Blog 7 - Technology for Commissioning and Operations

For blog 7, students are asked to FIND an article or paper that presents a case study or research project on the topic of technology for commissioning and operations. One of the technologies that the construction industry is adopting for these applications are RFID tags. Radio Frequency Identification allows us to attach information to physical objects. Just as with BIM, we find it useful to attach information to virtual model objects, this application can be translated into physical space with RFID technology. On the library eReserves, there are 4 examples of RFID tag applications in construction. Your challenge for this week's blog is to find either a paper on RFID tags in any design or construction application (i.e. tracking materials through the fabrication and construction process), or other technologies that support commissioning and operations phases of a project. For this article, be prepared to briefly present the article to the class.

1) Citation (include author(s), title, publication, and date)

2) Type of technology

3) Application of technology

4) Reflection on the impact of this technology

Blog 6 - Collaboration

As usual these are short writing pieces (such as a memo) in which we review the CURT Reports Collaboration, Integrated Information and Optimization or a paper on the Promises and Barriers to technology enabled collaboration. For one of the report sections or for the paper, the students consider:

Authorship (2 to 5 sentences): Who is the author - in what field(s) is she/he considered knowledgeable-are they affiliated with a university, corporation, organization that is relevant to the topic discussed/ research presented. Are they relatively new to the field or senior researchers? Is it a sole-authorship or collaborative work? Who / what funded the project?

Publication (2 to 5 sentences): What is the venue of the publication- i.e. a popular magazine, a professional journal, is it peer reviewed? Is the topic/ research question a typical theme in this journal? in the profession? Or is the article asking a new question? Is the question new to the field/ discipline or just to the publication venue (journal)? Is it challenging what is considered established knowledge or explaining known phenomena?

Sources (2 to 5 sentences): What references/ sources are cited in the article- i.e. do they rely on established sources or on personal observation/ experience? Is the article in response to or in addition to earlier publications?

Content (2 to 5 sentences): Summarize and critique ONE significant issue that this article as brought to your attention in terms of new / contributed knowledge. Is the issue clearly and thoroughly addressed? Does the conclusion suggest further research or considerations? What language (professional, popular, jargon) does the author(s) use?

Blog 5 - Web-based Project Management

This week we will continue to explore a few articles from the academic researchers. These articles present research in collaboration tools and work processes. For one of the articles posted on the eReserve for this week, reflect on the following:



Authorship (2 to 5 sentences): Who is the author - in what field(s) is she/he considered knowledgeable-are they affiliated with a university, corporation, organization that is relevant to the topic discussed/ research presented. Are they relatively new to the field or senior researchers? Is it a sole-authorship or collaborative work? Who / what funded the project?



Literature Review (2 to 5 sentences): What are the research questions? How have others addressed these questions? How do the authors present the relevant literature and communicate how their new research contributes to our existing knowledge?



Research Methods (2 to 5 sentences): What research methods are used? Are these research methods applicable to the research questions? Are there limitations of the method(s) used? How doe the research methods support their research questions?



Findings (2 to 5 sentences): Summarize and critique ONE significant finding that this article as brought to your attention in terms of new / contributed knowledge. Is the issue clearly and thoroughly addressed? Does the conclusion suggest further research or considerations?



Reflection (2 to 5 sentences): what is the role of research in the construction industry?

Blog 4 - 4D Modeling and Construction Planning

This week we will explore a few articles from the academic researchers. These articles present research in 4D modeling, 3D models plus time and cost, and other variations on construction planning technologies. For one of the articles posted on the eReserve for this week, reflect on the following:

Authorship (2 to 5 sentences): Who is the author - in what field(s) is she/he considered knowledgeable-are they affiliated with a university, corporation, organization that is relevant to the topic discussed/ research presented. Are they relatively new to the field or senior researchers? Is it a sole-authorship or collaborative work? Who / what funded the project?

Literature Review (2 to 5 sentences): What are the research questions? How have others addressed these questions? How do the authors present the relavent literature and communicate how their new research contributes to our existing knowledge?

Research Methods (2 to 5 sentenses): What research methods are used? Are these research methods applicable to the research questions? Are there limitations of the method(s) used? How doe the research methods support their research questions?

Findings (2 to 5 sentences): Summarize and critique ONE significant finding that this article as brought to your attention in terms of new / contributed knowledge. Is the issue clearly and thoroughly addressed? Does the conclusion suggest further research or considerations?

Reflection (2 to 5 sentences): what is the role of research in the construction industry?

Blog 3 - Automating Fabrication

In this week, students are asked to find an article on the subject of automating fabrication. Industry media or academic journals are all acceptable types of publications. BIM tools are being used in structural steel, mechanical, and exterior cladding (or others?) to feed 3D modeling information to fabrication machines. In this week, we will practice your research skills and find an interesting article on this subject. Your post should include:

1) Citation of article

2) Short synopsis of article (5 sentences)

3) Reflect on how this technology may change the industry (2 to 5 sentences)

Blog 2 - Industry Surveys

This week we will review 3 different industry surveys. These surveys have been conducted in the last few years and relate to the industry's adoption of BIM technologies. For one of the surveys, write up you're thoughts on:



Sponsorship (2 to 5 sentences) Who sponsored the survey? Why was the survey conducted?



Respondents (2 to 5 sentences) Who responded to this survey? Are they self selected or a random sample? Why would someone want to participate in this survey?



Findings (2 to 5 sentences) What findings is more surprising or meaningful to you? What is the one or two main issues you think are most important to your discipline? Why?

Blog 1 - Critical Reading - BIM and Integrated Practice

This first week's blog are short writing peices (such as a memo) in which we review issues related to interoperability and the BuildingSMART alliance work.

• McGraw-Hill Smart Market Reports –
Interoperability: http://www.buildingsmartalliance.org/pdfs/smri.pdf
BIM: http://www.buildingsmartalliance.org/pdfs/mhc_bim_smartmarket.pdf

• AECbytes Feature (March 30, 2004): The IFC Building Model: A Look Under the Hood http://www.aecbytes.com/feature/2004/IFCmodel.html

For this blog, take one of the three above and consider:

Authorship (2 to 5 sentenses): Who is the author - in what field(s) is she/he considered knowledgeable-are they affiliated with a university, corporation, organization that is relevant to the topic discussed/ research presented. Are they relatively new to the field or senior researchers? Is it a sole-authorship or collaborative work? Who / what funded the project?

Publication (2 to 5 sentenses): What is the venue of the publication- i.e. a popular magazine, a professional journal, is it peer reviewed? Is the topic/ research question a typical theme in this journal? in the profession? Or is the article asking a new question? Is the question new to the field/ discipline or just to the publication venue (journal)? ?Is it challenging what is considered established knowledge or explaining known phenomena?

Sources (2 to 5 sentenses): What references/ sources are cited in the article- i.e. do they rely on established sources or on personal observation/ experience? Is the article in response to or in addition to earlier publications?

Content (2 to 5 senteses): Summarize and critique ONE significant issue that this article as brought to your attention in terms of new / contributed knowledge. Is the issue clearly and thoroughly addressed? Does the conclusion suggest further research or considerations? What language (professional, popular, jargon) does the author(s) use?