Course Overview

This class definitely met, and exceeded, my expectations for it.  The class was recommended to me from a classmate who told me that it would be an interesting class, and that what I put into it, I could expect to get out of it (learning and grade-wise).  Thankfully, all of that has been true and I would definitely recommend this course to other students.

What I truly appreciated about the class was the beginning of the term - AI and BIM.  The videos we watched in the first couple of weeks on artificial intelligence were extremely interesting.  Learning about what scientists and industry are developing to enhance the construction process and our daily lives is fascinating.  That humans have developed Watson - the computer that responds to its verbal environment - is more than impressive.  Watson, and the developments like it, are something that I wish more people would learn about.  Spurring innovation in this area can only benefit society - from assisting medical personnel to conducting life-saving operations in areas that are difficult/dangerous for humans to making homes and cars smarter.  Additionally, robots, like the ones that flew around the room constructing the art figure, could be used in place of laborers to do the dangerous construction jobs.  They could also stream-line construction by continuously removing waste material or bringing material to an active area.  Although this removes human laborers, these laborers could instead be assisting in other areas at the same time.  Both robots and Watson-like computers can be critical to improving intelligent buildings.  They can interact with systems to update facilities staff and owners on building performance and can use a synergistic approach with other systems to improve building efficiency.  I think that by learning about how AI, robots, and intelligent buildings can all work together, it opened our eyes to the future of buildings.  Although we may hear occasionally about these systems being developed, because it is not out in force in the industry, it would be difficult for us, as emerging entry-level engineers, to promote their implementation.

BIM was also another interesting aspect of this course that I wish we had spent more time on.  Because BIM is becoming a prominent technology in the industry, I would have preferred if we could have spent more time on it.  At the beginning of the term, Dr. Mitchell said that this class was probably termed the "BIM course" and I wish it had been more in line with its nickname.  Personally, for my career, having an in-depth class about BIM, much like many universities do for AutoCAD, would have been extremely beneficial.  I would like to have left Drexel knowing enough about BIM that I could assist in leading a team at my job that had to work with it.  Especially since many people who are currently in industry have limited exposure to the program.  With that being said, having had the exposure to BIM, and knowing the resources that I can go to in order to learn more, I think that I have a solid foundation that I can carry forward in my job.

My least favorite part about the course was the emphasis on databases.  This section seemed the least valuable to me only because it something that I will not have to encounter in my career.  As mentioned above, I would have preferred to spend this time learning more about BIM, AI, and robots.  However, I use Access daily to manage my finances so learning the other tools that the program is valuable for was good knowledge to have.  And, who knows, maybe my supervisor will ask me to construct a database while I am doing my rotation through the project management side!  Reading Kayleigh's blog made me realize that just because I may not use a technology does not mean that I should not know about it.  The biggest issue in any technology-related field is not staying current with new techniques and technology.  Therefore, although databases may not be directly relevant to where I want my career to take me, understanding how they work and their usefulness is good knowledge to have.

Optimization of a Data Center

During the optimization process of a life cycle of a Data Center, the following stakeholders were chosen: an owner, an architect, an engneer, a MEP engineer, a constractor, a technician, and the end users. Each of the group members decided to play a role of the specific stakeholder involved in the assignment based on their importance and responsibilites in each of the life cycle stages, which consist of the programming stage, design, bitting and approval, construction, and etc.
During the programming stage of the project development, various types of sensors, actuators, and MEP modeling techniques were implemented. The biggest issue here is to ensure that the cooling needs of the building are met. The operation temperatures of the equipment can be related to the efficiency of the equipment as well as the total lifetime. The operation tempertures are directly realated to the operation costs of the building and the main concern is to limit the amount of energy that is expended.
During the design stage, the database that contains the sensor requirements is used to make sure that the conditions are met both from the manufacture and owner's perspectives. The analysis completed using BIM for the cooling may be altered in real time, which gives the cost estimators ability to adjust their calculations accordingly much faster. The entire design process is expected to be improved, since the database format will make locating errors much more efficient. During the comminissioning and occupancy stages, sensors will be heavily utilized to record energy usage patterns and record them in a database. The acquired data will be used to optimize the efficiency of HVAC equipmnet and promote energy savings. Sensors will come extremely helpful during renovation and demolition stages of the building existance. Sensor output results will be stored in BIM to improve the efficiency, improve integration, and estimate cost of demolition.

Link to presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Ht2F1cCz1viIopzJvEEZQVUA0MUouCuKb6NtcuIBbzQ/edit?usp=sharing

Group A: Teaching Hospital

The stakeholders we identified for the teaching hospital include patients, attendings/residents/nurses/PAs, facilities staff, owner/board of trustees, AEC, and the community through research.  We identified these stakeholders through the various phases they would come into contact with a teaching hospital.  The technologies that we identified for these stakeholders as being most important are: acoustic analysis, lighting/MEP systems, sensors, robots, code analysis, database, cost estimate, and models.

• Patients would most benefit from sensors, lighting/MEP systems, code analysis, database, and acoustic analysis
• Doctors/nurses/PAs would benefit also benefit from the same technology that the patients would, with sensors being the most critical to their effectiveness of care.  An effective database will also aid in their research capabilities.
• Facilities staff would benefit greatly from sensors, lighting/MEP systems, models, robots, and cost estimates
• Owner/Board of Trustees would be most interested in code analysis, database, cost estimate, and models
• AEC would benefit from all technologies involved since they are involved in almost all phases of the building's life
• The community would most benefit from the database as doctors are able to pull the patient's personal information, the care the patient received, and the final outcome of the patient from this compiled database

Presentation

Group C - High Rise CIA Facility

The building we are focusing on is a high rise office building in Washington, DC. The building will be a 36 story office facility for the CIA.  Because this is a government building with an assumed large budger, advanced building intelligence and maximum security are both top priorities.
In terms of programming, BIM would be highly useful in allotting spaces for highly classified areas and creating a flow of spaces based on security clearances.  BIM and cost analysis would be the primary technologies in the design process.  BIM would be used to integrate all building systems and to satisfy the client's needs regarding security. Sensors play an important role in security and monitoring systems for energy efficiency. For bidding and approval, the municipality, contractors, and owners would be the key stakeholders. BIM, a building program database, and structural model would all be used in this stage of the building process through cost analyses and permit approvals.
All stakeholders would be involved in the construction process. BIM, surveys, and regional models would all be utilized through construction management.  These technologies would be used to make the building process more efficient. Sensors would be the most important technology during the occupancy of the building.  They would be used to control temperature, humidity, and lighting to control the building conditions. BIM and building analyses would be used during any required renovations as well as the demolition process.

Key conclusions:
high security
low energy
well integrated building automation system
database integration

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11zHlbeyAH2uO-qwbqSojYviIMqF4eBdOyr3su7oHtTs/edit?usp=sharing

Course Topics By Week

Here are the General Topics that we'll be covering through the term

Week	Topic
1	Stage Setting - State of Technology, Future, Practicalities
2	AI, Robotics & Manufacturing
3	BIM - Revit
4	BIM - Bentley and Others
5	BIM - Interchange and Future
6	Databases and Data
7	Sensors
8	Networks & Clouds
9	Course Review
10	Student Presentations