B6 - Course Reflection

For this course AE510, it left me with a deep impression. I have learned a lot of new design techniques and architectural concepts. I think it will be very helpful for my future development in this industry.

Before this course, I only can use AutoCAD to design buildings or draw something. The professor taught us our new design software, Revit, and the new concept, BIM. This is a new tool for architecture, engineering and civil engineering. It is easier to design the building we want. When I saw this software first time, I was very interested in it. In the class, we simply learned the basic operations of Revit and designed a simple architectural model. For this software, I also learned more and used Revit to complete my final project: based on the existing building model,  re-optimize the building structure and reconstruct a new building model.

About BIM, I think the most important advantage of it is that it provides a visual idea for people to see a three-dimensional solid object. In the BIM building information model, the results of visualization are not only that it can be used to display the renderings and report generation, but also that the communication, discussion and decision making during project design, construction and operation are all under visual state.

In addition, one interesting part of this course is that sometime there are alumni or other scholars in our industry who would come to the course to share his or her thoughts with us. This gave me a lot of insights and deepened understanding of this industry. I remember the Sensors Introduction from. He used smartphone as an example to introduce a variety of sensors and their relationship.

In this course, I also learned a lot of new concepts, for example: BIM, 3D printing, sensors, SQL, etc. Although we have not specifically studied the technology, we have a basic understanding of these concepts. Every week we need to read a lot of papers, and then through the blog, we have published some understanding of these technical concepts, and communicated with the students.  For so many new concepts, I am still most impressed by the robots that the first class professors showed me. The human-like robots from Boston, like the actual human movements, are automatically adjusted to balance and calculate the motion path. This makes me wonder about the drawbacks of these technological developments: will it happen that in one day robots will replace humans? Will there be a lot of people who lose their jobs because of robots? How to prevent these technologies from being used in bad thing, such as terrorist attacks or even non-peace wars. I believe that while learning these knowledge, we also need to consider about humanity and morality.

Comment:

To  Harvin Bhandal:

I agree with you the last paragraph of the content. As you said, the development of the technology industry will absolutely benefit people. But I always believe that while developing new technologies, we must always be based on human beings themselves. For a simple example, weapons used to protect our personal safety are correct, 100% correct, but some lawbreaker will use it to hurt others. So we must prevent weapons from being gotten by these bad people. For this point, I just want to say that when we study new technologies, we must consider more comprehensive.

To Nick Maloney:

In your blog, you said that this lesson covers a lot of new concepts, which make us have more something to talk when we communicate with others. I think this is correct. After learning this lesson, what makes us different is that we have improved our knowledge and have different thinking about technology. There is no doubt that this will be very helpful for our future career prospects.

To  Matt Mullen:

That's right, I also agree with what you said: we can watch some instructional videos when we are doing Revit or database assignments. In the lecture, we always miss some knowledge, but if we have these videos, we can complete our work step by step according to the instructions of these videos. I think these video are very helpful for novices to learn.

Blog 5- SQL - What is it and why important

SQL is an abbreviation of Structured Query Language. The main function of the SQL language is to establish contacts and communicate with various databases. According to ANSI (American National Standards Institute), SQL is used as the standard language for relational database management systems. SQL Server is a relational database management system (DBMS) developed and promoted by Microsoft. SQL Server is a relational database management system (DBMS) developed and promoted by Microsoft. It was originally developed by Microsoft, Sybase and Ashton-Tate. And in 1988 launched the first OS/2 version. Microsoft SQL Server has been updated in recent years. In 1996, Microsoft introduced SQL Server 6.5; in 1998, SQL Server 7.0 and users met; SQL Server 2000 was introduced by Microsoft in 2000, and the latest version is released in 2017. SQL SERVER 2017.

The characteristics of SQL are:

1. The real client/server architecture.

2. Graphical user interface makes system management and database management more intuitive and simple.

3. A wealth of programming interface tools provide users with more choices for programming.

4. Support for Web technologies makes it easy for users to publish data from a database to a Web page.

5. Supports XML (Extensive Markup Language), supports OLE DB and multiple queries, and supports distributed partitioned views.

The advantages of SQL mainly include:

1, easy to use

MySQL is a high-performance, relatively simple database system that is less complex than the setup and management of some larger systems. MySQL databases are favored by Web developers for their ease of use and productivity capabilities.

2, reliability and safety

MySQL's InnoDB transactional storage engine follows the ACID model with improved data protection capabilities, including point-in-time recovery and auto-commit. InnoDB provides additional data integrity by supporting foreign key constraints, preventing inconsistencies between tables. MySQL is fully networked and its database is accessible from anywhere on the Internet, so you can share the database with anyone, anywhere. And MySQL has access control to control who can't see your data.

3, opening

MySQL can be used under an open source license, allowing free use and modification of source code. MySQL is fully networked and its database is accessible from anywhere on the Internet, so you can share the database with anyone, anywhere. And MySQL has access control to control who can't see your data.

Why do we have to design a database? Because when the database is more complicated (such as large amount of data, many tables, and complex business relationships), we can save data storage space by using SQL, which can ensure the integrity of the data and facilitate the opening of the database application system. However, if the SQL design is not appropriate, it will lead to data redundancy, waste of storage space and abnormalities in data update and insertion. SQL is like the memory system of the human brain. Without SQL, there is no memory system. Computers will not develop so quickly. The application of SQL has penetrated into every aspect of life and work. The development of SQL reflects the level of information development in a country, and many of the development of computer software is based on SQL.

Reference:

“Amazon Aurora -Relational Database Built for the Cloud- AW”, Juil 26,2018, https://aws.amazon.com/rds/mysql/what-is-mysql/

Tim R. Ford,“How NoSQL, Relational Databases Do (and Don't) Help Companies Meet GDPR Requirements”, Apr 27, 2018,

https://www.itprotoday.com/no-sql/how-nosql-relational-databases-do-and-dont-help-companies-meet-gdpr-requirements

Chad Brooks,“What is SQL?”, Business News Daily Senior Writer, Jan 21, 2014, https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5804-what-is-sql.html

Comment：

Tyler Madden

   I agree with the articles of Ozorhon, Karatas and Demerkesen you quoted, in a building database, a cost-based project management service can reduce the time and money spent on software, but the lack of customization that attain With the in House services. I have to admit that databases are important in today's society. Database technology is an important technical tool for scientific research and decision management.

Alec Silverstone 

    As you said, databases are very popular and important in our lives. In the information society, fully and effectively managing and utilizing various types of information resources is a prerequisite for scientific research and decision management. Database technology is the core part of various information systems such as management information systems, office automation systems, and decision support systems. In a construction company, implementing a database system to manage project data is a good way to increase productivity.

Weiyi Tang

   I really like your example of database application, analyzing the natural light going through a glass curtain wall. This is a clear introduction to the role of the database in real life. The database brings convenience to the inquiry, creation, modification and maintenance of the daily information processing.

Blog 4, Project Outline: A Villa BIM

    The final project is going to design a small-apartment-size villa BIM. The building profile is set to: Located on the outskirts of Philadelphia, with a total living area of approximately 500 square meters, totally three floors, including the basement, the first floor and the second floor. The main rooms include living room, bedroom, kitchen, parking garage and so on. After reading some pictures and plans of the villa model online, I combined these and my life experience and mastery of Revit software to make a rough design of my project.

  

   

1. Overview:
     Right now, in my outline, only two layers of the villa were completed, one layer is 3.3 meters high and the second floor is 3.25 meters high. The overall shape is formed by several sets of rectangular. The second floor separates an open-air balcony as a Large balcony, a place for outdoor recreation. Most of the exterior surfaces of the building are made of 200mm concrete façade, combined with some glass windows.

2.Distribution:
      The villa is positioned as a small family villa. In the uncompleted design, the first floor has a living room, dining room, kitchen, secondary bedroom, parking garage, game room and restroom; the second floor is mainly the master bedroom, cloakroom, living room, lounge, Open-air balcony and lumber room.                            

          First Floor    

                                                                       Second Floor

3.Following Task:
      Next, I will gradually improve the basement and the details of the interior of the building, including stairs and some furniture. And I will finish some related labels and schedules.



Reference:
Alnuaimi, “Overdesign of Villa Structures in Oman”, Dec. 12. 2015, https://doaj.org/article/262b61fa791843fabb9f3b62167fbde3

Bjorhovde, “Connections in steel structures III behaviour, strength, and design : proceedings of the third international workshop held at Hotel Villa”, May, 29,1995,
https://drexel.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/openurl?institution=01DRXU_INST&rfr_id=info:sid%2Fsummon&rft_dat=ie%3D51128040300004721,ie%3D51140003190004721,language%3DEN&svc_dat=CTO&u.ignore_date_coverage=true&vid=01DRXU_INST:Services

Newman, Oscar, “Model security code for residential areas”, 1974, New York: Institute for Community Design Analysis


Comment:
Ren
    Your layout of the outline is very good. You mainly focus on the analysis of the medical industry by BIM technology. Specifically, it can be divided into the application of BIM in the medical industry at present, its advantages and challenges that will be encountered. But I think when  you write the final paper, there should be more examples in it. For example, BIM analysis of a hospital, making readers understand the application of BIM in this field easier. This is just a little bit of my opinion on the final paper.

Weiyi Tang
    The topic you choose is good, and your outline is clear. Firstly, it is the research results of the current building and the future building. And then it is the thinking of the team members on the research results. Compared to just a single study, I feel having own thoughts and ideas is better. You have two team members and hope you have a clear division of labor, which will improve the efficiency of your group.

Alec Silverstone
    The role of robots in future buildings, this topic I think it is very interesting. In the future, robots will definitely play an important role in the intelligent buildings. But in the second part, robot, I think the advantages and disadvantages in first point can be combined with the potential of the future, the third point, because its advantages and disadvantages determine the future role of this technology, so I think this two points are related.

What are the problems with Revit/BIM right now?

From the Autodesk University lecture, the ideal BIM design should be such a model: all the majors in the design institute work together on the same model, and the architectural model is created by the architectural profession. On the basis of the architectural model, other majors deepen the information of the model and carry out their respective professional design. After the design is completed, the owner is provided with a complete comprehensive model. Visual model design, collaborative design, performance analysis, and pipeline synthesis have been implemented in this model. According to the BIM model provided by the design institute, the owner extends to the construction and operation and maintenance direction to realize the BIM capability of the whole life cycle of the building. This is an ideal thing, but in reality, it will encounter the following problem:

Problem 1: BIM synergy can cause short board effects

In the traditional industry, the various majors of architectural design are basically single-handed. Under such this status, to achieve BIM design, it is equivalent to continuously solve two problems, that is, working alone to collaborative work, and then to three-dimensional design. In solving problems, it is required to advance at the same time in various professions. If any major fails to keep up, it will cause short-board effects and drag the entire team. It can be seen that the synergy of BIM is a double-edged sword. At this time, the managers of the design enterprises need to have a sustained long-term investment in technology upgrades, and have strong management objectives. For the current design institute, this requirement is indeed not low.

Problem 2: Can talent and technical support keep up with the needs of BIM design?

In the era of CAD design, the functions of IT departments are relatively simple. Generally speaking, the work is mainly limited to the upgrading of computer hardware and various network management tasks. However, in the era of BIM design, enterprises have very high requirements for IT support. First, computer single-machine configuration and server configuration need to be well matched. At the same time, because BIM design is a multi-software and multi-user collaboration process, IT departments need various professional software. At the same time, continuous training for employees at all levels can be achieved. In a word, BIM design is not only a matter for designers, but also a system project that requires engineering designers and IT support staff to complete. All in all, engineering knowledge professionals having a low level of cognition and acceptance of BIM and the mismatch between BIM software standards and actual applications are another major problem right now.

Problem 3: The implementation of AI and automation code is difficult.

We now have BIM, and more and more proposed building designs are being modeled in BIM, rather than in CAD. In theory, it should make automatic code checking easier. However, there are still deficiencies in the AI technology and automatic programming in BIM. The cumbersome operation process increases the workload and reduces the efficiency. I hope that when revisit the topic of automatic code review again, we will have more discussions, not only in terms of technical solutions, but also in the implementation of regulatory agencies.

Although these are temporary obstacles to the development of BIM technology, the advantages of BIM technology visualization, integration and parameterization have become the future direction in the construction industry. About the trend of BIM development, these problems will be solved under the guidance of policies in the future.

Reference:

Kenneth Wong, “Prelude to GTC: Design Software That Mimics the Way You Think and Work”, April 13,2017,

https://www.digitalengineering247.com/article/prelude-to-gtc-design-software-that-mimics-the-way-you-work-and-think/

Lachmi Khemlani, “Automating Code Compliance in AEC”, AECbytes Feature, October 22, 2015, http://www.aecbytes.com/feature/2015/AutomatingCodeCompliance.html

William Speakman,“3D Scanning for Better BIM: An MEP Firm's Search for an Alternative to Laser Scanning”, AECbytes Viewpoint, February 11, 2016, http://www.aecbytes.com/viewpoint/2016/issue_77.html

Comment:

To  Harvin Bhandal

I agree with you. As you said, as automation technology improves, companies can only switch to keep up. Those who learn this technology can continue to develop in this industry. But as for the development time, I think it is possible to reach the highly intelligent nature mentioned in your article within 10 years. The development of the information industry is growing at an exponential rate, and the impact on BIM technology is also great, so I think the changes in the construction industry will be huge in the next 10 years.

To Matt Mullen 

I think your analysis of the Future of the AEC Industry in 10 Years is very interesting. The owner will no longer communicate with the subcontractor through the general contractor, and the general contractor will only talk to the architect after the design has a problem. By using algorithmic modeling and BIM, it's very interesting to work with everyone in the project from the start of the project to quickly design and build buildings. This can better reduce the communication costs of each link and improve construction efficiency.

To  Hailey Ihlow

I am happy with your level of mastery of Revit software, and as you said, almost everyone in your office knows a certain degree of Revit. There is no doubt that BIM technology will dominate in the next 10 years, but it does not rule out the emergence of more efficient technology than using BIM. There is a problem with your blog, the length is a bit short, and you can't explain your point very well.

Group B Week 3 Thursday Group Discussion

We think that the AI BIM can be useful in the future. The engineers can still have input of the models but the AI can spit out options.

Although CNC machining parts of a building can cost a lot of time and money, simple parts can be done extremely quickly.

The price of machining complex parts can go down and the design of the parts can be done by AI in 10 years.

Interoperability will be better in 10 years. Softwares such as Revit, Dynamo, and Rhino can work together seamlessly.

Pushing for these changes can greatly influence the way students are taught architectural engineering in the future.

B2 – Chapter 3, Interoperability

When you look up the word interoperability in the dictionary it is defined as: ‘The ability for two or more software applications to work together with little effort from the user’.

To begin with (in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s) it was the exchange of formats that was limited the geometry. This was mainly the in 2D CAD geometry that there was the need for file exchange between applications. It is not only in the building industry that interoperability is used but also in the e-business industry. In the building industry the model and geometry exchange is more difficult. In the late 1980’s the 3D geometry and exchange of data grew. A reason for why the interoperability in the building industry is more difficult is that structural parts, energy analyses and constructions (pipes, concrete etc.) from different fabricants are now incorporated in the models making them more complex and there are many different BIM programs with different setups. Interoperability is therefore crucial for a more efficient work when different companies working together are using different programs – or if inside the company different programs are used for different analyses of the building model. E.g. IES models are conducted from a Revit model. The use of interoperability there makes the work go much faster.

IFC can create different schemes (architectural, mechanical and structural) that contain data from the different groups that can be exchanged between the different AEC software applications.

An example of the use of interoperability in real life practice is from a Danish company called MT Hoejgaard who works with VDC (Virtual Design and Construction). They used IFC models to create time schedules, quantity lists and procurement applications, just as it is described in chapter 3 in the BIM handbook.

As Kayleigh Houde talked about in class last Tuesday the 15^th of January (week#2) interoperability is a good tool that can help save a lot of time. She talked about how Rhino was used to convert the data from a Revit model and group it together to create parametric designs and save time.

Interoperability in the BIM sector is very important as 3D models gets more and more incorporated in the working environment.

Source:

Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook : A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors. Vol. 2nd ed, Wiley, 2011

Comments to others posts:

Weiyi Tang:

I enjoyed reading about the IPD (Integrated Project Delivery). When architects and engineers are work on a large project together, it is important to have an integrated BIM model and work together on the project to avoid any overlaps in the design and construction. This will definitely save time and money. I know this from precious experience working in a firm where architects and engineers were working together on these large projects.

Harvin Bhandal:

BIM tools as Revit has a lot of complexity to it, so yes as the book says: “Designing a building that contains a hundred thousand or more objects would be impractical without a system that allows for effective low-level automatic design editing”. Imagine how much time we save by using these BIM tools. I agree, there is a lot of time to save from using BIM tools, and creating a 3D model definitely makes the communication between the different actors easier.

Jenny Fretta:

I see how owners and facility managers can also have benefits from using BIM tools. In the end every actor involved in the building process would like a process optimization to save money. The collaboration of all the MEP drawings, clashes and collisions to avoid extra time in the field is definitely a positive thing, which the owner also benefits from as they can move residents in earlier – and save construction costs.  

B2- Chapter 3- The Interoperability of BIM

By reading the third chapter of the BIM handbook, I learned about the interoperability in BIM.

At first, all applications of the computer were run independently and could not be coordinated. When designing a building model, it is difficult to uniform information processing in many aspects. So The Interoperability of BIM was coming. In the design process, coordination is the key content in the construction industry.(Based on page 66) Whether it is the construction unit, the owner and the design unit, they are doing coordination and coordination. In the design, due to the communication between the professional designers, there is a collision problem between various professions. For example, when the pipes in the professional such as HVAC are arranged, since the construction drawings are drawn on the respective construction drawings, in the actual construction process, the structurally designed beams and the like may be located here when the pipeline is arranged. This hinders the arrangement of the pipeline, and the coordinated solution of such collision problems can only be solved after the problem occurs. BIM's coordination services can help deal with this problem, which means that the BIM building information model can coordinate the collision problems of various professions in the early stage of building construction, generate coordination data, and provide them.

Right now, there are four main implementations of BIM interoperability:

1. Direct, proprietary links between specific BIM tools

2. Proprietary file exchange formats, primarily dealing with geometry

3. Public product data model exchange formats

4. XML - based exchange formats

In addition to these four main ways, an alternative way to exchange data is through XML. XML is an extension to HTML, the language used to send information over the Web.(From page 68) XML Schemas in AEC Areas includes OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium), gbXML (Green Building XML) ,IFCXML and BLIS-XML. All interoperability methods must deal with version issues. When updating an application with new features, if the switch mechanism is not maintained and the standard version is poorly managed, the switchover may fail.

In the realization of the interactivity of BIM technology, IFC plays a key role, which is shared by the International Collaborative Alliance (IAI) for different professions in the construction industry and different software in the same profession to share the same data source to achieve data sharing and Data model standard for interactive standard building objects. The IFC standard is an open international standard for the expression and exchange of building product data, supporting data exchange and sharing throughout the life of a building. Support data exchange between application systems in the horizontal direction, and solve the data management of the whole life cycle of buildings in the vertical direction.(From page 81) Among them, IFC is an abbreviation of Industry Foundation Classes. The IFC standard is developed and maintained by the International Organization for International Interoperability (IAI). The organization has now been renamed buildingSMART International (bSI).

In the exchange and viewing of project information in BIM, there are two widely available formats, 3D PDF (Portable Document Format) developed by Adobe ® and DWF (Design Web Format) developed by Autodesk ®, which have many advantages.(From page 86)  On the one hand, all BIM design tools now support IFC fairly well, allowing basic exchanges to be made with adequate completeness and accuracy. Only a few exchanges allow editing; most only static viewing. There is a small movement for using IFC for analysis interfaces, but these too are just

becoming available. Various XML schemas are being used for different business exchanges. On the other side, formats such as DWF and PDF hold the potential to become richer and support exchange as well as viewing. (Both have XML capabilities.)

So, the introduction of BIM in the building information model to establish a collaborative model of engineering projects, in the coordination of engineering project management, can achieve specific results. BIM is a trend in the future. It is expected that relevant departments can construct a perfect operational coordination model to improve the dilemma of unsynchronized and inconsistent management information of today's construction projects.

Sources: Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook : A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors, 2011. http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzM2NDIzOV9fQU41?sid=bc728db5-ac2a-463a-be02-b1d1edcfc78a@pdc-v-sessmgr02&vid=0&format=EB&lpid=lp_71&rid=0

Comment:

 Sean Reifer,

You succinctly explained the contents of Chapter 3. In the future of the AEC industry, program interoperability is important and plays a key role in every process in the construction industry. BIM has developed a number of corresponding technologies for this interactive system to support its applications. Although it is still in the development stage, it has a good prospect.

Kunlun Ren,

According to your blog, I know that the author introduced the history of 3D models, which makes me very interested. In addition, I understand that in the Revit software model, all drawings, 2D and 3D views and schedules are used to present information in the same virtual building model. I think this is a more intuitive display of the building model than the software used in the previous CAD, which is more convenient for the user.

Weiyi Tang,

Your blog looks very interesting. BIM design methods are shifting from simple warehouses to new complex buildings. This provides great convenience to the designer, the builder and the owner. For the introduction of IPD, I think that you describe it very well, so I quickly understand this new concept. It increases efficiency, reduces costs, and is easy to design.

Blog 2: BIM and Interoperability

In the future of the AEC industry, program interoperability is a crucial property that has a large impact in the speed and ease of coordination and thus, construction. Interoperability is “... the ability to exchange data between applications…and for multiple applications to contribute to the work at hand.” With all of the different teams and disciplines working together to construct a building, numerous programs get used for different building tasks beyond the modeling of the structure in BIM. Interoperability is significant in order to exchange data between multiple programs, regardless of the developer.

Interoperability is also useful in automating the data exchange process. Without the interoperability, individuals have to manually copy data generated in one program, and transfer it to another. Manually transferring information leads to error and inconsistency and discourages iteration because of the time-consuming process of manually reproducing data in a new program. Furthermore, if iteration is discouraged, the design quality declines. Overall, the lack of interoperability results in a waste of time. For example without interoperability, if a lighting designer exchanged their model with the architect, with the placements of each of the fixtures and their properties, the architect would then have to manually input each of those fixtures.

The problem with interoperability in practice is the different exchange formats used by different developers. As part of their business model, BIM software developer companies limit interoperability with external programs to incentivize customers to use only the AEC software created by a specific developer. Different data modeling software model elements with different properties. Two applications can use different information and storage methods to describe the same object, leading to difficulties in transferring data between software. In an effort to standardize software and combat exchange format differences, under the ISO-STEP international standards effort and the National BIM Standard, “... data models were developed to support product and object model exchanges within different industries...” (pg. 100). The standardization aims to make specific data required for exchanges.

Developers typically offer packaged solutions to interoperability for their programs, while other software is not fully supported. For this third-party software not supported by the main vendors, 3D object exchange formats like IFC are used. The complications and complexities of data exchange for BIM software lie in the more complex nature of the data created with BIM. Instead of just a geometric shape, BIM data also contains attributes and properties for each of the elements. One exchange method being pushed is the Industry Foundation Class (IFC), a data organization type “...developed to define an extensible set of consistent data representations of building information for exchange between AEC software applications” (pg 114).

Eastman believes that “The BIM platform developers will continue to offer packaged solutions, while reliance on IFC will grow to provide workflows not well supported by the software vendors” (pg. 148). It should be noted that this handbook is already about 8 years old and, with each version, more and more data is interoperable via exchange methods like IFC and building model repositories, making complete interoperability more of a reality. In the future, companies committed to interoperability will make the complicated task of building projects more time and cost efficient.

Sources:

Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook : A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors. Vol. 2nd ed, Wiley, 2011. EBSCOhost, ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=364239&site=ehost-live.

Comments:

Nick,

Good point about some of the information in the Handbook being outdated; it is definitely important to recognize what has been developed in the time between this handbook was published and now. It is honestly quite amazing how much progress has been made into specific facets of BIM like interoperability in what is a rather short amount of time. From my personal experience from co-ops, it does seem that the state of interoperability has been improved in REVIT with the implementation of REVIT add-ins to help with the exchange of data. BIM repositories are an interesting alternative to the program to program exchanges. Your point on how the objects in the repository will be updated and the unknown effect the update of one object could have on another is a valid concern. I think in the future, after the objects in the repositories have been properly developed, quality tested, and troubleshot, BIM repositories will be an extremely effective method of interoperability.

Christian,

It seems that the most immediate and significant benefits of interoperability is the automation of the data exchange process between multiple programs. The amount of time and money that could be saved without having to do a manual transfer of data between two programs would greatly impact the workforce and organization of a design team since some roles could potentially be removed. I also appreciate your addressment of the proprietary and business practice issues that definitely do not help the goal of a standard for interoperability. I think the bias that developers display in their own products are slowing down the transition into full interoperability.

Tyler,

Your point that a majority of contractors do not participate in the design process and thus have little use for BIM is very interesting, and is something I have not considered. Contractors could utilize BIM to improve the design with all of the coordination, estimating and scheduling features possible with BIM software. However, with the learning curve, the program may not be used to its maximum potential, and a lot of its beneficial tools may be wasted. This would make the use of BIM for smaller contractors a potential waste of time.

How BIM will be used to 3D print structures in the future

This assignment required students to read about each topic separately with regards to an overall theme. My topics are BIM, 3D printing, and structure and the theme is the future. At the end, I will be combining them all into one, “How BIM will be used to 3D print structures in the future.”

BIM:
BIM softwares have only recently started becoming more mainstream. The co-ops I’ve worked at still have a physical archive of their paper drafts. It also may not be possible to scan them if there is a chance that the scanner will miss a very fine detail or mistake a dot for a speck of dust. However, the co-ops all used AutoCAD for drafting orthographic drawings. Now, BIM softwares such as Revit are more relevant since they can contain many aspects of building design in one file. As time goes on, the use of Revit and other BIM softwares will become more widespread because it allows everyone from the clients to the engineers to the contractors to see the same product.

3D Printing:
I would like to start off by saying that my experience with 3D printing is very limited. Four years ago, I got to see the process of using a 3D scanner that used laser triangulation to create a topographic model of someone’s face. From there, the smooth topographic model was converted into a polyhedron made of many triangle faces. Lastly, a bar of soap was cut out to form a miniature soap bust of a head. Obviously, this is the type of basic 3D printing that happens at home or in a class. However, within a few years, 3D printing has advanced very far. The ability to extrude concrete, metal, and glass allows construction of intricate details for buildings or make quick work of constructing simple objects. MIT has been experimenting with 3D printing glass as early as 2015. Where previous attempts created structurally weak and opaque glass, “The high-temperature system developed by the MIT team retains those [desired] properties, producing printed glass objects that are both strong and fully transparent to light” (Chandler, 2015). The high temperature is nothing to shrug off, considering the extrusion nozzle can reach almost 2,000 °F in order to create these pieces of glass. Currently, many new buildings happen to have glass curtain walls that allow a lot of sunlight to illuminate buildings. The use of glass printing may be very useful in the future.

Structures:
The physics behind structural engineering hasn’t changed much in the past few decades. What’s new is the different types of structures that have emerged with better materials and building techniques. For example, the diagrid structure for buildings. With better computers now, there are softwares that are capable of FEM analyses and other calculations that would take humans way too long to process. This allows new ways to analyze the effectiveness of new structures. An example of this is the crew partition in the European Airbus. The current partition weighs 143 lb but with the new design based off of bones and slime molds, the proposed partition weighs 66 lb (Rhodes, 2015). This biological-structure approach is possible with Autodesk software that was used in the medical field. New softwares allow different approaches to the structural engineering field because as long as load paths are accounted for, the software could theoretically be able to optimize paths.

Combined:
MX3D proposed a pedestrian bridge in Amsterdam back in 2015 where the construction would be done by 3D printed metal with aesthetically pleasing details (Starr, 2015). The 12 m long bridge structure was completed in 2018 and is currently being load tested by Arup and others  (Block, 2018). If successful, it may be installed in 2019 over a canal in the Dutch capital. Figure 1 shows a picture of the metal bridge being manufactured in a shipbuilding hangar. This technology is a very innovative process that could change the way modern architecture is created.

Figure 1. 3D printed steel bridge construction (Block, 2018)

Sources:

Block, I. (2018). Robots complete span of 3D-printed bridge for Amsterdam canal. [online] Dezeen. Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2018/04/17/mx3d-3d-printed-bridge-joris-laarman-arup-amsterdam-netherlands/ [Accessed 15 Jan. 2019].

Chandler, D. (2015). Printing transparent glass in 3-D. [online] MIT News. Available at: http://news.mit.edu/2015/3-d-printing-transparent-glass-0914 [Accessed 15 Jan. 2019].

Rhodes, M. (2015). Airbus' Newest Design Is Based on Bones and Slime Mold. [online] WIRED. Available at: https://www.wired.com/2015/12/airbuss-newest-design-is-based-on-slime-mold-and-bones/ [Accessed 15 Jan. 2019].

Starr, M. (2015). Gravity-defying 3D printer to print bridge over water in Amsterdam. [online] CNET. Available at: https://www.cnet.com/news/gravity-defying-3d-printer-to-print-bridge-over-water-in-amsterdam/ [Accessed 15 Jan. 2019].

Blog 1: BIM and 3D Printing

The future of the construction industry is BIM in some form. Continuously improving, and becoming more and more dominant as the go to tool in the construction industry, BIM has revolutionized the construction industry by improving visualization, productivity, and coordination, while reducing costs.

The use of BIM in designing high cost, large scale and complex projects has proven its effectiveness. On the opposite side of the cost spectrum, studies have been conducted to analyze the usefulness of BIM in designing low-cost buildings, like temporary housing [1].  According to Lachmi Khemlani, “...we could facilitate the process by exploring how advanced technologies such as BIM can be applied, not only towards improving buildings and processes that are already quite good to begin with, but also in tackling the challenges of housing for the lower half of society” [1].

A key property for effective temporary housing is modularity of the components (leading into prefabrication of elements) and quick construction times. One example of BIM application in low-cost, temporary housing is the Loblolly House, designed by KieranTimberlake Associates [1]. Kieran Timberlake Associates extensively used BIM for the design and development of the building, but also for the fabrication and assembly of the building. Using BIM, the components of the building were modeled in high levels of detail with assigned parameters and then fabricated offsite, to then be assembled physically after being virtually assembled with BIM.

However, the use of BIM in the low-cost housing professional practice is seldom. While it has great potential in its effectiveness to create efficient housing at a lower cost, the industry has a long way to go in actually implementing BIM for the purpose of low-cost temporary housing [1].

I found this article interesting, and I appreciate the research into alternative BIM use, it seems to me that the effectiveness of BIM in producing better designs at lower costs seems universally relevant to the entire construction industry. I felt the answer to the author’s question of “Can BIM enable making low-cost housing easier to build, with more efficiency, lower cost, and improved quality?”, is an obvious yes.

Along with the further development and implementation of BIM in the industry, 3D printing is improving and finding notable purpose in the future of construction.

One innovative use, similar in purpose to BIM used for low-cost housing, is the use of 3D printing to build small, yet cheap and affordable housing, with extremely fast construction times. The construction firm, Icon, and New Story, a nonprofit for housing construction in the developing world, are collaborating to achieve, cheap and quick housing construction utilizing 3D printing. The current created dwelling is a single story, 380 square feet, structure made of concrete that was created in only 48 hours [2]. Similar to small scale 3D printing, the system functions by placing a mortar material, similar to concrete, layer by layer. To form the structure, the 3D printed mortar is held in place by a metal frame till it sets. The frame and construction is modular, and if desired, multiple homes can be placed back to back to create a larger home [2]. The 3D printer uses BIM created floor plans.

The concept is being taken to El Salvador to quickly produce simple, yet highly functional, homes for poor families. The cost for a family to build one works out about $30 a month. In association with the nonprofit, the cost is put towards a pay it forward system, to pay for more homes as well as maintenance for the entire community [2].

As described above, the humanitarian potential of BIM and 3D printed structures is remarkable. While cheap, effective, and quick, the use of 3D printing in the construction field will have a notable impact on the jobs market for construction workers. In the future when the use of 3D printing in construction becomes more widely adopted, I imagine a lot of construction jobs will be rendered obsolete, and the jobs created by the new system will not match the number of jobs lost. I think the transition will be similar to the transition into CAD that rendered a lot of drafters jobs obsolete since Engineers could now draft their own drawings.

Sources:

[1] Khemlani, Lachmi. “BIM in Low Cost and Temporary HousingAECbytes Feature (March 16, 2016).” Technology Toolkit for Sustainable Design at Orcutt Winslow Partnership: AECbytes Feature, www.aecbytes.com/feature/2016/BIM-LowCostHousing.html.

[2] Lee, Dave. “3D-Printed Homes Turn Sludge into Shelter.” BBC News, BBC, 15 Mar. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/technology-43411581.

Comments:

1) Richard,

I agree that while AI provides great convenience and its connectivity has clear benefits, the security threat AI presents needs to be thoroughly investigated and protected against exploitation. AI presents a very dangerous relationship between convenience and safety, and it is clear, especially with the notes on hackers fooling the AI used in self-driving cars to drive at higher speeds, that we must be careful that systems do not become so overly automated that safety is compromised. The idea that hacking and security breaches are becoming more popular due to the lucrative information that is stored online is alarming when considering all of the future tech that has interconnected communication systems. Edge computing is an interesting solution, but again, it becomes an issue of loss of privacy for security. The privacy is up to the developer to be benevolent and I imagine a lot of people will have a hard time trusting developers, especially with all of the Facebook privacy developments recently.

2) Nana,

The potential of 3D printing in construction is remarkable, especially considering all of the 3D printers being developed. In the future, it seems like the cost and duration of construction with almost any material will be greatly decreased. I agree that 3D printing structures in the future is a positive thing, but I think the jobs generated 3D printed construction will not match the jobs lost by it. However, I think the humanitarian potential possible for quick and cheap construction for third world countries is reason enough alone to pursue the implementation and use of 3D printing. Imagine the potential 3D printing could have for a refugee camp. If majority of building materials and components could be 3D printed, the overall construction length and footprint of impact for projects could be drastically reduced. These articles have definitely made me excited for the future of construction.

Blog 1—The Influence of BIM Technology and 3D Printing on Future Construction Industry

BIM (Building Information Modeling) technology is a data tool used in engineering design, construction, and management. The advantage of BIM technology is that it can be used throughout the life cycle of a building. It saves a large amount of information such as design data, construction information, and maintenance information in the information base.

3D printing is a kind of rapid prototyping technology. It is a technique for constructing objects by layer-by-layer printing based on digital model files. The advantages of 3D printing technology are manufacturing complex items without increasing costs, product diversification without increasing costs, zero time delivery, and accurate physical reproduction. At present, 3D printing technology is no longer unfamiliar, and it has become a reality to form a building by printing. Therefore, in the face of new technologies, we need to discuss changes in project management.

With the development of modern technology, the construction industry applies these technologies to real life. At present, a very important feature of the new technologies commonly used in the construction field is that it can be expanded under a single environment. Nowadays, in the construction industry, the application of BIM new technology and 3D printing technology in the construction field is gradually becoming the norm for designers and builders, involving single buildings, architectural complexes, and even urban planning and design. So for the future of construction industry, we need the new technologies. It is more beneficial to strengthen the impact of BIM and 3D printing technology applications on the future.

The BIM design is based on the IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) standard and is modeled with the existing standard model's logical structure. Models built is efficient, easy to export, and easier to adapt to other building software. The BIM model construction needs to be completed in four parts: the calculation result model, the structural component model, the material information model and the attribute definition model.

1. Structure construction model. The basic components of the building, including the walls, columns, beams, etc. in the building, through the construction of the model to make the elements organically associated;

2. Calculation results model. The computer-calculated internal mechanical performance analysis results and the architectural structure design analysis results are correlated and combined to realize the optimal design of the structural construction;

3. Material information model. Construct a model of information about the concrete and reinforcement materials used in the building;

4. Attribute definition models. This part of the model establishes the dynamic attribute parameters of the building structure and provides an extensible interface for the model's re-expansion, which is the key to the dynamic adjustment of the entire building structure model.

As for structures, 3D printing technology has advantages:

1. 3D printing buildings can save time. When 3D printing technology is applied to the architectural design model, the building model can be directly operated at various levels, and the elements are automatically generated without the need to waste time copying. A tens of stories high building, ordinary construction, it takes about six months to one year to complete the construction. The current 3D printer can print 10 200 square meters of buildings in 24 hours.

2. 3D printing building materials have better strength. The 3D printed building materials have high strength and light weight, and have a great advantage compared with traditional building materials. Because of the hollow "Z" shape structure, a triangular stable support is produced, and the seismic effect is better.

3. 3D printing buildings are more environmentally friendly. Compared to the waste of resources in traditional manufacturing and the destruction of the environment, 3D printing technologies can completely avoid these problems. The materials for 3D printing come from construction waste, industrial waste, etc., and the waste is used. Because there is no transportation of sand, stones, cement and other materials in the process, it will not generate dust and pollute the environment. And no cutting is required, one molding.

Therefore, I believe that this technology represents a new trend in manufacturing development. Applying this technology to buildings will shorten the manufacturing time, increase efficiency, and strengthen economic and management levels.

The impact of new technologies in the construction sector on the future is important. In the future, it is an information age, the main features of the information age will infiltrate into all aspects of future architecture, including BIM, engineering progress management, building data collection and so on. Therefore, we need to develop our BIM technology and 3D printing technology in the construction industry. What we should pay a attention is that we must implement sustainable development and humanization while implementing new technologies. Building energy conservation must not only be implemented in specific construction, but also to implement the final building during using.

Reference:

[1] Yi Wei Daniel Tay, “3D printing trends in building and construction industry: a review” Virtual and Physical Prototyping, 14 May. 2017, https://doi.org/10.1080/17452759.2017.1326724.

[2] Rebekka Volk, Julian Stengel and Frank Schultmann, “Building Information Modeling (BIM) for existing buildings — Literature review and future needs” Automation in Construction, 10 March. 2014, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2013.10.023

[3] Geert De Schuttera and Karel Lesagea, “Vision of 3D printing with concrete — Technical, economic and environmental potentials” Cement and Concrete Research, 10 October. 2018, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconres.2018.06.001

 

Comment:

Nick Maloney,

 I am very interested in the second paragraph of your blog mentioning the 3D printing robot. So I understand the advantages of more 3D printing robots, easy to operate and high efficiency. As far as I know, science robotic has launched MIT's latest research, 3D printing, to build robots, which was planned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Mediated Matter lab. The mobile robot took 13.5 hours and was completely independent. It built a dome with a diameter of 14.6 meters. Known as the "Digital Construction Channel", this robot has a crawler-type mobile chassis, a large 4-DOF hydraulic cantilever, and a 6-degree-of-freedom Kuka robotic arm at the top of the cantilever. Ability to replace welding, excavation and printing.

Gabriel Grajewski,

The AI you mentioned in the blog has a negative impact on the employment of people in developing countries. I think it totally makes sense. After AI develops to a certain stage, it will inevitably replace some ordinary productivity, thus affecting the employment rate. In addition, I also believe that under the impetus of market demand, a number of smart companion industries with artificial intelligence "personification" as a selling point must be promoted. Human society is a social society, paying attention to emotional and ethical relationships. In the future, human activities and entertainment will be diversified, but it is important that family and friendship are indelible. When the conditions are met, the orphans or independent children who have lost their loved ones must have a highly anthropomorphic partner who can accompany themselves. Emotional delivery must be different from traditional moral values or subversive. This is a question worth exploring.

Blas Andres Rodriguez Vieira,

In this blog, you have done a good job of BIM's discussion of the future architecture. It shows the characteristics and advantages of the current technology, the development status and the problems that BIM technology may encounter in practical application. However, this blog lacks a discussion of AI technology. If you can briefly introduce the characteristics and current status of AI technology and combine it with BIM technology to analyze their impact on the future construction industry, I believe it will be better.