M. Kevin Parfitt

IPD and BIM-Focused Capstone Course Based on AEC Industry Needs and Involvement

AbstractAcademics, through industry demand and involvement, are beginning to realize that educating our future engineers in building information modeling (BIM) technology utilizing an integrated project delivery (IPD) collaboration and design approach needs to be a frontrunner of education. As a result, academia is now challenged with the task of determining how to develop these specialized skill sets in engineering students such that the professional demand and focus of incorporating the proper skills in educational practices are met to address the issues and limitations that incur in new practices. This paper outlines the development, implementation, and results of a 3-year multidisciplinary team pilot program within architectural engineering (AE) at Penn State University encompassing structural, mechanical, lighting/electrical, and construction engineering disciplines, focusing on the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry needs. Built into this pilot are strong connections to indust...

Delivery methods for a multi-disciplinary architectural engineering capstone design course

Changes in industry practices, as well as advancements in technologies have moved Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) to the forefront in our industry. Practitioners and educators alike see BIM-based technologies changing the fundamental way we design, construct and deliver buildings to the client. It is unreasonable to expect that we can completely duplicate industry practice in an educational setting. However, we can focus on developing specialized knowledge and skill sets in students by implementing a focused practice-based environment around these topics. In this case, the learning environment selected was a senior engineering capstone (senior/comprehensive) design course. This paper describes a comparison of offerings of such a course over four years by conducting a multidisciplinary team collaborative capstone design course using IPD/BIM in architectural engineering at Penn State. The pilot program developed, which includes extensive industry involvement, is centered on teams of engineering students comprised of the structural, mechanical, lighting/electrical and construction engineering disciplines. Also included in the discussion are lessons learned and course management techniques developed that the authors feel are of value to other academic programs involved in incorporating IPD/BIM into some aspect of their curriculums.

Results of a Pilot Multidisciplinary BIM-Enhanced integrated Project Delivery Capstone Engineering Design Course in Architectural Engineering

In August of 2009, the Department of Architectural Engineering (AE) at Penn State University launched a three-year multidisciplinary Building Information Modeling (BIM) enhanced Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) Capstone Project Pilot Program under industry and institutional sponsorship. Consisting of a year-long two course sequence this capstone initiative was organized and managed around multidisciplinary teams of architectural engineering students incorporating IPD/BIM concepts as an alternative to the traditional (individual student projects) Penn State AE capstone program known as AE Senior Thesis.

Structural, Construction, and Procedural Failures Associated with Long-Term Pyritic Soil Expansion at a Private Elementary School in Pennsylvania

This paper examines the background, history, and results of multiple investigations associated with pyrite-based expansive soils spanning almost 40 years in conjunction with a private elementary school located in western Pennsylvania. The school was initially designed in 1960. Original construction was completed in September 1961 and the first signs of distress, which were primarily related to slab heave, were reported in early 1962. One wing of the school, a 1965 classroom addition (1965 addition) with different structural and foundation systems, did not experience any expansive soil-related damages and served as a valuable comparison throughout multiple subsequent investigations. Pyritic soil material in the subgrade in conjunction with oxygen-rich groundwater was determined to be the cause of soil movement and building distress. Expansive soil-related problems at the school continued for decades despite an investigation, civil court action, and judgment in the late 1960s followed by a remediation progr...

A Curriculum Approach to Deploying BIM in Architectural Engineering

In recent years, rapidly advancing new technologies and project delivery methods, such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), have had a significant impact on the building industry. As a result, practitioners and academia have realized that educating future engineers on these topics is a necessity. To adopt these, proper course and curriculum structures need to be developed and tested. The focus of many efforts to date have been on the first topic, courses. BIM in particular has proven to provide positive opportunities to advance education of buildings at the course level but when expanded upon to an entire curriculum; its effects have seen limited study and less commonly adopted throughout departmental programs. This paper will describe the efforts that the Department of Architectural Engineering (AE) at Penn State University has taken to implement different levels of BIM via collaboration, integration and technology in different courses throughout the program. The discussion will first focus on the overall structure of the program and how they interrelate to one another. Then the efforts within each of the four disciplines: Construction, Lighting/Electrical, Mechanical, and Structural Engineering will be examined more closely.

The Use of Cyber-Physical Systems in Temporary Structures - An Exploratory Study

The construction industry has had a high record of structural failures and safety problems for decades. Some of these relate to the inadequacy or instability of temporary structures. In many cases, these structures are regarded as static structures without appropriate monitoring of temporal changes in their stability. Developments in information and communications technologies, notably the advent of CyberPhysical Systems (CPS), are changing the way in which structures are monitored. While significant deployments are being made in the structural health monitoring of constructed facilities, such as bridges, dams and other civil infrastructure, inadequate attention has been paid to temporary structures. With the bidirectional coordination possible between physical artefacts and their virtual representations, CPS offer an approach that can facilitate the monitoring and active control of temporary structures in such a way as to prevent structural failures and safety hazards on the job site. This paper reviews the key features of CPS, examines current CPS applications in the built environment and analyzes the applicability, potential benefits and barriers for CPS application to temporary structures. It identifies the promising application areas, and discusses how CPS could be applied in these contexts and the potential benefits.

Global Differences in Building Enclosures

AbstractSuccessful design and construction of building enclosures on foreign projects presents a challenge for those who are new to international business. In addition to basic building enclosure functional requirements (i.e., structural, acoustics, heat control, air control, and moisture control), professionals must accommodate local considerations of a building project’s site, which vary globally from market to market and are not always clearly understood in the early stages of a project. This study consists of 29 interviews conducted with building enclosure professionals who have significant experience working in the following five global markets: Europe, Far East, Latin America, Middle East, and North America. The interviewees stated that there are significant global differences that affected how they perform services in relation to the design and construction of building enclosures on mainstream, modern, low-to-midrise commercial buildings across each market. The study found 13 factors that account f...

Student and Practitioner Collaboration in an Online Knowledge Community: Best Practices from a Capstone Course Implementation

AbstractThe e-Studio Practitioner Mentorship Program is one element of a framework that makes up the Penn State Architectural Engineering department’s fifth-year senior capstone design program. It was structured to incorporate increased student/practitioner collaboration and knowledge sharing. As such, knowledge transfer and mentorship are accomplished through a dedicated and controlled collection of online discipline-specific discussion forums populated by practitioners from various building industry backgrounds focused exclusively on assisting students. This paper analyzes the type and content of the collaboration, including both student questions and practitioner responses, posted to the various community forums that were implemented. The results of a question typology content analysis are described, and insight into why some student questions initially went unanswered by the mentors/experts is discussed. On the basis of this analysis, in addition to several years of postreview operation and best pract...

Enhancing Architectural Engineering Capstone Design Courses Through Web-Based Technologies

Given the advancements in information and communication technologies and the significant opportunities for effective integration of such technology into academic environments, the Department of Architectural Engineering at Penn State (Penn State AE) has established and continues to refine a framework for the use of web-enhanced protocols in their yearlong capstone design course sequence. This paper will address the curriculum development and representative course enhancements associated with the framework, while showcasing various elements of the student-centered learning environment. In addition, an overview of the web-enhanced capstone design model being used at Penn State will be discussed. The use of web technology has provided a means for improving course management by the instructor, increasing the visibility of student-generated projects, enhancing the practice-based course content, increasing project archives, and emphasizing knowledge partnerships through student/practitioner interaction.

Creating Better Buildings through Failures Education: Wikis, Forums, Synths, Tweets, Case Studies and Discussion Posts

This paper introduces and discusses a number of teaching and dissemination topics, tools and techniques for engaging students and practitioners that show promise in the creation of an environment of active learning, participation and enthusiasm as it relates to failures and forensic engineering education of all types. The context of the discussion centers on a course titled Building Performance Failures and Forensic Techniques (Building Failures) offered to graduate and upper level undergraduate students in Architectural Engineering (AE) at Penn State. Case Studies of specific failures and categories of failures are integrated extensively throughout the course modules in multiple formats including self study, research and writing, conventional lectures, industry guest speakers, on-line discussion forums, and direct observation (aka The Campus is Our Lab). Of particular note is the success of the creation and use of an on-line failures dissemination wiki site, Failures Wiki and a resource and web-based discussion “blog” known as Building Failures Forum. Both of these on-line resources are failures dissemination and education resource efforts which are being monitored as outreach efforts related to committee activities of the Technical Council of Forensic Engineering (TCFE) of ASCE.