Reflection

This course was interesting and not at all what I expected when I enrolled to take the class. I was expecting more quantitative work with more homework and quizzes. I was pleasantly surprised at the way the course was run. I like when professors have the attitude that you get out of the class what you put in. It helps ease the immediate tension and set the term up nicely. I also enjoyed how the course set students up to learn more about intelligent systems, not just the math behind them, but exploring the new technologies that exist.

Being a part-time employee for an engineering firm, we heavily rely on AutoCAD Civil 3D as our base for all of our work. However, the company as a whole is making the push to start training employees on Revit. The first part of the course, where we reviewed Revit and made a family group was highly beneficial and helped me on more than one occasion in the work place. Completing that project gave me more information on the system and allowed me to be a step further in training than the rest of my team.

Even though our team doesn’t use sensors and data collecting software, learning about Microsoft Access was an interesting exercise for a project. I had never used the program before, but the tutorials were more than sufficient in helping students figure out their way around. In the future, I will be looking out for this type of software across our projects.

The individual or group projects was also interesting because of the concept behind it. In most of the courses here at Drexel, a lot of projects are dictated to students without the choice of topics. It was a nice change of pace to be able to select a paper versus deliverable and then also the topic of the paper. It was also nice that the submissions were spread out throughout the course, making it easier to coordination and spreading of the workload. Overall, I really enjoyed this class and the way it was run.

Comments:

Blog 6 - Course Reflection - Calvin Tang

This assignment required students to think about what this course has taught them and how it might affect their profession and future.

When I started this course, I was one of the people who assumed that the main topics would focus on how we may improve the user-experience of the clients or building constituents using new technology after a building has been constructed. So I guess I’m saying that I thought we were retrofitting buildings with new technology. I did not think that we would start integrating these technologies at the conception of the building.

AI generating building designs is a fascinating idea that I believe will make things more complex. But complex isn’t a bad thing. It allows for unique ideas to become reality.

Automation of building construction will lead to job layoffs. I cannot be so optimistic as to hope that we can save every worker’s livelihood by training them in handling machines. Only the most adept will be retained and the others will be fired.

Sensors have been important for a long time. The advancement of sensors in accuracy of lifespan will be crucial to gathering more data that we can use to change design codes so that future buildings can perform better. We can also use sensors to make user-experience in the building such as lighting and IAQ much better.

I am studying architectural and civil engineering with a concentration on structures. I think having BIM assist in structural calculations is a good thing as long as we can still check the calculations. The super complex structures that architects want will need to push the limits of structural analysis and design. For that purpose, we may need to make use of FEM. Moving forward, I think I need to quickly pick up a structural modeling software and become proficient with it.

Course Reflection

Before taking AE410, I only had a brief understanding of intelligent buildings that buildings can take conveniences to people, and the buildings in the future. AE 410 provide me a deeper understanding of buildings in the future, and a basic understanding of artificial intelligence, the sensor applications, database, and Revit Family function. As an architectural engineer student, the BIM software, Database, and some detailed AI applications will help my future career directly. In the future, more skills will be required in the construction field, and with BIM software skill will increase my probability to get involved into more projects than others.

In this course, the most impressive knowledge will be the BIM, and forecast of future buildings. For the BIM, at beginning, I thought BIM is just a software like AutoCAD which is only for drawings with special 3D models. However, after taking this 410 I learned the BIM is not a design software and it also is a software will take many benefits to both owners and subcontractors. Because by using Revit, it will help with shorten the cost, providing a more accurate schedule, and easier for subcontractors to knowing the best position to install equipements. Due to the characters of BIM software, designers can store and change the file easier than the hand drawings.

As we known, people always talks about the future buildings: what should the buildings look like; what kinds of things will be involved; and How human builds it. In 410, Professor Mitchell gives us a general forecast of the future buildings. In the future buildings, BIM software will be used to design; the robotics will be used during the constructions; sensors and AI application will be installed in the building to provide a comfortable, convenient and efficiency living or working place.  Additionally, in the final project, we did some searches online about intelligent buildings nowadays and in future which could be defined into three main characters: Performance-based definitions, Services-based definitions and System-based definitions.

I really enjoy taking this course, and I learn real and useful things from this course. However, there are also some points confused me. For example, when talk about the robotics has been used in the construction, we did not talk about the weak points of using robotics. For example, the costs of building robotics, the energy consumptions, and how should we replace the human workers. Moreover, the BIM software should be talked more. Because nowadays, everyone uses computer and BIM really helps students in their career and professions.

B6 - Class Reflection

Prior to taking AE 410/510, I was aware of Revit and databases as a concept, but I did not have a good understanding of what those systems were capable of.  Dynamo and grasshopper were also great software to get exposed to, as they allowed me to see where design firms in the architectural engineering and construction (AEC) industry is moving towards.  These, along with emerging technologies like robots, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality, can expedite construction projects and ultimately save money.

How this class exposed me to the Revit software I believe will significantly help me in the future.  At my job as a consulting engineer in the AEC industry, I am involved on some of Philadelphia’s largest and most forward-thinking design teams.  BIM360, as mentioned in this class, is one of the databases that I have been using, and on the same project, Revit is also being used.  Using these two software together has been extremely helpful, where Revit is being used in the design process and communication between various trades for coordination.  Then, BIM360 is being used to track problems with a system once it is installed on site.  Similar methods to issue tracking and design can be created using different software, but this concept is extremely helpful for projects with an integrated project delivery (IPD) method.  Dynamo and grasshopper are also clearly helpful to the design process, although for the specific career path that I am working towards, I do not believe they will be applicable.

Databases I believe are more applicable to my future career.  Occasionally there will be a project with hundreds or thousands of different buildings where data for each one must be collected.  Alternatively, there may be a single building, but thousands of photos that can be categorized by location in the building or what type of work is being photographed.  Larger projects like the second one mentioned can take years, or decades to complete, and with photos being taken daily, this can add up very quickly.  Towards the end of said project, finding specific photos can be difficult, but utilizing databases and queries, it could be possible to find specific photos much faster, saving time, and making the overall process less arduous.

Comment 1 Kunlun Ren:

Kunlun, it is great that you were able to get the opportunity to learn Revit and Microsoft Access.  I was in a similar situation where I have been putting off learning Revit and other software for years now, even though I knew I could learn it and that it would be helpful.  This was because I was either always too busy, and I knew that it was not an immediate concern, meaning I could learn it later.  I liked that this course forced me to learn the software, although I also wish that Revit were taught earlier in the AE curriculum at Drexel to help with junior design and senior design.

Comment 2 Harvin Bhandal:

Harvin, good points bringing up the novice level assignments versus the experienced ones.  I loved how Professor Mitchell allowed us to decide every assignment what level we were at, and be graded fairly and accordingly to our skill level.  Students who have used Revit over their co-ops obviously were more experienced with the software, and could complete the experienced task, while students like me who are not as familiar with Revit could do the novice level assignment.  The same can be said about databases.  This also allowed everyone in the class to learn more about databases and Revit, since everyone was able to expand into new areas of the software that they were unfamiliar with before.

Comment 3 Richard Kimball:

Richard, that is really cool that you have been teaching yourself to code and learn databases on your own.  I have also been meaning to begin watching videos online to teach myself specifically how to learn the command prompt on a computer, as I believe mass file edits are a common task that I will be given.  Learning the syntax and commands involved with the command prompt will help me streamline these processes, and save significant amounts of time.  Like you, I also want to learn databases and coding, and this class has been a great jumpstart to me gaining that knowledge.

B5-Reflection

AE 410/510, the Intelligent building, is one of my required class. My concentration is intelligent building for Architectural Engineering as well, so the knowledge for intelligent building helped me to get a basic idea about the technologies would be used in the future building. As a future engineer, this course gave me a primary guide for how the future building would be built, and how many other things I can do other than designing the buildings traditionally. The new BIM model programs, which were introduced in the course, such as the REVIT, Grasshopper, and other BIM programs, would be the most direct help for my future career because those programs would simplify the designing processes. Another helpful thing would be the MS Access database study. I am learning SQL by using Oracle in the information courses, and that was interesting as well, but the difference was that the MS Access was more intuitionistic and easy to be organized and edited.

I am always excited about learning new kinds of stuff. Now is the end of the term, I am still feeling interested in taking this course, but this course is not as simple as I thought. This does not mean that I do not like this course, but I do feel a little bit tired to do the projects and blogs. One thing cannot be denied is that those assignments and projects have helped me to learn more new stuff about intelligent buildings, such as the AI, the database, the BIM models and other interesting technologies. And to listen to the presentation from other professors and engineers were fun and expanded my mind. However, personally, some of the courses were too general to be followed, and there were too many pieces of information jumping up in each class, so it was hard for me to absorb those new bits of knowledge. In other words, I am not confident about this course. No detail was copied into my brain.

Besides those new technologies, I was expecting to hear something about how intelligent buildings would be improved, so that the negative effects from the building to the environment in the future would be decreased. But nothing was mentioned related to the future environment. This is a little bit different from what I thought about the intelligent building. Everything that I have learned from this course only benefits the people inside the building, but not outside of the building.

I am not a critic, and I do love this course, but, for personally, the course is a little bit hard to be patiently followed, and the project was too general to be focused. Hope these parts can be improved in future courses.

Comments:

Tsitsios: Yes, the BIM programs and the MS Access database were the most interesting and helpful things that we learned from this course. These can help us a lot for our future career.


Ren: You are right. The BIM model can simplify the engineers' lives, and there are many other BIM model programs in the business, which might be much more useful than the Revit in some specific categories. The database study will help us a lot for organizing. And, yes, to learn new knowledge from other professors is interesting and beneficial as well.

Laney Fries: Same, I am planning to study construction management in graduate school. The information from this course was a little be complex, but this should be similar to our future works, such as construction, operation, renovation, and demolition. I do agree that the BIM and the database study were the most important and interesting things we learned from this course. And, yes, to learn new knowledge from other professors is interesting and beneficial as well.

B6-Reflection to course AE410/510 Intelligent Building

Reflection to course AE410/510 Intelligent Building

As an Architectural Engineering student, I was been wondering all the time what does intelligent or digital building means. As a senior at Drexel, I am anxious for the year about where I should go for graduate school or what kind of job I am looking for. This course actually gave a really great basic guidance for digital building students like me. It introduced BIM software, like Revit, and database, like MS Access. It is really helpful for students who does not have any experience about these software. It is a chance for them to get one step into the BIM field and it is also a good start for using Revit and Access with a detailed guidance. For students who have used Revit, it is not as effective as those novice students. Though we learned a bit deeper in these software, I still think these course should be recommended to take once the concentration has decided. It will be a great introduction course for those digital concentration student, rather than being an isolated course that has students from different levels.

About the course, the content is great about the future of BIM, robotics, sensors, etc. A lot of materials are not being touched in other courses for Architectural engineering students. Focusing on future gives this course a really deep impression that also encourage students working in this field. The presentations that guest speakers provided are impressive and insightful especially for senior students like me. It really helps me to understand the current situation of the field and what direction it could go. For me, as an international students, I also thought a lot about the BIM trends overseas. It is interesting when I compare the current situation of BIM technology between America and other countries, which also helps me to find the future career directions.

Comment:

Kaptue, I totally agree with you that it is important to see if the cultures in the firm is moving forward or not. Being a new vital force to this industry, it is also our responsibility to help companies move forward and catch the pace of the technology.

Jenny, you have mentioned that possibilities are endless. It is true that we are responsible to ensure the safety when we develop the technology. It is great to see that you can apply these concepts to your career in a close future.

Sean, I agree with you that intelligent building still has a long way to go that the cost, poor coordination and low desire will be the challenge for developing the technology for intelligent buildings.

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.

B6: Course Reflection

One of the most important facets to remaining viable in a field driven by technology is the ability to react to changes in a dynamic field. Despite the fact that the AEC industry has typically been a slow-adopter of technology, it appears that these changes are coming and will drastically alter the way that design professionals approach their day to day work. Because of that, there is a pressing need for a prospective engineer to be aware of what could possibly be coming down the road in order to be well-equipped to take advantage of the opportunities that come with them.

This is where the AE 510 course stepped it. It had the ability of exposing me to new and old aspects of technology in the building industry, all the while projecting what the industry may look like in the future. Some of these technologies I was aware of, including BIM, the need interoperability in software and other aspects of design, and basic mechanism behind more novel methods of production such as 3D printing, sensor controls, and AI integration. Other aspects were new to me. The extent of robotics integration was especially jarring to see, as was the complexity of databases that controlled advanced BIM software. Admittedly, some topics felt at first glance as if they were overly ambitious and perhaps impractical. That said, knowing what research is currently focused on gives premontions for what may eventually become reality over the course of my career as cost and other hurdles are mitigated.

The benefit of this class was the variety that we saw, though there was a drawback in terms of the lack of depth in which we were able to explore certain topics. The variety was helpful in that it prepared us for the variety of careers that can come from an AE degree. Additionally, at this stage of my life I can not anticipate whether certain jobs or projects will require me to be conversational in some of these topics. It is useful to have a breadth of reference points for this purpose. The class also provided a springboard for looking at different research opportunities on your own. In my case, I was able to integrate faculty research into the topic of point cloud modeling to expedite modeling to structures using photogrammetry techniques. It fostered interest in different sensing technologies and the opportunities that exist with them. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it also reinforced the idea that each technology has with it limitations that must be accounted for in design and in the evaluation of any product. Such an idea will help to ground interactions with vendors and clients who may have separate agendas.

Sean,

I agree with your point about the guest lecturers. It was very enlightening to see how some of the concepts that we were learning about in class were actually being applied. I thought it was also interesting to note the pace of changes in certain areas, and how they differed across industries.

Christian,

I think your conclusion about the practicality of the course is a good one. I think the choice in not diving too deep into any subject left us in a spot where we knew enough to be aware of what was going on in terms of technology implementation in the construction industry, but not enough to apply it very well.

Matt,

Your mention of Kayleigh’s lecture was a common one throughout these blog responses. Her introduction to Dynamo was an eye opening one that left me thinking about how the traditional roles of engineers will be changing over the course of our careers. I think that equipping yourself with literacy in programming is a valuable tool that will help you be adaptable and able to take advantage of changes in the industry.

B6: Course Reflection

I have greatly enjoyed this course. It has been interesting to attend every class and learn something new about the AEC industry and how new technology will change it. The knowledge gained from this course has influenced my view of the AEC industry and has displayed to me its potential moving forward into the 10 to 20 years into the future.

In particular, I found the database assignment to be useful and relevant. I am glad that I have now created a basic database and have an understanding of the basic functionality of databases, which will be useful when communicating with individuals regarding databases in my career. It is also nice to have a simple understanding of how online services like Amazon and Spotify, organize and store their information. Prior to this class, I had not considered the role that databases have in the management of building information. From our discussions in class, building databases are a crucial part of intelligent building and allow for more effective monitoring of system statuses by cataloging sensor measurements and building information. Effective databases, sensors and automation system combinations improve system monitorability and allow building managers to prevent problems before in the system before the problems can occur.

The database assignment required the creation of a relatively simple database, but it still took a considerable amount of time, planning, and set up to execute properly. In class Professor Mitchell showed us the database for a simple Revit family; the number relationships required for that simple family was staggeringly high and probably contained about one hundred more relationships than our simple assignment. The complexity of large and applied databases to be extremely overwhelming and confusing, but it is interesting to know that hundreds of fields, tables, and interconnected relationships make up the framework for the data we make use of today in the digital age.

From BIM and Dynamo to databases and sensors, the topics discussed in this class have changed my view on what an intelligent building is. There are a lot of factors and considerations that need to be made and continued from early stages of design to construction and building management. Intelligent buildings are obviously favorable and possible, but cost, poor coordination, and low desire to change impede the progress of intelligent building construction.

For my term project, I developed a Dynamo script to convert rooms in a linked Revit file to spaces. While not a complex script, the project was still challenging. I am glad that I decided to complete a Dynamo project; I am excited to start co-op and begin looking for tasks assigned to me that could be automated.

I also greatly enjoyed the guest speakers for this class,  notably all of the Drexel AE alumni that came to speak to us. It was refreshing to have lectures from AE graduates to give us insight into the jobs possible for graduates from our program. I enjoyed learning about each presenter's current position in the industry and was surprised and excited to learn that a lot of the technologies we discussed in class are being used by firms in effective manners.

B6 Course Reflection

As other students have mentioned in their own course reflections, now is the time to reflect on what was learned and discussed in AE 410 and how I can take my knowledge and put it to good use in my future career. A common theme among some of the students is that this course was not what we had originally expected. As a mechanical engineering student, I really did not know what to expect out of an AE course. I can say now that I am extremely happy I participated in this class as I was exposed to material with which I would never normally have any experience.

When coming into this “Intelligent Buildings” course, I fully expected to be doing calculation work on buildings that compensate for earthquakes or on smart HVAC systems. I was pleasantly surprised and appreciative that this course took a more overview objective approach to intelligent building operations. I also really enjoyed the structure of the course that integrated guest speakers and allowed for group discussion among students.

In terms of an impact on my profession, I do not see myself using intelligent building course material directly in mechanical engineering. I am hoping to enter the world of automotive design, so intelligent buildings just don’t fit in there. At the same time, though, some parts of this course can be held close to heart when moving forward. For example, a big part of this course was the discussion of sensors and databases. Mechanical processes always incorporate some sort of sensor usage, so managing those sensors and logging large amounts of data in a database is very helpful for information management. In this course we also discussed the idea of robotics making its way into the active work force in building design and construction. As we know, robotic systems are used quite often in automotive manufacturing. At some point I will encounter work along side a robot, and I’m more open to that idea now that I’ve learned a bit about the nature or robotics in this course. 

Going forward in my career, I will be open to the idea of ever-changing technology, just as we’ve learned that the AEC industry is experiencing constant change in technology. I have a better sense of what is the industry “norm” and I have learned to understand why certain processes change over time. This course has prepared me to “think outside the box” when it comes to overall engineering purposes, and I’m glad I decided to take AE 410 this term. 

B6 - Course Reflection

As the term comes to an end, there are many things to reflect upon regarding this class. As a civil engineering major, I was a little intimidated going into this class. However, after a couple of weeks I realized that Dr. Mitchell does a great job explaining the different topics and takes it one step at a time. I thought this class was very thought-provoking, with a lot of discussions of not only what the future technology is, but the ethics behind it as well. It was interesting to ponder the future of augmented reality and its limitless potential. 

For the BIM and Database assignment, it was a great idea to have different submissions related to your experience in each topic. I was a complete beginner in these topics before AE 510 so the assignments for the novice tier were great introductory projects for me to work on Revit and Access. While they may have been "simpler" assignments than the experienced level ones, I still learned a ton and still had some challenges doing them, which I mentioned in the reflection papers. 

I found that the guest lecturers spoke with very relevant topics, and it was great to hear about the same principles Dr. Mitchell mentions during class from a different perspective. As someone who is always searching for more efficient methods of completing tasks, the topic of automation really resonated with me. I thought  about how drastically these technologies such as Dynamo could expedite certain processes. I believe there are always ways to improve a system, and this class showed me some of the technology people are creating to shift how the CAE industry works. 

My biggest takeaway of this class is that the type of technology I originally thought was decades away, or that was only true in science fiction movies is actually apparent today. We were shown lots of videos of robots, augmented reality and BIM implemented in today's world. It's crazy to think of how far this industry is advancing and the unique methods people are developing to benefit society. Overall, this class had very thought provoking assignments, was not too difficult as long as you put in the work, and inspired me to learn about new cutting-edge technologies.



Comments on others:


Robert Borelli

Your post was great to read, particularly as you are a computer engineering student. I agree with you that the assignments in this class were very informative and straight forward. Dr Mitchell really put the time in to this course to ensure we all had the proper resources to learn the content. When you mentioned your surprise with the use of software and databases in building designs, it really is funny how all fields of STEM work together.

Matt Mullen:

I agree and I wish we spent more time specifically exploring BIM and its capabilities in this class. A simple dynamo assignment (potentially as extra credit) would further my understanding of the subject and could be useful in the future for me if I never need to automate a process in Revit.

Alec Silverstone:

It's great that you still found value in this course even though you don't plan on directly using this information in the future. I agree that one of the overall takeaways of this course was to be aware of the ever-changing technologies and to search for innovative ways of completing tasks.

Course Reflection

As the term comes to a close, it is important to reflect on what was learned, what I got out of AE 510, and how I can apply the knowledge I gained to my future career. I think the experience I got from this course was through multiple avenues, but I should begin by saying that AE 510 was not exactly what I anticipated when I signed up for the course. At the beginning of the term, I assumed that with the title “Intelligent Buildings” the course would focus on what makes an intelligent building and the various components of an intelligent building that allow it to operate dynamically and intelligently, While perhaps more practical and applicable to my career, what we actually learned were various software packages and systems that are used within the AEC industry, in particular, BIM (Revit) and databases. This is not to say that I did not enjoy what was taught in the course, it just wasn’t necessarily what I anticipated based purely on the title.

With all of that being said I believe that AE 510 was extremely valuable as an aspiring structural engineer. In particular, I know for a fact that my upcoming co-op at EwingCole will require the use of Revit regularly. While not proficient by any stretch of the imagination, I certainly feel more comfortable with the software having used it a great deal throughout the term. Aside from the technical skills and experience, I feel as though the in class discussions regarding BIM, how it works, and how it can better be utilized in the future, will serve me greatly in the professional work environment, allowing me to pick up on new types of tasks and areas of Revit I would not necessarily know about if I didn’t take AE 510.

While I don’t anticipate regularly using a database in my immediate future, they are certainly a tool that is used within the AEC industry and beyond, one in which I now have a basic grasp on. Before taking this class, I believed a database to be no different than an excel spreadsheet--a place to put and organize data. I now recognize, through AE 510, that databases are powerful tools that allow the creation of extensive relationships between various types of data. And while I do not intend to focus on data manipulation in my career, I absolutely see the value in databases and can now talk about them intelligently, something I could not say before this class.

Overall, while not necessarily what I expected, I believe AE 510 is a class that introduced me to topics and provided me with exposure and practice in heavily utilized tools within the AEC industry. I hope to use the skills I learned on my upcoming co-op and beyond, as I begin my professional career path.

Comments:

Alec: I'm glad you went out on a limb and decided to take part in this course, even though it is outside your major. It seems as though you got a lot out of the class and that there may even be some layover with your interests in the automotive industry (sensors, specifically). Overall, I think it will definitely serve you well in the future, to know the basics of a fast moving industry that very well may have some overlap into your field as well.

Harvin: You bring up a good point about the guest lecturers, one which I forgot to even touch on. It was really great to hear from a wide range of industry experts and professionals about how what we're learning applies to the real world; that's not something you get in a lot of classes but it certainly makes what you're doing in class feel more "real".

Tyler: Similar to you, I also only had experience with AutoCAD before this class, so at first, BIM was very intimidating to me. That being said, going into this class, I knew that my co-op would utilize Revit so I was looking for a class that would help me gain experience, which is why I was happy to take part in this course. For that reason, I agree with you when you say that your favorite part of the term was the Revit project as it was nice to gain experience in such an important and powerful program.

Blog 6: Course Reflection

My understanding of this course was that it was a first step in future-proofing my career without spending too much time on overly speculative guesses. Through reading assignments and lectures I learned about the past and present of the AEC industry and the tools it uses. This established a base understanding for the course to build upon with realistic predictions of what the future might be. The projects in the class were key to solidifying my understanding of the material. I found that the main topics of the course that have stuck with me are databases, sensors, and automated design tools like Autodesk Dynamo.

Before taking this class, I was not fully aware of how the industry had undergone significant changes with the advent of computers and new software. I did not fully appreciate the differences between CAD programs like Autodesk Inventor and BIM programs like Autodesk Revit. Now that I understand how a BIM program works, I could better understand how up and coming programs like Autodesk Dynamo work. I can see myself using Dynamo in the future, which is partially why I chose to work with it for my class project. Working on the project taught me a lot about computer troubleshooting both within and outside of the Dynamo interface. I would like to have spent some time in class learning Dynamo since it was somewhat difficult to pick up on. Regardless, the class served as a valuable introduction to Dynamo.

I wasn’t as taken with databases, but I still see value in them as they are an essential part of many other topics in the class. As Dr. Mitchell told us, BIM is a database at heart, so understanding the structure of a database is essential to coding in programs like Dynamo. The database project helped me understand the structure of databases and good practices in creating them. Beyond BIM, I found the use of databases in conjunction with sensors to be an engaging topic. Databases are a key component to many of the other topics covered in this course and I believe that they will continue to become more important to the AEC industry.

Sensors and intelligent buildings were very interesting to me and I agree with Dr. Mitchell: they will gain traction in the AEC industry in the near future. I think I learned the most about the proper use of sensors in intelligent buildings from Travis Peyton’s lecture. The importance of proper building maintenance and how a well-designed building would be useless without it was a bit of a shock to me. His presentation had a lot of practical knowledge and was eye-opening. From what I learned in class, I believe that sensors will eventually be very important to proper maintenance of a building and could provide valuable data to which can be used to improve building design. I would have liked to learn more about programming controls that use this data to optimize building performance and diagnose building health, but I understand that would likely require a fair amount of prerequisite knowledge. Overall, I found that sensors were an engaging part of the course and what I learned about them will be useful to me.

Knowing how the industry you plan to be a part of might change in the future is essential to any professional. This course offered a good look into that future and gave me a chance to develop relevant skills.

Ren,

I agree that briefly using programs like Revit was a great part of this course. In my case, I have had a fair amount of experience with Revit, but I think it was useful to have a refresher on it to keep me from losing skills. This class is one of the few times we are exposed to a nearly ubiquitous software within our college education, so I am happy to see that you learned a lot about Revit from it. I was a bit less familiar with databases, particularly Access, so I learned a fair amount from that part of the course as well.

Alkiviadis Tsitsios,

You are right; a little more description on how BIM uses databases would have been helpful. I had learned about it mostly from what I read for one of the posts, but had trouble sorting through the huge amount of information presented to me. I see that as engineers who simply use the software, we might not have a chance to use that information, but I still would like to understand it nonetheless.

M Kaptue,

I agree; this course has done a great job of showing us firsthand how the AEC industry is changing. I’ve heard about some of what we covered in class before, but I did not realize that it was something that could potentially become common while we are still working. This class brought the nearness of the future in perspective for me. I am thankful that I was able to take a class like this because I now can see these changes and help to bring them about, making myself an asset to businesses.

Nick Maloney,

You bring up a great point that I had missed: that there is a limitation to every technology. I had looked at this class with optimism, but I was remiss to not understand that all these new technologies and the technology we use today is limited. Not to say that you are being pessimistic; I would argue that your view is realistic. I’m reminded of the poorly maintained buildings that Travis Peyton mentioned. These new technologies will have issues like the technology we have today. This brings me to what I’d like to add to your point: people will also have to be able to troubleshoot those problems with new technologies. I believe that is where what we learned in this class will be useful.