| Overview |
This
multidisciplinary class teaches students to do Multidisciplinary Design and analysis of AEC projects. Multidisciplinary refers
to the AEC disciplines of architecture, engineering and construction and
the project perspective of the product (some facility), design-construction
organization and design-construction process.
In classroom interactive
laboratory sessions, students will learn to use
Integrated Concurrent Engineering (ICE) methods quickly and well.
The class uses the methods of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC)
in a collaborative ICE setting to design projects well and exceptionally
quickly.
The class has three
main objectives:
1. Effectively and quickly use methods and technology to do Multidisciplinary Design and analysis, including ability to interpret and build project:
- Design-construction
project measurable objectives with their relative importance.
- Product models
(3D CAD) that are parametric in that objects have meaningful relationships
with each other;
- Organization models;
- Process models
(design and construction plan and schedule);
- Economic analysis
of the total economic impact of Virtual Design and Construction technology;
- Multidisciplinary
analyses and presentations to allow project stakeholders to understand
designs and predict values of more than five performance behaviors for at least two
design alternatives;
- Enable class participants
to perform useful tasks with VDC models, i.e., using the multi-display
CIFE iRoom:
- Describe
the contents of virtual design-construction models using "quick"
models that address specific business issues. Class projects will include descriptions of product, organization and process models and the assumptions behind them.
- Design
the product, organization and process of a project using VDC tools
and methods;
- Analyze
VDC models and predict > 5 behaviors, at least one each for the product, organization and process. Class projects will analyze behaviors of VDC models both directly within modeling and analysis tools and by attempting interoperable exchange between model and analysis tools.
- Predict
impacts of changes in project design;
- Explain
and Evaluate the relative engineering and economic advantages
and disadvantages of design alternatives, given specific business
objectives;
2. Develop confidence
in the rapid and integrated use of Multidisciplinary Design and
analysis methods in an ICE setting. All students will do a project motivated
by a current case example from practice. Students who volunteer to participate
successfully in a mini-internship with a AEC company. Interns will apply
and explain use of virtual design and construction models on a small industry
project.
3. Theory:
develop practical understanding of the theory of Multidisciplinary Design
and analysis, VDC, ICE and their application in practice.
In addition, the class
has a number of more general educational process objectives. The class
will emphasize and try to improve these broad intellectual process skills
that all of us have to some extent, but which all of us can improve.
- Work effectively
in teams: most assignments will be individual assignments, but I encourage
active participation in study sections. The project will involve both
small and large-group collaboration.
- Use critical judgment
in problem solving. In engineering practice, and in starting to use
new theories and technologies, cookbook solutions rarely can be used
directly for interesting problems. We must modify existing approaches
and design new solutions. We must exercise judgment in design and application
of our solutions.
- Learn by doing:
Learning to use virtual models requires using them. The class will emphasize
active student classroom participation, problem sets, and a project.
- Present effectively:
We will emphasize clear, sharp interactive and written expression, delivered
in multiple ways using interactive web technology.
4. Lead: This class is designed as a capstone class for VDC activities in the Stanford Civil Engineering construction-related curriculum. We expect that VDC will be a major part of the professional practice of all civil engineers for the indefinite future. An explicit class objective is to prepare students with theory and practical experience to enable them to lead their organizations in use of VDC in their early-career role as junior engineers, later in middle management and ultimately in senior management.
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