B4: Week 5 - Group B, Lee

Topic: Project

I chose to do a Revit project where I go through tutorials and learn many of features Revit is capable of doing because I wanted to become familiar with the software. As a beginner, I look forward to exploring many features Revit allows users to apply in building modeling. I have had experience with HVAC but only limited to AutoCAD. As a result, I think Revit provides an excellent means of service to AEC industry where it will be critical in leading the companies to employ Intelligent Building more. I want to gain more knowledge in Revit so that I will be more equipped when looking for jobs in this field. Thus, I am motivated to get most out of this project. The challenges I will face during this project are time-consuming research on Revit features and tutorials from old versions. Researching on features of Revit will be laborious as the software has countless features and tools available for different uses. I would have to decide how much I would like to learn and choose several critical features only. In addition, many tutorials I find online are using old versions of Revit. Because of slight differences in interface and tools, I need to find the appropriate features of Revit 2015, which is the software I will be using. Nevertheless, these challenges are certainly achievable and I will be able to overcome these challenges as I get more familiar with Revit throughout the project. 

Comments:
Ilana Ritvalsky
Ilana's project is a research paper on technologies that allow buildings to adapt to different climate changes. It is certainly an interesting aspect of intelligent building. Currently, HVAC and energy efficiency are affected by how building loads vary due to climate changes; however, Ilana will be focusing on how the building's architecture will adapt to the weather changes and that is a very interesting topic. I look forward to seeing what she finds out for this research paper. 

Dmitriy Voznyak
Dmitriy will be using his senior design project to explore how BIM can be incorporated to further advance the design. His project involves working with real world engineers, which is a great way to practice what we learn in school. By seeking what other ways the existing buildings in Philadelphia can benefit from the use of BIM technology, his team is taking important steps as engineers. I would like to see how they use BIM techniques in their project so that I can learn what are good uses of the technology. 

Taylor Castonguay
Taylor's team will look into the uses of 3-D printing with building materials such as concrete. The 3-D printing technology is certainly getting more attention these days as more engineers are looking into utilizing its potential further. According to Taylor, there have been cases where houses are made out of entirely 3-D printed concrete. I am interested in how efficient it is to use 3-D printing for building homes and whether these buildings are as stable and sturdy as the traditional method of construction.