B6 Course Reflection

As a civil engineering student, this is the first AE class I took. I think this class is especially helpful as I am preparing for my professional career as an engineering in the future. The course focused on several great topics that are essential for the future of the industry.

            First and foremost, the beam technology is an essential skill set as I am preparing for being a design professional. Professor Mitchell guided us to understand the use of the beam is powerful and will be a key tool to use in the future. The Revit assignment allows us to learn the different prospects of the tool. The use of both Revit and AutoCAD in the future is a good mix and can assist must of the projects in our future career.

            Database as another critical topic for this class is also beneficial for me. As intelligent building becomes more and more usual for the industry, understand the database tools will help me in the future of the designs. MS access is a great tool I used in this class and I know there are more and more database software with special focus. The project on the database allows me to study and give me an introduction for these kinds of tools.

            The term project as the final assignment is a great way to explore more on the subjects taught from this class. It is great for us to choose the specific topic we are interested in. For me, I chose the intelligent building versus the green building. At the end of the term, we are allowed to share our own research on our subjects benefits the entire class to be more informative on different topics the class introduced.

            The guest speakers professor Mitchell invited to this class is knowledgeable and shared a lot of their knowledge and experiences. It is always good for us to get more informative not only from the class but also from the professionals.

            Overall, this is a class I was always hoping to take during my years at Drexel. It provided us with the understanding of the impact of the technologies that are likely to produce significant change during our professional career.

Comments:

Yicheng: Just like you, I also didn’t know how to build a model using Revit prior to this class. I believe AutoCAD and Revit are similar and they can assist one another in the future designs for the project.

Hailey: I agree with you that the guest speakers are helpful in this class. Most of them are just a little bit older than us and they understand our needs and questions on the industry and our future career. They provided us with lots of additional knowledge to the course materials.

Matt: You mentioned some good points on the video professor Mitchell showed during the class. I remember the Boston Dynamics the most. These robotics will leave their footprints to all of the fields in the upcoming years and I hope construction industry can also benefits from it.

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 - Course Reflection

Reflection on course AE 510.

From this course, I learned a lot about the most forefront technologies of the AEC industry. I learned the basic concepts and detailed information on BIM programs, AI applications, databases, sensors applications, etc. And learned the possibilities of these technologies in the future. With the help of Professor, I am able to predict a little bit of big direction of the future of the AEC industry.

As a novice of Revit, I learned how to use the basic function of Revit to build a simple house through the course practices. More important, it aroused my interest in learning BIM software again. As an architecture student before I came to Drexel, I always thought about learning Revit. But as it was not required by the studio and I did not have the wiser sight of the development of the architecture industry, I just delayed the learning again and again. But in this course, with the very detailed and interesting introduction of BIM as a whole system at the beginning of the course, I realized that I could not delay the learning anymore. And also, the instruction for Revit we used in this course is very clear and easy to follow. It removed the big pressure from learning new software by using plain explanation and simple project cases. Even though this course is just a start for me of learning Revit, it is an absolutely good start of learning new software.

I also enjoyed the database learning after the Revit section. Before, I thought Access is just similar to Excel and I have never used it. Through this course, I learned that the database is not only a form to store data but also a tool that can classify and analyze data. And thanks to the database project, I can use the basic function of Access now. I’m sure that with more practice and learning, databases including Access will help me a lot in data storage and analysis work in the future.

Besides learning new software, the biggest takeaway for me should be opening my eyes of the AEC industry and trigger my ambitions for the advanced technologies. I learned that the AEC industry is changing with technology development and all the practitioners need to keep up with the times to avoid being eliminated by their peers. With writing the blogs and reading other people’s blogs, I feel big peer pressure as most of our students are keeping up with the times and new technologies. At the same time, I also feel lucky that there are so many people whom I can learn from. In concluding, this course helps me a lot for my future learning and working.

B6 - Course Reflection

Throughout this course, there were very interesting topics brought up that, in some way, are relevant to either what many of us plan on doing or connected to what we’ve learned about so far at Drexel. I really enjoyed how many of these topics weren’t brought up or included in other classes but are still important to discuss as they are relevant to what we will be getting into with our careers. One thing about this class that I found to be the most useful was bringing in the guest lectures- I think this is something that’s often overlooked in many classes, but having people who do the things we talk about in the class for a living gives us the opportunity to see what they do (and what we can do) and ask questions if it’s something we also can see ourselves doing. I know we had quite a few guest lecturers come in, but I would have been happy to see more as well. I think they bring something unique and all have different points of view, and especially in a class where we have this floating idea of what the future of design/technology/etc. will bring, hearing other professional opinions on that topic was interesting.

One of the topics in this class that I found the most interesting was Revit and BIM. With his being the way most of the industry is moving, I think it’s very important that we get some sort of introduction to it. That being said, I wish there was a lot more time (in all honesty, a full course) that talks about Revit and adds in learning the idea of BIM even more. My co-ops have been a little bit different from most engineering co-ops as I have not had the opportunity to spend a lot of time in design programs like Revit or AutoCAD. I feel like this has held me at some sort of disadvantage when it comes to what many (and most) Civil Engineers are able to do. Having Professor Mitchell twice and him including the Revit introduction has helped me remember the program, but also continue to learn from it. I also think it was great to include the topic and an assignment on databases, because not everyone has the opportunity to learn about how useful they are. I’m currently taking a databases class because of my concentration, but because it is in the College of Computing and Informatics, it’s not geared as much towards engineering students and specifically how engineering students can utilize databases. Having this additional topic helped with my understanding of databases and how much they beneficial they are. I wasn’t expecting to get a lot out of the class, simply because it seemed like more of a “what could happen” continuous discussion, but the assignments, blog posts, and the guest lectures helped everything become more relevant and interesting. After graduation, I plan on working in construction management, which is another reason I wasn’t sure this class would help, but this class really tied in so many different subjects (including construction) and made me think just a little bit more about where the industry is going and how it will change going forward with all of this technology.

COMMENTS:

Maalik Kaptue – I totally agree that the sensors and robotics portion of the class was super interesting. That’s really what pulled together the topic of Intelligent Buildings with construction and engineering, which is one of the things that peaked my interest. I also had a co-op with the city, and after this class, I’m beginning to think a little bit more on how the future of technology will change how different sectors such as the Streets Department are run.

Hailey Ihlow – I also agree that the classroom setting was not conducive to how the course was set up to run. It’s unfortunate we ended up in the room, but I think the class was able to work the best it could given the environment. I also agree how this was a really nice change of pace from the other CIVE based classes – it’s nice to have it more discussion-based courses and especially for seniors, it provides more of an opportunity to consider everything that may happen in the future.

Jenny Fretta – I think it’s great that the different topics and assignments included in this class helped you in many ways, like senior design and your future career. The different subjects makes you think about how this fast-paced technology is changing our field so quickly and what’s the best job to get into that can still be around in a couple of years, as opposed to eventually being done through AI. This class also made it interesting to think more about what the future holds, which is fun.

B6 Course Reflection - Alkiviadis Tsitsios

AE 410, Intelligent buildings has been a very beneficial course to me. Because of technological advances, the building industry is changing. The purpose of the course was to help us understand how these technologies affect the future of our professional career. In terms of design, construction, operation, renovation, and demolition, AE 410 has helped teach the role of information technology in these aspects. Through the review and discussion of articles, many topics have been touched on. The class has reviewed how BIM affects all parties of a project, like owners, architects, engineers, and contractors. It allows you to communicate with all parties, and eases the access of shared information. Additionally, the class discussed BIM technology’s relation to other drafting programs, like AutoCAD. Not only did the class discuss BIM technology, it also discussed database software. In particular, its relation to BIM, and in design, was emphasized.

One of the goals of the course was to become proficient in Autodesk’s Revit. I believe that after this class, I am much more seasoned in the software. There were various assignments and tutorials that forced students to become accustomed to its uses. These tutorials and assignments allowed me to become more familiar with the software. Previously, I had glanced upon the software, and was slow at navigating it. Now I can make my way around, and I am aware of the locations and functions of many of the tools. Additionally, training was instilled for the Database software. Assignments regarding this were helpful. While the training in both softwares were helpful, I believe with slightly more tutorials, as well as some more tutorials on how to correlated BIM with Database software would have been helpful. Nevertheless, the knowledge that I have gained through the assignments and the class will be carried on with me through my career. My first real exposure to BIM and Database software has been through this class. As I progress in engineering, I can always come back to the information that I have gathered in this class for reference. The course has been helpful in understanding the conceptual reasoning behind the use of the software, as well as administering the software for technical use.

ROBERT BORRELLI
I agree that the course is not what I expected. I am glad that we discussed and trained in the softwares. Initially, I thought that it would be an informative course, littered with structural calculations and a buildings relation to technology. The class did emphasize a buildings relation to smart technology, but through demonstration, rather than lecture and speeches.

HANYAN CHEN
Before the course, I already understood that there existed “smart” technology. I did not understand that an entire building could actually be intelligent. Even through the final project, there have been many instances shown where a building could indeed be intelligent. Not only is there automation in manufacturing, and advancements in robotics, there are also advancements in building, and that is intelligent building.



MAALIK KAPTUE
I agree that this course is a lot different than most. Like you said, I am also used to courses which emphasize heavy calculations. It was refreshing to take a course where guest speakers were frequent, demonstrations were helpful, and the ability to be creative was emphasized

B6 Course Reflection

AE 410 is not quite what I expected when I signed up for it, but now that I have finished the course, I can say that I am happy I decided to take it. The main surprise is that I did not think that we would get into the technology that is used to design a building. As a computer engineering student, BIM and Revit were completely new to me. I was expecting the Revit assignment to take a long time, but professor Mitchell’s instructional videos made it very easy to learn the basics of Revit so that we could complete the assignment. Another thing that I was surprised to see in this course was the inclusion of databases. I have worked with databases in the past and have never thought about their importance in the design, construction and maintenance of a building. It was interesting to use Microsoft Access for the first time and see how different relationships between tables in a database could be helpful. I thought it was interesting how we spoke about how different technologies can be used in the architectural industry. Such as how sensors can be used to automate building processes, or how virtual and augmented reality can be used in the design and construction process to give a better visual representation of what the finished product can look like. Something I really enjoyed about this class is that we were able to choose the topic for a final project. I chose the dive into the use of AI in the architectural industry which is something that we barely touched on in class. This project gave me a glimpse of what the future holds for artificial intelligent’s role in the industry within the next 10 years. I also enjoyed getting a different perspective from all the guest speakers that we had. All of them worked in the AE industry but all played a different role which gave us a wide variety of perspectives to learn from. Overall, I thought going to class was an enjoyable experience and I have learned quite a bit considering I am not an AE major.