When signing up for Intelligent
Buildings, my first thought was that I would learn more about BIM and sensors
and how they interact. I thought we would talk about databases and how they can
vastly improve how a business stores their data. As a Digital Building major I
had hoped that this course was one in which I would learn a lot more about how
to use each of them effectively in the real world. At that point in time, I had
taken 2 database courses and hardly worked with actual database software, I had
taken a few courses that touch on BIM but they were mostly the other courses in
the AE department that just have one assignment in Revit. I had learned how to
use BIM and setup databases mostly in my co-ops and not in classes.
After taking the course, I feel a bit
let down by the lack of meaningful use of BIM and databases. I learned a lot
about how they are used and the potential uses of them in the future. I learned
a lot from the guest speakers who taught about the real world and how systems
are used today. I also learned a good amount of the futurology of the construction
industry and it could become much more efficient if basic AI or robotics were
incorporated. However, I feel like the blog posts were somewhat tedious and the
term project was essentially a longer blog post. I did like the two assignments
that dealt with BIM and databases, if the term were split between learning more
about those two subjects I feel that it would have been more effective.
Professor Mitchell often wondered why the class seemed less than interested in
the subject that he was teaching. An honest answer to that would probably be
that it was due to a mix of the class being 3 hours at dinner time and also
that a lot of the subjects were not directly relevant to what we will be working
on in our careers. In my opinion, this course would be best taken either
earlier in an AE major’s curriculum so that databases and BIM can be introduced
from the start, or if the course curriculum focuses more on BIM and databases
in the workplace.
