Blog 4 - Jaden's Voice ASD Community Center

Anthony Yau

AE 510 – BIM with Senior Design

Blog 4 – Project Description

Group Members: Angelina Castro, Justin Hileman, and Dmitriy Voznyak

February 3 2015

Our Intelligent Building project, which we’ve decided to combine with our senior design course, is a collaborative between us and a non-profit organization called Jaden’s Voice, in order to develop the multiple systems of a community center designed to accommodate families with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). People who have ASD react differently to their surroundings in comparison to those who do not have the disorder, which makes this building very unique in design. Each system will need to be designed to mitigate sensory overload and make the building as comfortable as possible for children with ASD.

This project was chosen in order to develop our skills using Revit and other related software and also to enhance the conceptual design and construction documents that we will be presenting to the client over the next few weeks. This project is a core example of intelligent building because it utilizes all the advantages of building information modeling: drafting system components in three dimensions and monitoring design/construction progress through cost analysis and project schedules.

Through Revit, we will design the structural systems (foundation walls, footings, beams and columns) by combining the software with a structural analysis tool called Robot Structural Analysis Professional. HVAC systems that produce low ambient noise (such as CAV or VAV) will be designed in Revit to meet heating and cooling load demands while reducing possibility of sensory overload. Building performance based on different façade types and HVAC systems will be evaluated using AutoCAD MEP and Revit. Therefore, interoperability between Revit and other Autodesk software is emphasized in this project. Finally, a 4D construction video simulation (3D construction of components combined with time scheduling) will be considered to demonstrate how the systems will be built and visualize each sequence of the construction schedule.

The challenges that we face are mostly due to inexperience with any of the software mentioned above. I have barely used Revit and the structural analysis software provided by Autodesk, which makes it difficult to design the building to the exact way we want it to be. Interoperability is also another issue – how will we incorporate the calculations from the other software into Revit to size equipment and structural members? Will importing our BIM model into AutoCAD MEP lead to any software bugs? These are issues we will be working on in the next few weeks to produce a safe and welcoming structure for the staff of Jaden’s Voice and its visitors.

Response to Taylor Castonguay:

I think it's cool that we can now 3-D print concrete, which is a construction material that is susceptible to hardening too fast before being molded into shape. While I am aware of the benefits of 3-D printing concrete to form building components, I would be very interested to know whether or not 3-D printing has a negative impact on the structural integrity of the concrete when compared to conventional fabrication methods. For example, in the figure you presented, the concrete is printed in layers, which could (I'm just making things up) be failure planes when subjected to loads.

Response to Jinhao Liang:

Your project is very ambitious and is something I look forward to reading at the end of the term. Integrating sustainable design with intelligent building is the best way to approach green infrastructure. With parametric modeling software such as those provided by Autodesk, the amount of energy saved due to efficient HVAC and lighting systems can be simulated and altered. More building owners need to stop thinking about acquiring LEED certification and focus more on designing their buildings to be sustainable and integrated with nature.

Response to Jonathan Liu:

I think your project is going to be super funzies since the building you're going to model has a gigantic cantilever, and everyone knows that cantilevers are what make buildings awesome! I am eager to see how you conduct the structural analysis of the cantilever and to read up on how the members hold up the structure. HVAC analysis will be cool to see too since the building envelope is made of mostly glass - that'll be fun to model in Revit :)