as 5-10 years, which is consistent with what I read from the "Plant of the Future" [1] article. In addition, one of my peers also mentions the material savings and efficiency normally found in "green-building" techniques due to utilizing additive manufacturing as opposed to subtractive building as the building industry currently
employs.

[1] "Manufacturing.net." The Plant Of The Future: 3D Printing. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.

[2] Khoshnevisk, Behrokh. HOUSES OF THE FUTURE: Construction by Contour Crafting-Building Houses for Everyone. N.p.: Urban Initiative Policy Brief, Aug. 2004. PDF.

Matthew Tedesco - Introduction

My background includes using labor and material price computer databases to compile design and construction estimates for new buildings and renovations. I have used Microsoft Excel databases for both estimating with steel construction and general (all trades) construction. I have also utilized and developed databases from companies such as RS Means and my companies own past projects to build estimates. I have used databases while on the construction site to help with project management, by generating status reports and finance reports using Project Management software that operates as a database.

I am interested in HVAC and other Mechanical Buildings Systems in relation to their design, implementation and operations.

I expect to learn how to implement sensors and data gathering programs to monitor the construction and service of new and retrofitted buildings. In gathering the information, I would like to learn how to process the information effectively and be able to share the information with the respective parties involved in the project. I expect to learn more about Revit and the BIM concept but I understand that the course’s sole purpose is not to make us BIM experts.

An “Intelligent Building” should be thought of as a project that can be tracked and monitored from the design and construction teams as it is being built. The building, once built, will be able to send information to the teams responsible for servicing the systems. An “Intelligent Building” can have sensors that monitor both interior and exterior conditions in real time, such as temperatures and relative humidity. Other sensors and information can be used to ensure safety and serviceability, such as the structural health of the building and how it responds to environmental changes. An “Intelligent Building” to a certain extent, should be able to makes changes autonomously. The “Intelligent Building” should be able to maximize the use of energy provided and therefore minimize the operating cost associated with purchasing such energy.

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