Blog Post 6: Course Reflection

I did not have much of an idea of what the class would be like, but I am happy with what I got out of it. I enjoyed the fact that there was a wide variety of topics, especially ones that I did not know much about. I knew about Revit and Building Information Modeling, but I had not taken classes that discussed sensors, robots, or AI much at all. It was very useful to broaden my understanding of what goes into intelligent building and where future technology is headed.

I have a lot of experience with AutoCAD, but barely any experience with Revit. The Revit assignment was very helpful in getting me familiar with the program and the step-by-step instructions, as well as the video walkthrough, was very helpful. I would have liked a second part to this assignment that walked us through using Dynamo as well. The sensor database assignment was useful as well, both in creating a database in Access from scratch and from trying to find data on different sensors.

The lectures and videos on 3D printing, robotics, and AI were all very interesting to me. I had already seen some of the technology that was shown because of my personal interest, however, I had not been keeping up with the new developments. Being able to automatically 3D print buildings and other structures will cause drastic changes in our current infrastructure.

I enjoyed the guest lectures, especially Kayleigh’s because I had never heard of visual programming before. I had been thinking about looking for jobs in BIM so it definitely got me curious when she said, “BIM is dead.” However, this sent me down a path from Building Information Modeling to Visual Design and Construction to visual programming and generative design. Generative design was the topic of my project paper and I learned a lot about it.

Overall, this class was very helpful, and I will use what I’ve learned throughout my career. The discussions and blog posts taught me to research new technology and think/talk about what changes will occur. It is important to learn about future technology and stay ahead of it or else you will be left behind. 


Comments:
To Sean Reifer
I am jealous that you did your project on Dynamo. It was something that I wished the Revit assignment went into. I can learn it on my own, but as you mentioned, it is more challenging to work through it on your own. A video walkthrough detailing exactly what you are trying to accomplish is very helpful in learning quickly.

To Nick Maloney
I agree that we learned about a lot of different topics, but did not have enough time to go in depth with each of them. It was definitely useful to get some information from the various topics, but there are some topics that I wish we went into in more depth. I believe the idea of the project was to allow us to pick what topic we wanted to learn more about during the course and do our own research which worked well.

Yicheng Li
I also learnd a lot of new things about 3D printing, sensors, and databases. I agree that the blogs helped us learn about something new and write about them almost every week as well as read other people's findings. My project focused on generative design which could become a problem when it comes to reducing or eliminating certain jobs. However, I believe some jobs will remain and their tasks will be altered and some new jobs will be created due to the changes within each industry.

Blog Post 5: Object-Oriented Databases

Object-oriented databases differ from relational databases in which information is shown in the form of objects. The benefit of using object-oriented database management systems (OODBMS) is that they allow you to create an object, store it, and then replicate or modify existing objects to make new ones. The object is represented the same way between the programming language and the OOBMS so that there is consistency. This is different from relational database management systems (RDBMS) where the database model is separated from the application of the database. 

  

OODBMS store data and relationships between data directly, instead of sorting through rows and columns like a RDBMS. RDBMS require intermediate tables to maintain relationships between data. Both intermediate tables and relational mapping code are not required while using OODBMS unless you are incorporating new features. This obviously saves a lot of time while developing the database. 

  

RDBMS are far more popular and more widely used compared to OODBMS which have been implemented into RDBMS via object-oriented features. It also used to be very costly to make the change from RDBMS to OODBMS even if companies saw the benefits. However, open source implementation has become popular in recent years and has now allowed for low-cost solutions to become available and more common.

Sources

1. https://database.guide/what-is-an-oodbms/ 

2. http://www.odbms.org/introduction-to-odbms/definition/ 

Comments

1. Aaron Goldberg

This is a very interesting theory that I am not familiar with. Do you know when HP integrated this theory into their products or when they expect to complete it? If the performance increases are as dramatic as they say, I look forward to the new ways that the much more powerful computers will be utilized.

2. Alkiviadis Tsitsios

I like that those of us who strictly researched databases are able to understand the benefits that they have in the construction industry. I am not familiar with the Database Manager Program and it sounds like a useful software that construction firms can integrate into their projects. It is impressive to hear that you are able to use as many attributes as you need within your database.

3. Nana Lin Rasmussen

This is a good summary of SQL and databases. I like that you list off common RDBMS that utilize SQL because it shows how common the language is. The advantages of SQL are interesting, specifically, that coding is not required in SQL. 

Blog Post 4: Project Outline

How Visual Programming Improves Upon BIM and What’s Next

The topic of my paper is going to briefly introduce what visual programming is and how it got introduced to the construction industry. It is interesting to think about because construction and programming historically haven't been related at all. I then will discuss some ways that visual programming currently improves upon BIM. The first use is programmed 3D modeling which allows users to change certain inputs into a program and a model will automatically be generated. This saves a lot of time and makes changes to a design simple which avoids headaches. Another benefit of visual programming is being able to transfer information between different software automatically. Taking data from an Excel sheet and manually inputting it into a different program or vice versa has been a very time-consuming process usually given to interns or new employees. However, with visual programming, the information can be transferred automatically once the code has been written. I will then discuss what the future looks like and what may replace/improve upon visual programming. One thing that could definitely replace visual programming is Generative Design which is AI that can generate many versions of a structure based on your parameters automatically. Architects will need to stay ahead of this so that they do not get phased out by the technology. 3D printing buildings could add to Generative Design in that buildings could eventually be designed and built completely with AI technology by just giving it certain design requirement inputs. Finally, I will summarize the points that I made throughout the report and give my personal predictions for what the future of the construction industry may be like.

Comments:

1. Albert Hanan
I like that you are trying to incorporate Dynamo in different, new ways that will improve your model and make it easier to work with. I think you should definitely take some time to research all the different ways you can improve the model like automatically inserting windows at certain dimensions throughout the building. You have a lot of time to incorporate new things into your project and it will be interesting to see how much more you can do.

2. Hanyan Chen
Your topic is very important for the future of sustainable design. It will be interesting to read the paper that you come up with by the end of the term. Hopefully, adaptable housing and sustainable design will become more and more popular. I am looking forward to hearing about the impact that BIM has on design style, sustainability, construction, and the real estate industry as a whole. 


3. Christian Tait
This is something that I am also interested in and I'm looking forward to hearing about your project at the end of the term. The applications that you mentioned are interesting and AR is already being implemented in other areas today that you could discuss. You may even want to discuss the pros and cons of VR vs AR and how each can benefit BIM in their own way.

Blog Post 3: The Future of the AEC Industry in 10 Years

Bill Allen is the co-founder and principal at EvolveLAB BIM Consulting. It’s interesting that someone who is the co-founder of a BIM consulting company is already thinking about what’s next. It goes to show you that in order to be successful, you need to stay informed on the latest technology and embrace change. Bill showed how programs are already being implemented to create projects using algorithmic editors (Grasshopper and Dynamo). Algorithmic modeling allows us to create things that would be far too time-consuming using standard BIM technology. Bill’s advice is to prepare yourself for the future and get started by using the technology that is on the forefront today.

I believe that some construction companies will have begun embracing and implementing algorithmic modeling within the next 10 years. However, not every project will benefit from BIM and algorithmic modeling. 3D scanning and VR walkthroughs are already being used to both show owners what a new building will look like and what is inside an existing space. These technologies are extremely useful for very large projects/buildings, but some small projects are finished before a 3D model could be developed. I think that VR walkthroughs will become more and more popular in the coming years which will help to reduce change orders by giving the owner the opportunity to see exactly what the building will look like and could then make any changes to the design before construction even begins.

Above future technology, collaboration during both the design and construction phases will be improved. Owners will no longer communicate with subcontractors through general contractors who only talk to the architect after a problem arises with the design. There will be less RFIs because everyone will be on the same page throughout the life of the project. It will be very interesting to see how quickly buildings can be designed and constructed with everyone on the project collaborating from the very beginning of the project using algorithmic modeling and BIM. Much less time will be wasted designing buildings manually and changing different parts of the building from person to person. I think that larger construction companies will have the capital to invest and benefit from these future technologies on their large projects. Hopefully, they will lead the way to a more efficient construction industry with more affordable technologies.

Source:

1. Allen, Bill. The Future of BIM Will Not Be BIM—and It's Coming Faster than You Think. Youtube, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq6yKyauu-o.

To Albert Hanan

Many of the applications mentioned by Allen are definitely being used today, but you make a good point that wide-spread adoption of these applications isn’t coming anytime soon. Many companies have a certain way of doing things and do not like change. I think that once one large company starts using future technology to get more jobs done faster and cheaper, other companies will catch on and be forced to adapt to compete for jobs. I agree that 10 years is a bit too optimistic, but 20-25 years is definitely possible.

To Harvin Bhandal

I have a similar experience from my co-op where you were told to avoid telling people that you could use AutoCAD and Revit because barely anyone knew how to use it and you would get stuck with everyone’s work. The construction industry is currently struggling to get older subcontractors to use iPads and cloud-based project management software so it’s hard to imagine even talking to them about data optimization. One way that has proven to be effective is making it mandatory to use certain technologies in the contract. This could definitely be used to speed up the adoption of future software.

To Gabriel Grajewski

You make a number of good points throughout your post and I like that you back them up with real-world experiences. The construction industry is notoriously behind on the latest technology and I’m sure data optimization will be no different. It is odd to even hear the words construction and data optimization in the same sentence, but we will get there eventually. I definitely agree that basic applications will be implemented within the next 10 years to work on large projects more effectively.  

Blog Post 2: Chapter 4: BIM for Owners and Facility Managers

The title of the 4th Chapter of the BIM Handbook is BIM for Owners and Facility Managers. It starts off with a summary of all the reasons why owners and facility managers should utilize BIM. The sections that follow further explain why owners should care about BIM, how owners can use BIM, and what types of guides and tools are available. The text explains how to implement BIM into a project as well as barriers to its implementation, including risks and commons myths. Finally, guidelines and issues for owners to consider are addressed involving the adoption of BIM.  

The chapter covers all the points I would expect an owner to want to know about when researching whether or not to utilize BIM. After reading, you understand why you should care, what the exact benefits of using it are, how to implement it, and things to look out for. The text provides specific examples of newer project strategies and how essential BIM is in the process (Eastman, 2011, p. 153-154). One of the best benefits of using BIM on a project is modeling the building and all of its systems together in 3D space. This will point out clashes before construction so that they can be avoided. This saves a ton of money and keeps the project on schedule (Eastman, 2011, p. 169). There is a section that explains all of the tools that would improve the project in various ways. For example, the BIM estimating tools allow for faster and even automatic takeoffs so that the estimating process is quicker and more accurate (Eastman, 2011, p. 170).  

The owner benefits from BIM when a project utilizes the technology throughout the life of the project. Projects are more streamlined which means less problems and less change orders. This results in less delays during construction which keeps the project on schedule. At the end of the day, the most important things that an owner wants is for the project to be completed on time and there to be little to no change orders. BIM has been shown to produce these results so owners should definitely adopt BIM and be ready for upcoming technology which will benefit them in the future.

Source:

1. Eastman, Charles M. BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors. Vol 2nd ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley; 2011. http://ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=364239&site=ehost-live. Accessed January 22, 2019.

Comments on Other Posts

1. Adam Raifsnider

I like that you used your real life experience to relate to the text that you read. There are some companies that are actually having a more difficult time using BIM because not everyone wants to adopt it. We know as young engineers how beneficial is it compared to traditional construction processes, but there are people who have been doing things the same way for a long time and do not like change. One of the only ways to get them to change is to make BIM technology mandatory for all contractors on your projects which has worked well for some companies that I have heard about.

2. Aaron Goldberg

This is an interesting topic that is discussed in Chapter 2. When we are working on projects and can't seem to export models to other programs we want, it's nice to understand why which many of us did not. Hopefully, we will get to a point where all software that we use can interact with each other easily.

3. Nana Lin Rasmussen

Interoperability is an important issue that we have to work with today and I have never known about the history of it. It would be great if every relevant program could work together with ease, but as you mentioned, it becomes increasingly difficult with more and more complex models in each program. Let's hope that Kayleigh and her team can streamline their own process and share it with the rest of the industry someday.

Blog Post 1: How Robotics and AI Will Benefit the Construction Industry

Robotics and AI are already being utilized in various industries and are beginning to develop in the construction industry. Many aspects of the industry are going to change dramatically because of construction automation [1]. While some traditional roles will be filled by this automation, safety and efficiency will increase dramatically and new jobs will be created where positions will need to be filled.

Some issues that we currently face are low quality work due to unskilled or unprofessional laborers, safety concerns associated with certain tasks, and deadlines must be met to keep a project on schedule. Construction automation will address each of these issues and more. Robots would be programmed and/or taught how to complete a task and will perfectly execute that task any number of times [2]. They would be able to complete dangerous tasks without the risk of any person being injured or killed on the job. And lastly, construction automation would mean that the job site is active at all hours of the day. Traditionally, three 8-hour shifts would be very costly and overtime would have to be paid on weekends. However, you would only need specific supervisors and technicians to keep an eye on the robots throughout the day which would be cost effective and greatly increase the overall timeline of construction.

3D printing and robots would greatly improve the speed and quality of specific tasks on a job site. Entire structures are already being created out of certain materials and the speed of the printing itself will only increase as time goes on. Also, very repetitive tasks such as masonry work would be more precise and cost-effective [3]. Many of these robots are already being used and developed so that they will be more affordable and more efficient in the future. I believe that these machines will be used on almost every major construction project in the near future.


[1] Robotics Online Marketing Team. "Construction Robots Will Change the Industry Forever." Robotics.org. 17 April 2018. https://www.robotics.org/blog-article.cfm/Construction-Robots-Will-Change-the-Industry-Forever/93

[2] The B1M. “The Construction Robots Are Coming | The B1M.” YouTube. 30 May 2018. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKGGHdl3NyQ

[3] Hamakareem, Madeh Izat. "Construction Automation – Applications and Advantages in Construction." The Constructor. 2018. https://theconstructor.org/construction/construction-automation-applications-advantages/16644/

Response 1: Andy Kuriatnikov
I agree that sensors are key to intelligent building operation. I look forward to when buildings will run themselves and will keep occupants safe and comfortable just by using sensors. I like that you mentioned the internet of things because it really is where we are headed. Reducing energy consumption is also an important factor in future building construction.

Response 2: Aaron Goldberg
We mentioned a few of the same things when it comes to AI and future jobs in the construction industry. The industry will benefit a low but some traditional jobs will be phased out. We will need to adapt to the changes or, even better, get ahead of the changes. I like that you mentioned that the quality of work will be better and the cost of the work will be lower.

Response 3: Hailey Ihlow
I like how to mention that we will advance as technology does. You make a good point that we need to think about what the future of technology will look like so that we can understand the pros and cons of them. We are already seeing the pushback against self-driving cars even though the technology is almost there. It will be interesting to use technology that does not need any form of replaceable or rechargeable battery in the future.

Intro/Intelligent Building Definition

Introduction

I'm Matt Mullen and I am an Architectural Engineering student in my 5th year at Drexel. I grew up in Downingtown which is only 45 minutes to an hour outside of Philadelphia so I've always been an Eagles fan.

I've had three co-ops so far. The first was for the City of Philadelphia where I worked on space planning and project management for projects involving city buildings. The second as with Certainteed where I worked on roofing shingles and solar panel shingles because I was still a Mechanical Engineer at the time. Once I switched to Architectural Engineering, I worked for HSC Builders where I worked as an Assistant Project Manager. I like to play tennis and watch movies in my free time.

Intelligent Building Definition

I believe an intelligent building is defined as a building that uses technology to automatically keep occupants comfortable and secure while reducing energy usage by turning off systems in unoccupied spaces.

Dummy Post2 - Other Names

This too is necessary to get your last names in as labels.