B7: Course Reflection

     At first, I was totally confused at the term “Intelligent Building”. By reading articles about various topics and speeches given by different guest speakers, I got a clearer idea. In my opinion, this course is based on self-learning and discussion. Most new, unfamiliar words are explained in reading materials. Furthermore, discussions in class gave us an opportunity to communicate with each other to exchange different points of view. Guest speakers also made great contribution to this course so I really appreciate their well preparation.

     We covered five major topics: future, BIM, project, database and sensor. Each of them is somehow related to intelligent building as well as a component of intelligent building. We are concerned about future so the first topic came up with some possibilities we may encounter in the following years.  It is an advantage realizing building construction around us is changing enormously. Building Information Modeling is kind of a skill we should know well in order to fit in this market. Individual project offered a chance for us to think about a project from why, what and how. Database management is another crucial technical ability extensively applied in most industries, including engineering. Last but not least, intelligent buildings rely on sensors extremely. Any measurements or auto-controls are impossible without sensor.

     Two software used in this course are Revit and MS Access. I was a green hand on Revit even after taking this course. I think it is sort of a repetition because in AE 390 we did the similar thing. However, this is my first time getting in touch with MS Access. With the help of tutorial, I learned how to create a simple database, classify information and restore them ingeniously. I feel delight through imitating the example learning something.

     I did not decide my future yet so to be honest, I don’t know how much this course will influent my career. At least, I am convinced of traditional construction technology is on a large scale replaced by modern method. In a near future, something unimaginable could be used in creating, constructing, managing and controlling buildings. We have to pursue self-enhancement all the time.


Comments:

Young Kwang Lee – I have the same feeling as yours at the beginning of this course. I felt like at loss and didn’t know where to start. Although this is not my first time using Revit, I still think I am totally a novice because being an expert is a long way to go for me. However, it looks like a necessary skill so I will probably keep practicing on it.

Abdulghani Albaloushi – I really like Microsoft Access after knowing the basic function and operation. It is a roomy field I can explore since database management will become more and more important in future.

Ami Amegan – Thank you for sharing your experience to us about the relationship between curriculum and co-op. That might be most students concern. You answered some questions of mine. I’m really glad I read your blog today.