B1: Group D: Redus

HVAC (& BIM)

The design of HVAC systems has changed significantly BIM systems have increased complexity. Until relatively recently man regulated the air quality and temperature of their dwellings by windows and fire. Obviously these primitive systems did not require advanced modeling techniques. During the last century people have developed many new tool to condition the air. Buffalo Forge was an early company that invented dehumidifiers and air filters. It was the fan however that created the HVAC industry [1]. Fans and pumps allowed air and other fluids to be piped from a central unit to auxiliary spaces. This allowed buildings to expand: rooms did not need windows to ventilate or a hearth to heat them.

The expanding complexity of HVAC systems also meant that designing them was more difficult. The loads of the spaces had to be calculated, and the engineer need to discern how best to condition them. The engineer and architect also needed to make sure the HVAC system did not interfere with any other systems. As the quality of indoor spaces improved people became fussier about the quality of their indoor space. Fortunately for the designers of such systems, humans were inventing computers simultaneous to fans, refrigerators, and filters. Enter BIM.

The concept of Building Information Modeling was first published in a 1962 paper by Douglas Englebart [2], it would take some time before his ideas would become a reality (rendering is difficult for punch cards). The first significant step was Charles Eastman’s Building Description System (a similar system was developed in the Soviet Union). Quirk describes it as a GUI that could render view and had a “sortable database that allows the user to retrieve information categorically by attributes,” (it was written on a PEP-10). BIM began to gain traction in the design community of England during the 1980’s with a variety of now forgotten systems. The 90’s saw an interesting development in BIM (of equal importance: I was born). Lawrence Berkeley National Labs (LBNL) developed the Building Design Advisor which could perform simulations and evaluate a model against given criteria. The International Foundation Class (IFC) file format was also developed in 1995 to ensure that different BIM systems could communicate with each other. The promised that structural engineer, MEP engineers, and architects will be able to communicate with each other.

The first popular BIM software was Revit, first released in 2000. Revit created a “ visual programming environment for creating parametric families [a set of related objects that are defined by a set of parameters] and [importantly] allowing for a time attribute to be added to a component,”  [2]. This time attribute allows contractors to simulate the building process. Other companies have created other BIM systems since Revit’s inception. The main advantage of such systems to an HVAC engineer is the ability to coordinate drawings among disciplines and reduce unforeseen conflicts.

Much more interesting to the engineer are the simulation programs. These programs can predict peak and annual loads to optimize system sizing and selection. Revit can produce such simulations, but there are many free software systems such as eQuest and OpenStudio that are also capable. eQuest operates on the U.S. Department of Energy’s DOE-2. Created in 1998 DOE-2 is a building energy analysis program that employs building and weather data to create an energy simulation (in hour increments) [3]. It is also capable of estimating the building’s utility costs (interestingly, it was also designed by LBNL, among others). eQuest utilizes wizards to input the data into DOE-2 and presents the results in a user-friendly format. This allows HVAC designers to evaluate and compare different system selections. EnergyPlus is the next generation of DOE-2. It can handle additional complexities such as air movement between zones and more advanced fenestration models [4]. Simergy is the GI for EnergyPlus. OpenStudio is an open source collection of software tools for energy modeling. It uses EnergyPlus and a daylight analysis program called Radiance. There are many other energy modeling tool that a engineering firm can utilize to help select the best system design.

Sensors

Merriam-Webster defines a sensor as “a device that responds to a physical stimulus (as heat, light, sound, pressure, magnetism, or a particular motion) and transmits a resulting impulse (as for measurement or operating control.” Cornelis Drebbel, the famous inventor, built the first thermostat prior to 1630 [5]. The 1880s saw the invention of the first electric room thermostat. Many different sensors have been developed since that time. The Clapper is a company that sells a system to turn ones lights on or off when they clap. Some of the more common building sensors include temperature, humidity, motion, CO₂, and light.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is practice of simulating human intelligence, especially through computer science. One interesting recent development in AI is the ability of computers to “see.” While the first digital cameras were developed in the mid-1970s and facial-recognition in the late 1990s computers have been unable to comprehend what they are looking at (beyond basic geometry). One fascinating project by Baidu aims to change that. Their produce, called DuLight, generates an audio description of a live image [6]. While the goal of the project is merely to increase the perception of a blind person, there is a lot of potential from this project. Computers can already operate from written words (this is what modern programming is based on). A computer that can see can operate based on its surroundings.

Database

Wikipedia defines a database as “an organized collection of data. It is the collection of schemas, tables, queries, reports, views and other objects. The data are typically organized to model aspects of reality in a way that supports processes requiring such information.” In other words, database software provides convenient ways to enter, store, and retrieve relevant information for a set of events. They are the backbone of BIM systems. The wonderful thing about BIM is that each object has a useful description built in. A slab in AutoCAD looks like a rectangle. A slab in Revit has a thickness, materials, construction time, R-value, and many other specifications. Revit knows all this information because the project file is really a database file, the UI simply a wizard.

Future

What does the future hold? No one really knows, but it looks pretty exciting (if the politicians don’t screw things up). When our parents were born (the 60s), computer memory was just transitioning away from paper. When we were born (the 90s) laptops and the internet were gaining popularity and computer games were becoming a thing [7]. Now (2015) we carry the entirety of human knowledge in our pocket and consider computer programming requisite part of elementary education. In the 60s every building was drawn on paper by hand, the only calculation aid a slide rule. Today we have many complex applications to model and simulate our buildings (Revit, SAP2000, Simergy, etc.). What will our industry look like in 2070? While I really have no idea, I can guess one thing based on history: we won’t be bored.

[1] Stonecypher, Lamar. Bright Hub Engineering. 26 November 2009, “History of HVAC: Knowing the Timeline.” Accessed 9 January 2016, Available: < brighthubengineering.com>

[2] Quirk, Vanessa. Arch Daily. 7 December 2012, “A Brief History of BIM.” Accessed 9 January 2016, Available: <archdaily.com>

[3] James J. Hirsch & Assiciates. DOE2.com. 2012, “Welcome to DOE2.com.” Accessed 9 January 2016, available: <doe2.com>

[4] U.S. Department of Energy. Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy. 11 December 2015, “EnergyPlus Energy Simulation Software.” Accessed 9 January 2016, available: <apps1.eere.energy.gov>

[5] Tierie, Gerrit. Cornelis Drebbel. 1932. Accessed 11 January 2016, available: <drebbel.net>

[6] Metz, Cade. Wired. 1 January 2016, “Artificial Intelligence Finally Entered our Everyday World.” Accessed 11 January 2016, available: <wired.com>

[7] Computer History Museum. Timeline of Computer History. 2016. Accessed 11 January 2016, available: <computerhistory.org>

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