B7 - Blog Post Week 10 - Course Reflection, Mikaela Price

I decided to take this class originally as a requirement for my Digital Building Concentration.  When I decided to drop the concentration I figured this class would be interesting since I do have an interest in BIM.  Since this course was titled "Intelligent Buildings" and its description was, "An overview of the present and future role of Information Technology in the construction industry with emphasis on the computer tools used throughout the building life cycle by all stakeholders, primarily Building Information Modeling (BIM) and the role of networked-linked sensors and actuators" I there would be more technical aspects compared to conceptual.  Though it was a primarily conceptual class, I feel like a learned a lot about intelligent structures/buildings and was able to see it in a broader perspective.  

Prior to taking this class, I thought that the only profession I was interested in was to become a mechanical designer and an AE firm or consulting firm.  After learning about BIM and hearing from Kayleigh about her experience as a BIM coordinator, I considered this as a profession as well as a mechanical designer.  Even if I decide to only stick with being a mechanical designer, the knowledge from this class will help in the workplace, especially if the firm does not have a BIM coordinator.  I look forward to using what I've leaned in this class in the future.

B5- Group B: Papadourakis (SQL)

What is SQL & why is it important?

SQL was developed in the early 1970’s by two computer scientists named Donald Chamberlin and Raymond Boyce. Today it is known as the standard language for relational data query, and can be used to manage data held in relational database management systems. One of the most popular database systems that uses SQL is Oracle.

The acronym SQL stands for “Structured Query Language.”  People use SQL to update and retrieve data on a database through a series of commands. Simple functions allow users to be able to insert, select, and track elements. In a code using SQL one will see ample use of features such as operators and conditional statements.

One of the topics covered in this course was the concept of interoperability. Although the uses for SQL have grown since it became a standard programming language in 1986, it still lacks portability and needs to be adjusted when you switch database systems. This is due to the existence of proprietary applications that are unique to different databases.

SQL is incredibly important because it is the international standard for data manipulation. Without it accessing information in large databases would be both more difficult and tedious.

References:

Beal, Vangie. "SQL - Structured Query Language." What Is Structured Query Language (SQL)? Webopedia, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

Rouse, Margaret. "SQL (Structured Query Language)." What Is ? TechType, 2015. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

"What Is SQL?" SQLCourse. ITBusinessEdge, 2015. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

Responses:

Mikaela Price: I like that you brought up the notion that SQL is “antiquated.” I mention interoperability in my post and it goes right in hand with the large tables you reference that make the code difficult to transport between systems.

Dmitriy Voznyak: Good call taking the time to explain the four types of database management systems. After doing research on SQL I was familiar with the names but not of their different uses. Your post helped clarify.

Young Kwang Lee: You mentioned that even by using a search engine you are inadvertently using SQL. I was thinking the same thing when I was using “and” and “or” functions while searching the library catalog for articles on SQL.

B5 - Week 6 Blog Post - Group B, Price

What is SQL and Why is it Important?

SQL stands for Structured Query Language and is a computer language used to create, modify, and retrieve and manipulate data from relational database management systems.  It is used by most large scale databases to facilitate user and administrator interactions.  Many computer programs need to store and retrieve data.  Instead of implementing their own system of storing and retrieving the data, SQL systems can be used.

SQL works similarly to how an excel spreadsheet is set up; it looks at data in terms of tables.  Within these tables, SQL allows the user to place data, read data, change data, and remove data from these tables.  SQL also allows for the interaction of several tables at a time to manage data.  Some modern programmers find this approach to be antiquated because “SQL only knows tables, and every operation produces tables. It either "produces" a table by modifying an existing one, or it returns a new temporary table as your data set.” This can pose problems with many programs today that utilize object-oriented programming that focus on nested objects and parent-child relationship coding techniques.  However, since SQL only provides basic framework, programmers have learned to adapt and change their programs to incorporate all of SQL’s various functions.

SQL is important because it is the most popular language for defining relational database models, which have been the standard in the data industry for roughly the past four decades. Relational databases, as opposed to hierarchical databases, are composed of tables for which the creator explicitly defines the links or relationships. For hierarchical databases, every segment is already implicitly defined in a hierarchical path. The main advantage of relational databases is that they do not limit the user to a strict hierarchy of data and allow the programmer more liberty in regards to defining how the information is joined. As a result, they are more desirable in instances that demand flexible data structures. It is also relatively simple to edit and manipulate those structures. 

Just like Young, I don't have much experience with databases, but I did learn about them in INFO 210 last term.  The experience I had was understanding how to create a table with attributes and entities for a certain type of database, which is what we had to do for a project in the INFO class.

As Dmitry stated in his blog, SQL is an extremely important tool for large companies because it allows them to easily manage large quantities of information virtually.  For instance, Nike has a lot of users that use their Nike+ program.  If they were to sign up on paper and have to send it in, the company would have a difficult time managing all the information.  Not only does it make it easier to manage, but it also makes it easier to update the program/app based on end user needs and interests.  

References:

Chapman, Daniel R. "What Is SQL and Why It Is Important?" Ezine Articles, 28 Feb. 2012. Web. 09 Feb. 2015.

Chapple, Mike. "Structured Query Language (SQL)." About.com Databases. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2015.

B4 - Week 5 Blog Post - Group B, Price

Intelligent vs. Green Buildings

For our project, we decided to do a comparison between intelligent and green buildings and whether or not it needs to fall into one category to be in the other.  This topic was chosen because both my partner and I found it very interesting and it really requires you to look in depth at the actual meaning of green and intelligent buildings.  The green building process puts its focus into making the project sustainable and not creating a large carbon footprint.  The intelligent building process is mostly focused on being efficient in the early design stages.  This can also be incorporated into the green building early stages, where they seem to differ is the end product.  While green building has an end product that is sustainable, intelligent building is more open ended and can just be very efficient for a certain set of tasks.  Most of the time these tasks incorporate being green and LEED certification but are not limited to a “green” end product and is much more open ended.  Some challenges that will be presented throughout this research is trying not to be very vague or broad about the subject matter.  Research will be conducted in order to find projects that employ intelligent building technologies, but do not in conventional “green” ways such as sensors for lighting/hvac controls.  The overall product of each procedure will be discussed, focusing on the benefits of applying both intelligent and green building processes.  Potentially we could look into two different buildings and see how they differ and/or are similar with one another.  

Comments:

To Dmitry - I like the idea of using this class to assist your team in your senior design project.  Not only will it make your project stand out when you present it in the end, but it will also allow you to explore the programs and add it to your skill-set in the future.

B3 - Week 4 Blog Post - Group B, Price

What are the current problems with Revit/BIM?

In the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, there is a lot of collaboration that needs to occur.  Before any kind of computer program existed, architects were drafting out plans and engineers were performing hand calculations for the systems that they were implementing.  Once AutoCAD was introduced, the drafting process started becoming a little easier, but you were only able to create 2-dimensional plans.  With the introduction of Revit, you were able to look at the building in a 3-dimensional perspective and plan out where exactly internal systems were running, which lead to the use of BIM technology.

A big issue with the introduction of these computer programs is that the older employees at firms needed to almost rewire their brain to understand how to do everything virtually rather than on paper.  Even though I started school in 2010, the AE curriculum requires us to have a basic understanding of how to look at plans and how to hand-draw them as well as perform hand calculations.  Along with that, some students are introduced to using Revit either in class or on co-op.  While working at a co-op that was starting to primarily use Revit instead of AutoCAD, there were people that specialized in Revit that all engineers would go to for help.  These “draftsmen” were the ones that acted as BIM coordinators on projects that required it.  Even though there are people that specialized in Revit/BIM, it presents an issue to where not everyone is on the same level of understanding the programs. 

Another issue is interoperability.  This is because Autodesk is always coming out with a new version of their programs every year.  Even though you can bring a project from 2013 to 2014, you’re not able to go backwards, which if you accidentally convert it and save then you’re project is pretty much gone if everyone else only has the 2013 version.  Along with interoperability, cost is a big issue.  Let’s say the architects are able to afford to update the program every year, but the engineers are not.  One license is fairly expensive and to spend that amount for a 30 person company becomes very costly, especially if you upgrade every year.

B2 - Week 3 Blog Post - Group B, Price

Chapter 3: Interoperability

Interoperability allows both architects and engineers to simultaneously work on a single project at one time.  Just as Dmitry stated in his post, before companies would not share any of their codes.  Now these companies are realizing how important it is for coordination and there are companies that are trying to standardize the data for interoperability.  This is important because all of the systems within a building need to work together in order for it to work.  The structural system, architectural system, HVAC system, electrical system, etc. must all be working in unison in order for a building to be functional and safe.

Interoperability exists in BIM products today, but is limited because not all programs are compatible with one another.  A big issue with these programs today is version compatibility.  Due to software upgrades continuously being released, linking several applications together can prove challenging if one piece is out-of-date.  Problems also arrive if a project has several consultants.  If these consultants do not have the same version as one another, data exchange becomes difficult.

Reference:

Eastman, C. BIM Handbook: A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Engineers and Contractors. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, 2011.

Blog Post - Week 2 - Group B

What are the areas of construction most susceptible to change?

We believe the fabrication of parts and small structures is most susceptible to change in terms of being able to prefabricate offsite using 3D printers. Small structures such as simple single story homes and disaster relief shelters could be rapidly produce at a significantly low cost.

We also think that robots could be capable of solving problems and performing tasks that arise on site which would otherwise put humans in direct danger. We feel that at this point robots are not reliable enough to perform non-repetitive tasks. On a construction sites, there are an incredible amount of variables that could arise that robots might not be ready or programmed to handle. Simple repetitive tasks like removing debris (potentially dangerous) and simple heavy lifting are a few things we feel they could be assigned.

B1 - Group B - Price

BIM

When I see the term BIM, the first thing that comes to mind is a “smart” building and the idea of indoor positioning technology definitely falls into that category.  Indoor positioning is a fast-evolving technology that is allows retailers to track shoppers’ movements while in the store.  This can be done by video cameras, sound waves, or even magnetic fields, but the most widely used method is intercepting Wi-Fi signals emitted by shoppers’ smartphones.  This system has been tested in multiple stores, but is still complex that it has yet to be fully adopted.  Just like in Young’s post, I agree that this system will be big in the future and it will definitely give retailers the capability to rival online shopping.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/520811/stores-sniff-out-smartphones-to-follow-shoppers/

3D Printing

The idea of 3D Printing has come a long way since I was introduced to it in my freshmen engineering class here at Drexel.  Typically, when I think about what people use a 3D printer for, it’s to make a prototype or even the final version of a smaller scale project that they are working on, but now people are using these printers to make clothes.

This article talks about the process that the design company Nervous System had to go through to create a 3D printed dress that is able move and sway like real fabric.  The dress is designed using a system called Kinematics, which combines origami techniques with innovative advances to 3D printing.  The dress starts out as a 3D model in a CAD program and is then broken down into different sized triangular segments that are hinged together to create one shape.  Nervous System started out by creating bracelets with flat plastic pieces that were printed in under an hour and able to fold like origami, which led them to believe they could apply the same process to making garments.  Since dresses are larger than bracelets, the dress would fold to accommodate the size of the 3D printer.  Nervous System now wants to improve the speed and look in to adding new mechanisms and structures that could be used to simulate different materials. 

http://www.wired.com/2014/12/dress-made-3-d-printed-plastic-flows-like-fabric/

Structures

Structures are all around us and become more advance as time goes on.  Though in some places, there were structures that seemed advanced for the time it was constructed.  Just like Rikki stated in her post, there are many examples of interesting structures around the world using advanced types of building technology.  For example, Parc Guell in Barcelona was designed by Gaudi and his vision was to have the park's structure to look like it was originally part of the land.  Structures don't always have to be created and modern looked, but can also be incorporated into the existing land.  I think that this is a very interesting way to build a structure and though it may not be able to be adapted into a city like Philadelphia, but there are some places that it may work with.

This picture is from my trip to Barcelona, where I walked around Parc Guell.  

Future

We’re all curious about “what the future holds” in terms of robots.  There are current consumer products that are robots that some people use in their households.  This article discussed ten different products that make doing household chores easier, such as cleaning a litter box or even cleaning the grill.  If these types of products are already on the market and are here to make your average day a little easier, in 20 years they could only improve.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/25/garden/10-home-robots-to-lighten-your-domestic-chores.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

Group B - Intelligent Building Definition

Integrating technologies into buildings from start to finish to make them: more efficient, self-sustaining, programmable and have direct/indirect human interaction.

Group B - Wk 1 - Discussion 1

Drone Video Discussion

Relevant to Intelligent Building in the sense that you are watching programmed technology construct a building with materials proportional to the size of the drones.  This proves that intelligent building technology like this is possible for the future.

Questions about Video:

• What were bricks made of?
• How did the drones pick up the drones?
• What were the purpose of the white painted lines?

Future Uses

• Ability to pick up heavier materials.
• Could eliminate use of cranes.
• Could be applied for Cargo ships for loading and unloading. 

Post 1: About Me - Mikaela Price

My name is Mikaela Price, senior, majoring in architectural engineering major with an HVAC concentration.  My background related to intelligent buildings is that I've worked with Revit while on co-op, as well as in classes here at Drexel.  While taking this class, I expect to expand my knowledge on this subject and apply it in the work field.  The first thought that came to mind when I saw, "Intelligent Building" was the idea of a "smart" building that was self-sustaining.

Dummy Post to add Names

I had to add this post in order to make Labels for all your names (technical limitation).  Please ignore it.