Intro and Definition - Maalik Kaptue

I am Maalik Kaptue, and I am pursuing an Architectural/Civil Engineering degree (Digital Building concentration). I am currently completing my final year at Drexel. I am also in the Army ROTC program at Drexel, as I will become an Engineer Officer upon graduation. I am from the one and only Nation's capital, Washington, DC. I'm guessing you've heard of it.

Through the Army, it was about to go to San Diego to conduct a short one-month internship with the US Army Corps of Engineers. For the time I was there, I worked as a construction representative working alongside the superintendent and the QC from the general contractor, as we were managing a project for a future Army Reserve Center. I love construction; so being on a construction site seeing a structure being erected with different subcontractors worked around and among each other was a great experience for me. I was exposed to the materials learned in school, as I was reviewing project submittals and RFIs, making sure subcontractors properly submitted any reports of its installation and materials that aligned with the project drawing and specs. This internship was a great experience, as it is the area of the engineering world where I see myself in.

Definition of Intelligent Building: I see it as any form of technology that allows a building to develop and adapt without human intervention. In terms of construction, the concept of intelligent building would be developing technology that takes the place of physical builders and laborers, as it takes different forms of labor without  human operating it. Post-construction, this concept is anything that allowed a building to function independent with human intervention. I think of the Disney movie "Smart House" (1999) as the best analogy for this.