My group is studying daylighting technologies in intelligent building for the final project. Daylighting is one feature of design that has a large impact on occupant productivity, energy efficiency, and aesthetics. We plan to study lighting sensors, smart glass windows, and passive daylighting techniques as three types of daylight harvesting strategies. Our project will also look into the energy usage of these three topics to compare their efficiency and common applications. My group was interested in researching the future advancements of daylighting, especially sensors and controls. I think this topic will be helpful for my senior design project as well. My team is working on designs to retrofit a historic warehouse to become a middle school. We want to incorporate the large existing windows of the warehouse into the overall lighting design in order to enhance the classroom environment and student productivity.
This research paper will be challenging in that the technology is only as beneficial as the occupants allow. Manual overrides that are not reset could potentially reverse the annual electricity savings. It will also be challenging to narrow our research since it is a broad topic and widely adopted in new construction.
This topic is tied to intelligent building because it is one aspect of adaptive technology. Lighting sensors read ambient light levels and will adjust the intensity of interior fixtures in response to the outdoor conditions. This control sequence depends on location, building orientation, and type of space. The photosensors adjust the electric lighting in the space based on the intensity of available daylight through building fenestration. The most advanced types of systems are connected to dimming switches, which will regulate the amount of electric powered lighting throughout the day. These systems are generally more difficult to install and more costly because of the additional sensors and integration with the building automation system.
All three daylight harvesting systems that we chose could be used together. Dimming systems will work the best in spaces with skylights, clerestory windows, light tubes, or glass curtain walls. Since these sensors and calibration have a high initial cost, they are most common in open commercial spaces like lobbies, open office spaces, schools, and malls. Passive lighting is nothing new to the building design industry, but adaptive technologies have found ways to take advantage of the variations in lighting levels throughout the day. Photosensors are now a common characteristic in new construction projects for occupant productivity and increased energy savings compared to the baseline model.
Reference:
http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/daylighting/rp_simplifiedconcepts.asp
Comments:
Cathlene,
Very interesting topic - even though there is still a lot of research and testing to be done, this type of 3D printing could transform building design and construction. I am a bit skeptical that we will see this applied in the near future because of the two issues of buildability and flowability like you mentioned. It is a really interesting concept but there are still huge developments to be made before we see this applied at such a large scale as a building envelope. I think architectural firms will be the
most eager to adopt this technology for modeling complex forms and curved facades. This type of advancement will also call for a new skill set in the structural engineering field, since designers will need advanced software to model stresses around the built-in openings for duct mains, conduit, and piping.
Maq,
Sounds like a great project - it will be extremely helpful to have a 3D model that your group can develop throughout the term for section views and refer to for schedules. You may be able to link the AutoCAD plans to your Revit model through the Manage Links tab. That might help you match the existing floor plans which you can place on the demolition phase, and all new mechanical and structural systems can be on a separate new construction phase. Even though the central model and local files are not available here, having a 3D model will help your team visualize any coordination issues.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
B4 - 3D Printed Concrete Properties - Farnelli
I have decided to investigate the mix design and structural properties of the various methods of 3D printing concrete. I chose this topic because I was intrigued by the shapes that can be made by this process but wondered if the pieces would have only architectural value. If the printed members can or will be able to in the future be a part of the structural system of a building, the ability to use the process in Intelligent Building practices would expand greatly. If the process can form members of suitable strength, it would be possible to sketch shapes in a BIM program and have them printed. The 3D shapes are simply sliced into layers and the filled area of each layer is communicated to the printer. Spaces could be left open for utilities to pass through, which could prevent further costs for drilling into the members later, etc.
In the past, the systems available for forming concrete are formwork (either cast-in-place or factory fabricated), "self-compacting" (which uses superplasticizers and still requires vibration), and sprayed concrete (which requires a backing material). 3D printed concrete would be able to be made without vibration or any sort of formwork or backing, which could reduce costs. However, this has not necessarily made it immediately the best option.
The major problem with this investigation is that the process still varies quite a bit, with some forms of 3D Printing using direct extrusion and others using sprayed powders. In extrusion, the most important properties for the wet concrete are the "flowability," the ability of the concrete to be pushed through the printer and form consistent filaments, and "buildability," which is required so that the mix will be rigid enough to stay in the planes and not sag while also being able to bond to the layers above.
For the sprayed powder process, the geometry may be better defined, as the layers would be much thinner. It surprised me that this type is so much less explored, but this may be because it can be considered too closely related to shotcrete. In addition, it is difficult to ensure that the water is incorporated in the powder, especially if a low water content mix is wanted.
Another complication is that 3D printed concrete is an anisotropic material because of the way it is made. Bonding between any extruded tubes and between layers has a great effect on the cured properties of the concrete. This bonding variability can increase based on the time required for formation, so larger pieces are very likely to have poor performance in shear along these planes or in tension pulling planes apart.
These points will be the major discussions to be addressed in my paper, along with the results of current testing and the future outlook for when and how 3D printing could form suitable structural concrete members. For example, I have yet to find any references to experimenting with any reinforcement other than small fiber reinforcement, and was wondering if there is any research into how a printer could perhaps print around larger reinforcement.
Sources:
Feng, Peng, Xinmiao Menga, Jian-Fei Chenb, and Lieping Yea. "Mechanical Properties of Structures 3D Printed with Cementitious Powders." Construction and Building Material 93 (2015): 486-97. Science Direct. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095006181500690X>.
Le, T. T., S. A. Austin, S. Lim, R. A. Buswell, A. G. F Gibb, and T. Thorpe. "Mix Design and Fresh Properties for High-performance Printing Concrete." Materials and Structures 45.8 (2012): 1221-232. Springer Link. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. <http://link.springer.com/article/10.1617/s11527-012-9828-z>.
Le, T. T., S. A. Austin, S. Lim, R. A. Buswell, R. Law, A. G. F Gibb, and T. Thorpe. "Hardened Properties of High-performance Printing Concrete." Cement and Concrete Research 42.3 (March 2012): 558-66. Science Direct. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0008884611003255>.
Williams, Adam. "Berkeley Researchers Pioneer New Powder-based Concrete 3D Printing Technique." Gizmag. Gizmag, 12 Mar. 2015. Web. 29 Jan. 2016. <http://www.gizmag.com/berkeley-researchers-pioneer-powder-based-concrete-3d-printing/36515/>.
Edit:
Comments on Danielle Schroder and Kai Waechter's posts.
In the past, the systems available for forming concrete are formwork (either cast-in-place or factory fabricated), "self-compacting" (which uses superplasticizers and still requires vibration), and sprayed concrete (which requires a backing material). 3D printed concrete would be able to be made without vibration or any sort of formwork or backing, which could reduce costs. However, this has not necessarily made it immediately the best option.
The major problem with this investigation is that the process still varies quite a bit, with some forms of 3D Printing using direct extrusion and others using sprayed powders. In extrusion, the most important properties for the wet concrete are the "flowability," the ability of the concrete to be pushed through the printer and form consistent filaments, and "buildability," which is required so that the mix will be rigid enough to stay in the planes and not sag while also being able to bond to the layers above.
For the sprayed powder process, the geometry may be better defined, as the layers would be much thinner. It surprised me that this type is so much less explored, but this may be because it can be considered too closely related to shotcrete. In addition, it is difficult to ensure that the water is incorporated in the powder, especially if a low water content mix is wanted.
Another complication is that 3D printed concrete is an anisotropic material because of the way it is made. Bonding between any extruded tubes and between layers has a great effect on the cured properties of the concrete. This bonding variability can increase based on the time required for formation, so larger pieces are very likely to have poor performance in shear along these planes or in tension pulling planes apart.
These points will be the major discussions to be addressed in my paper, along with the results of current testing and the future outlook for when and how 3D printing could form suitable structural concrete members. For example, I have yet to find any references to experimenting with any reinforcement other than small fiber reinforcement, and was wondering if there is any research into how a printer could perhaps print around larger reinforcement.
Sources:
Feng, Peng, Xinmiao Menga, Jian-Fei Chenb, and Lieping Yea. "Mechanical Properties of Structures 3D Printed with Cementitious Powders." Construction and Building Material 93 (2015): 486-97. Science Direct. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095006181500690X>.
Le, T. T., S. A. Austin, S. Lim, R. A. Buswell, A. G. F Gibb, and T. Thorpe. "Mix Design and Fresh Properties for High-performance Printing Concrete." Materials and Structures 45.8 (2012): 1221-232. Springer Link. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. <http://link.springer.com/article/10.1617/s11527-012-9828-z>.
Le, T. T., S. A. Austin, S. Lim, R. A. Buswell, R. Law, A. G. F Gibb, and T. Thorpe. "Hardened Properties of High-performance Printing Concrete." Cement and Concrete Research 42.3 (March 2012): 558-66. Science Direct. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0008884611003255>.
Williams, Adam. "Berkeley Researchers Pioneer New Powder-based Concrete 3D Printing Technique." Gizmag. Gizmag, 12 Mar. 2015. Web. 29 Jan. 2016. <http://www.gizmag.com/berkeley-researchers-pioneer-powder-based-concrete-3d-printing/36515/>.
Edit:
Comments on Danielle Schroder and Kai Waechter's posts.
B4: Group D – Kate Flint
For the term project our group chose to
research Daylighting Technologies in
Intelligent Buildings. Each group member will choose a different technology and research
case studies in which that technology was implemented in a building. Each
person will also explain the details of how each technology works and compare
it to the other two. We will also explain the possibility for future advancements
within daylighting technologies. We would also like to explore how energy use
compares from the new technologies to older lighting technologies. Our project
will also include how training and maintenance affect the energy efficiency of
a building. Personally, I will be researching lighting sensors and how they
interact with the Building Automation System (BAS).
Specifically I will look at examples of daylight
harvesting strategies. One of the technologies considered is an ambient light sensor to optimize lighting levels throughout the
day. These sensors can be linked to the BAS system and monitored to collect
user data over the life of the building. We may also look into how the
orientation of a building impacts the daylighting, and how important it is to
avoid direct sunrays. As mentioned for the BAS system, sensors in a building
can be very helpful in monitoring occupant movement and comfort
I
chose this topic because I took AE 340 Architectural Illumination &
Electrical Systems last term and found it very interesting. Several of the
topics covered in that class relate to intelligent buildings and artificial
intelligence being integrated into building design. The class covered some
current buildings with highly advanced lighting systems. One homeowner had a
lighting/security system he controlled from an iPhone app that gave him full
control and versatility of his home lighting. The system was also able to cut
his energy bill by setting timers on lights and using motion sensors.
The
main challenge I foresee for this project would be in deciding what to include
in the final report. The outline we submitted this week narrows down the “Daylighting Technologies” category, but as we research we will need to
decide how in depth we want to go with each technology. All of the technologies
we are considering are well developed and available to the public for
residential and commercial building use.
Mohammed,
I think you have a great
project idea, and it looks like you have your work cut out for you. It sounds
like you have created a very comprehensive plan from analyzing the structure to
creating a new HVAC system. It is also a great idea to utilize the Revit
schedules for the estimating process, which can be very tedious. Last year I
attended a similar senior design project presentation, one this they did was
conduct surveys of the professors with offices in the AEL building. This may be
helpful during for the architectural layout process to learn more about the
workflow and what the CAEE professors would recommend.
B4- Group E - Mohammed Alqallaf
For our term project, Faisal Alghati and I are going to be
working on part of our senior design project, which is the Renovation of the
Alumni Engineering Labs Building. We are going to be converting old AutoCAD
plans and drawings of the Alumni Engineering Labs to a BIM integrated Revit
Model. The building is old and is in dire need of renovation due to poor
circulation and occupant discomfort. This project will include renovations of
the architectural, mechanical, and structural systems of the current building.
The renovations will tackle the current issue and improve the buildings
efficiency and sustainability. Newer material will be used for the building
envelope to give the building a more modern look. The HVAC systems of the
building will be improved and made more efficient by the changes made to the
envelope and also the addition of VAV systems to accommodate zone specific
temperature requirements. In addition two floors will be added to the building
to increase current square footage to accommodate for new and larger spaces.
The Revit model will consist of floor plans, 3d model, structural plans and
mechanical plans. My partner and I have already started the project and we are
currently familiarizing ourselves with Revit. I believe that this is a great idea
for us to get to learn more about Revit and applying BIM in it. The use of
schedules in the software will be utilized to help with cost estimation and
analysis. I believe that it is going to be very challenging to learn how to
utilize Revit’s complete BIM capabilities. There are certain issue with having
to import certain families from companies that provide them such as for the
HVAC units and such. But doing so will help us have a more accurate cost
analysis. I believe that having hands on
experience with BIM technology will help us better understand how such
technology will increase building performance and efficiency. In addition it
will also help minimized the buildings cost. Upon reading an article about BIM
and green design it really helped me understanding how BIM makes every aspect
of the building transparent to the other helping every sector in the building
design work in unison to create a well rounded efficient building.
Sources:
Comments:
Allison,
I found your topic to be very interesting. As an
architectural engineering major with a concentration in mechanical/HVAC I found
this topic to be very relevant to my field. I have looked into dynamic
buildings and I have seen a building on YouTube that actually has a dynamic façade
in which the exterior walls would be uncovered in the morning to allow for
natural solar heating and at night the façade would move and close the building
off making it look like a black cube to maintain the heat gain and reduce the
heating need for the building. I look forward to seeing you present and to hear
more information about this topic.
Cristian,
I really enjoyed reading your post. I found your topic to be
very interesting. I really like the effort you are putting into the project. I
like how the buildings design is made so that it matches the architectural
style of the location chosen. That is very considerate. I believe that you will
learn a lot of Revit making plans for the building. I wish you best of luck
B4- Rebecca Lynch (Group A)
The
topic that I chose with my partner Sean Coffey is the use of the internet of
things in increasing the sustainability of buildings. There is an increasing
push in society towards the development of sustainable practices and products
that reduce our impact on the environment. Besides from the politicians and
spokespeople encouraging this move towards a more sustainable society, the main
driving force is the money savings associated with the reduction of energy usage
of the building as a large incentive for both companies and individuals. Through
research and case studies, we plan to show that the implementation of the
internet of things into buildings can increase the sustainability of any
building, even those that are LEED certified.
An important
aspect in the use and maintenance of intelligent buildings is the
implementation of the internet of things. The use of smart devices to monitor
and control a building increases the ease of maintaining the building as well
as provides optimal comfort with less and less human interference. The ability
of products to communicate with each other enables the control and monitoring of
an entire building with just one app. With these new capabilities, the
sustainability of our buildings can be drastically improved by increasing the
ease and awareness of the user in the reduction of energy usage.
Products
such as the Nest Thermostat have already been developed and are currently used
as an easy way of energy conservation. The system acts as a hub for the control
of smart devices through a single app that not only allows the user to change the
settings from anywhere, but also learns the user’s preferences and behaviors to
predict future changes. This reduces the use of energy through various methods,
though the most prevalent is through reducing the energy usage when no one is
home. Additional products can be integrated into this system to further reduce
energy impacts, such as the connection of the washer and drier to the Nest,
which gathers information from the power company to determine when the peak
time is, and only run the washer in non-peak times.
As
with any new emerging technology, there are many limitations and potential
risks of the internet of things. The major limitation at the moment is the
integration of existing products to work as one. Currently, the use of hubs
attempts to solve this problem by connecting all of the smart devices to a
single controller. However, the hubs have their own limitations in their
capabilities of connecting to only specific products. The main risk that the
public is most concerned about is the impact these systems will have on
personal security and privacy. Not only is there the risk of hackers taking
control of a smart device to cause harm to the user, but there is a fear of the
misuse of the data collected by the companies themselves. For this reason,
companies will need to gain consumers’ trust in the protection and use of their
data.
Sources:
Amadeo, Ron. "Google Tracker 2015: Everything We Know
Google Is Working on for the New Year." ARS Technica. N.p., 29 Dec.
2014. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.
<http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/12/google-tracker-2015-everything-google-is-working-on-for-the-new-year/#h1>.
Cheng, Roger. "What Lurks beneath the Internet of
Things Hype? Nagging Security Fears." CNET. N.p., 12 Jan. 2016.
Web. 31 Jan. 2016.
<http://www.cnet.com/news/what-lies-beneath-the-internet-of-things-hype-an-undercurrent-of-security-fears/>.
Colon, Alex. "The Best Smart Home Automation Hubs of
2015." PCMAG. N.p., 27 May 2015. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.
<http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2468647,00.asp>.
Cringely, Robert X. "Prediction #7: Internet of Things
Becomes a Security Nightmare." I Cringely. N.p., 12 Jan. 2016. Web.
31 Jan. 2016.
<http://www.cringely.com/2016/01/13/prediction-7-internet-of-things-is-a-security-nightmare/>.
Comments:
Laura Worley
Cristian Almendariz
Comments:
Laura Worley
Cristian Almendariz
B4 - Group C - Cristian Almendariz
I decided
to link this class term project with senior design. My senior design group is researching the
development of an engineering project that will help Piura, Peru. Figure 1, is Peru’s map showing the location
of the city. There are more than 260,000 squatters in the city who live in
inappropriate homes made of improper materials.
Most of these families live in overcrowded houses where more than 4
people live in a single room. Most of
these houses do not have basic services such as electricity, water, sewage and
others. Figure 2, is a photograph Santa
Rosa Squatting family neighborhood we took in our visit to Piura. Moreover, a high number of these houses are
located in high flood risk zones that are highly vulnerable during el
Niño. For this reason, many families
lose their homes during el Niño and are obligated to restart from zero. For this reason, my senior design team is
designing a sustainable housing complex with storm water management system
located in a low risk-flooding zone. The
main goal of our project is to provide squatting families houses that will be
able to withstand el Niño recurrence [1].
 |
| Figure 1 - Map of Peru and Piura |
 |
| Figure 2 - Santa Rosa Neighborhood |
I am in charged of the
architectural design of the housing unit.
This is not an easy task because I have to make sure that this house is
not too different from the locality houses architecture and be sure these
families will like it. We want families
to be satisfied with this house and take care of it. Originally, I was simply going to develop 2D
AutoCAD floor plans and facades of the house.
This project is the perfect opportunity to link the “intelligent
building” concept into our project by using a software (REVIT) that is based
around this concept. I would be
developing a complete REVIT 3D model of the house. REVIT will allow me to visualize better my
house, make improvements to the floor plans, add furniture and appliances, and design the
facades. Additionally, I will possibly
be able to select the types of materials I will be using for my house (e.g.
type of floors and walls).
I have no experience with REVIT
therefore; this project main challenge will be to learn how to use REVIT. The REVIT assignment was an excellent
opportunity to be introduced into the program and now I will be expanding this
knowledge by making a more complex model.
I would have to learn how to create/modify components (e.g. doors,
windows, bathrooms, counters, etc.) of my model to the way I need them to
be. Last week I was finally able to
complete all the modifications into the 2D AutoCAD floor plans of the house,
Figure 3 is a snapshot of the AutoCAD drawings. This week I will start developing the floor
plans in Revit. I am highly motivated
and enthusiastic to complete this project.
 |
| Figure 3 - AutoCAD 2D model of house |
References
[1] Cumpa, Dario. (2002).
“Criterios para el planeamiento de la ciudad de Piura”. Universidad de Piura, Piura, Peru.
[2] https://www.google.com/maps/place/Piura,+Peru/@-5.1930819,-80.7368474,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x904a107c793c39b7:0x1de8948d1c01fe28
Responses
Responses
William,
I find your ‘tiny houses’ topic really interesting. I have to admit that I never heard about it
before. This is the type of housing that
I see happening in a near future, especially in overcrowded cities. I think that Tokyo is already suffering from
overcrowding and people are now leaving in really small “apartments”. Some of them are even smaller than a normal
living rooms and the bed or bedroom is the size of a closet. This new housing trend is definitely going to
change society in many aspects. I see it
will have a major influence in marriage and family size decisions. I believe people are going to consider to not
get married, not have children, or have no more than one child. I am definitely interested knowing the
results of your investigation.
Alexis,
I find your topic really interesting. I can definitely see that daylight
technologies have an immense future potential.
For my senior seminar I research sensing technologies for structural
health monitoring. My research showed
that this sensing technology is extremely useful but it can be improved. My question is: Do you know how advance this
technology is? I would like to
incorporate these daylight technologies into my senior design. Unfortunately, I am not able to do so because
its high cost will compromise costs of my houses.
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