B5: Use of Databases in Design Offices

    In simplest terms “a database is a collection of information... organized in a way to be easily accessed, managed, and updated.” [1] This “information” can refer to anything from the names, positions, and other data populating a given company’s operational-level employee database all the way down to the content of a single excel sheet on a company’s intranet. Due to the flexibility and ubiquity of the term itself, databases are essential to most modern companies, and design firms are no exception to this. 
    Databases allow for massive quality of life improvements in the day-to-day operations of a design firm. The databases built into applications like Revit allow designers to apply and reference data such as material dimensions, weight, and other engineering considerations to their BIM designs. These modeled objects and their various associated properties (Tuples and Attributes, in terms of Relational Database Theory) are observed throughout a suite of software for easy cross-referencing between different engineers and designers. This creates a quantified, object-oriented approach to BIM engineering through documenting physical properties of known materials in a digital format before a structure is even designed. [2]

    The existence of a centralized cross-reference database is perhaps more important than the existence of a database for any one given application- A database is only as useful to a firm as it is accessible and legible to all relevant employees. Also integral to the usability and benefit of a database is the depth to which it is detailed; The more a tuple is described with ample, descriptive, and most of all relevant attribute data, the easier it is to find and assess for use in multiple future design scenarios. 
    I would go further to posit that a solid understanding of Relational Database Theory is useful to all professionals, engineers and otherwise. The logical reasoning and mathematical syntax behind selection of tuples and attributes in a system such as SQL is in itself an engineering challenge- one that must be explored in order to full understand the ways in which databases can be used to their maximum potential within our industry.

Sources:
https://searchsqlserver.techtarget.com/definition/database

https://www.cmu.edu/cee/projects/PMbook/14_Organization_and_Use_of_Project_Information.html#14.4%20Organizing%20Information%20in%20Databases

Comments on others:
Hanyan Chen: You wrote a very well-detailed explanation of OODB systems. I understand some rudimentary RDBT concepts from a class I previously took on SQL, but this post helped me understand a little more of the core tenants behind how RDBT is implemented.


Calvin Tang:
I agree that knowledge of SQL code fundamentals and syntax may not be necessary to all, a decent grasp on the theory behind the syntax is absolutely a great asset for any engineer or other STEM professional to have. SQL syntax is derived from discrete mathematics, after all. 

Laney Fries:
You did a good job of explaining the multiple ways that CAD can interface with CAM over a centralized database. The implication for different phases of a construction project all being able to interface so seamlessly is really exciting. 

B4 - Outline and Feedback

In researching the ways that BIM has effected the construction side of our industry specifically, I came across one very in-depth article that essentially speaks to the varying "dimensions" that BIM allows for the modeling of as they pertain to the construction process. BIM models can be host to pertinent Construction-oriented data such as material cost analysis, Scheduling metrics, etc. The author refers to BIM software's granular data analysis capabilities as "n-Dimensional modeling" as a way of expressing how much more significant BIM is than being just a 3d model. Each of these dimensions has implications unique and sometimes exclusive to the construction side of our industry.
My paper will discuss Smith's article in detail and will also offer valuable statistics alluding to the impact that BIM implementation has had on productivity and profitability within the construction firms that have adopted it. These statistics will come from a variety of sources and be presented within context as to properly and fully highlight the impact that BIM has had on the Construction sector.

Comments on others:
Julie Anderson: I'm very interested in this topic as well. I feel that 3D printing has the potential to impact the construction industry much in the same way that modular building design has in the past, if not to a more severe degree. 3D printing enables massive reductions in material waste as well as allows for safe practices in conditions that would represent risk to human laborers. I look forward to learning about your findings regarding heat/moisture transfer and long-term sustainability of the practice.

Blas Andres Rodrigues Vieira:
This is a really solid choice for a topic. People are often excited to explore the "shiny" sci-fi aspects of BIM such as 3D printing and augmented reality modeling, however Security Engineering is an underrepresented field that also stands to massively benefit from advances in BIM technology. I spent one of my Co-Ops as a Security Engineer for PJM so I am familiar with much of the modern technology dating back as far as two years ago and prior- I am excited to see you explore this aspect of engineering.

B3 - Current Advantages of BIM

 BIM offers many benefits over traditional paper drawings in the modern age. These advantages are best described by splitting them into the following categories; functionality, ease of use, and connectivity. Functionally, BIM software allows designers to convey an extremely granular amount of information about their design in an easily navigable manner. Assigning metadata such as material properties to a model element allows for the combination of visual elements with quantitative and qualitative information, a practice that is typically only available to paper drawings in the form of label leaders and hatching patterns. Whereas excessive labeling can convolute and obscure a paper drawing, BIM drawings and models display this information only when an object is highlighted, leading to a more legible drawing overall. 

BIM drawings are not only easy to parse, they are also incredibly easy to disseminate and transport in almost all applications. The ease of use associated with storing an entire project’s drawing portfolio on a laptop or tablet no thicker than a couple of inches at most is unbelievable. The less cumbersome and more readily available a cohesive building plan is, the more likely it is to be carefully reviewed in detail throughout the design process and the more likely it is to be constantly referenced and updated throughout construction. 

The nature of these plans (typically) being stored on a firm’s intranet allows for another degree of company-wide integration; having any authorized employee able to view and edit BIM drawings in real time, even remotely, and see those changes reflected across all copies of the drawing instantaneously is an incredible asset to any design or construction team. 

In addition to this, most BIM suites also offer interconnectivity between several applications that can all use the same model. For example, Autodesk Revit integrates directly with Robot, a structural analysis application that utilizes a Revit model and the associated metadata with minimal effort required to import and export. 

I can understand how the transition to BIM can be somewhat intimidating for established professionals who have only ever worked with paper drawings due to the unfamiliarity and relatively high cost of entry, but i believe the benefits i’ve explained are blatant and pervasive enough to encourage continual widespread adoption of BIM throughout the AEC industry.

B1 - HVAC, Sensors, AI

There is perhaps no better measure of how advanced our society has become than the sheer extent of data which we generate and analyze in every facet of our lives. We live in an era marked by incredibly granular telemetry, where even our online correspondence and browsing habits are gathered and pored over by algorithms that are most of the time profiling us within a database and trying to determine the best way to advertise things to us. For better or worse, the amount of data we are capable of gathering and the means by which we gather it has never been more varied in scope, however the true mark of our advancement as a civilization comes in the form of for what purpose, and to what end, we analyze this mass of increasingly-available data. Within the engineering and construction industry, the ultimate goal is to create an efficient, resilient, and most importantly functional design that serves user needs while not overtly using more resources than necessary, and recent advances in data analysis have served this end succinctly.
One example of the ways in which data is being used to meet this need is HVAC system analysis. The Building Performance Analysis (BPA) tools available within Revit allow designers to, given a relatively simple set of required data regarding building location and orientation, analyze a building's expected energy consumption, solar radiation distribution, daylighting illuminance, and heating/cooling loads. [1] These performance metrics can be recorded and reanalyzed following various minute changes to the design with tools for direct side-to-side comparison. Most importantly, all of this can be done from directly within the Revit interface, before a design is even finalized. The ability to predict and optimize HVAC performance through data analysis will, in the right hands, lead to more efficient buildings that minimize usage costs to owners and help preserve our environment at the same time.
The per-optimization made available to designers through these Revit tools is incredible, but it is actually only the first step in building efficiency maximization. Now more than ever before, sensor-laden tools are available for building users to monitor and improve building performance from within the space itself. Take for example any number of smart devices, from the high-tech Nest thermostats to even the simplistic (by today's standards) motion-activated floodlights found along the perimeter of many suburban homes. One prime example is the Keen Home Smart Vent. Keen takes something as simple as a common household air vent and outfits it with temperature and air pressure sensors that red out to a tailored smartphone app. The sensors on the vent allow its AI to create a "profile" for the specific room that vent is in, including usage patterns. Once this database of room profiles is established, Keen's AI will be able to independently meet, but not exceed, the needs of each room by keeping vents open while in use but closing them at times when the space is unoccupied. There have been initial results along the lines of 22% reduced air vent run-time after installing the Keen system. [2]
The Keen Smart Vent is a great example of why true innovation doesn't have to come in the form of brand new inventions- There's an old saying that trying to reinvent the wheel too many times will eventually leave one with a square wheel. Our true call to action as engineers is taking what already is and finding ways to improve it and make it better serve our needs as a society. The data we need in order to create an ideal world is here, and its never been easier to access and analyze; We just have to find the most intelligent ways to use it.


[1] Stine, Dan. "Building Performance Analysis in Revit 2016 R2 with Autodesk Insight" AECBytes, 20 Nov 2016, http://www.aecbytes.com/tipsandtricks/2015/issue76-revit.html
[2] Rhodes, Margaret. "The Brilliant Air Vents You Never Knew You Needed" Wired, 14 Jan 2015, http://www.wired.com/2015/01/brilliant-air-vents-never-knew-needed/


Comments on Others:
Weiyi Tang
I agree that the environment is one of the largest issues facing our industry today. Environmental efficiency is wildly important. I had no idea that 80% of NYC's greenhouse emissions came from buildings, that's a really intimidating figure and illustrates the importance of developing things like the Keen vents that will improve home energy performance, even if only by a margin of roughly 22% as cited in the article. I believe there is equal emphasis given within your post to constructing new buildings with efficiency in mind as well as retrofitting existing buildings to be more efficient and I agree that both are equally important. A product like the Keen Vent will be just as effective in an existing building as it would be in a new construction.

Christian Tait
3D printing has been an interest of mine for some time, I'm glad to see your post focus so preeminently on the potential of the practice. I am very eager to see how integration between BIM software and 3D printing technology will improve over time, as I feel strongly that 3D printing has a major place in the future of construction. Automation is a scary word for a lot of people but the benefits of 3D printing are so numerous, not the least of which being reduction of the inherent danger of manned construction work alongside the expedited "design to fabrication" timeline as you have described.


 

Dummy Post2 - Other Names

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