Reflection
Jenna Dumke
After completing the Senior IPD/BIM Thesis Capstone for the Department of Architectural Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University, I have been able reflect on the course as a learning experience. This yearlong thesis has allowed me to gain skills and experience while working as part of an 8 person integrated design and construction team. The experience of working with several students across disciplines has broadened my understanding of the AEC industry and provided me with practical experience that I can apply to my chosen profession. While specifically working on the construction methods and practices for this design project, I not only applied the past 5 years of my studies, but grew my understanding into something more. The IPD process has vividly demonstrated the interconnections between design and construction professionals. Not only was the exposure to my fellow teammates valuable, the experience allowed me to access professional expertise while developing connections with industry members and building professional relationships.
I would like to thank my 7 team members for their support and dedication to our project so that we could reach our optimal output as well as the AE faculty, thesis advisors, and industry members that helped along the way.
Michael Hoffacker
The BIM/IPD thesis program was a very educational and worthwhile experience during my studies at The Pennsylvania State University. Through the use of BIM technologies and an integrative design approach our team designed a building that was fully functional, has a long lifetime, and offered appeal to the students and community. By constantly communicating with the other design disciplines we were able to achieve the engineered solutions to best benefit each specific discipline. Throughout the integration process, I not only developed my technical skills as a mechanical designer, but also learned the process of making design decisions and compromises to achieve optimal results for the project. Overall, I found BIM thesis to be a rewarding experience that helped enhance my communication skills.
I would like to thank everyone who has supported and assisted me throughout the completion of my senior thesis. I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project as a team and I would like to thank everyone on team Creation for making senior thesis a memorable experience. I would also like to thank my fellow classmates, professors, advisors, my family, and all others who helped Creation with this senior thesis project.
Abigail Kun
Having the opportunity to compete in the Senior Thesis Presentations and the AEI Student Competition for The Pennsylvania State University has been a rewarding and enjoyable experience. Over the last year, I have gained skills as a person and an engineer. It has given me practice and experience with working in a team of skilled engineers to start and complete a meaningful project. It has also provided me with a broader knowledge of all major options and a greater sense of what integrated building design consists of. I am excited to take this knowledge and apply it to future design projects and team work.
It has been a pleasure working with industry professionals, AE faculty and staff, and our skilled team of students. I look forward to working with them in the future and seeing how we all grow as professional engineers.
Kristiana McMunn
Participating in The Pennsylvania State University’s Architectural Engineering Senior IPD/BIM Thesis Capstone was a very beneficial experience. The ability to design a project from start to finish using all four disciplines was a very rewarding experience in many aspects. While I was able to expand on my knowledge of mechanical systems and design processes, I also saw how the mechanical systems relate to the project as a whole. Through working very closely throughout the entire project, I was able to learn a lot about the other three disciplines and the design restraints for each discipline. Working together really encouraged great communication and team work to produce a truly integrated building design. I believe this experience will definitely help in my professional career as it simulated a traditional real world project as closely as one can achieve in an academic setting.
I really enjoyed my experience on a BIM thesis team and would encourage any student to pursue this option. I would like to thank team creation. for a great senior year, thesis project, and learning experience. I would also like to thank the AE faculty, thesis advisors, and industry members who have helped out tremendously throughout the past five years.
Amanda Small
My participation in Architectural Engineering Department’s Senior IPD/BIM Thesis provided me with a beneficial and rewarding experience. Through this collaborative design process, I feel as though I have acquired skills that have prepared me for my future career as an Electrical Engineer in an AE firm. The AEI Integrated Student Design Competition required our team of eight students to carry out the design of an elementary school from start to finish. This allowed me to build upon my knowledge of designing electrical and lighting systems, while also communicating effectively with the other disciplines. We were able to recognize some common coordination issues that we will most likely encounter in the workplace at one time or another. Together, as a team, we were able to create solutions to these problems. I also had to opportunity to consult with professionals in regards to effective fixture options and equipment selection. Overall, I feel as though the BIM Thesis experience was a great learning tool and very practical. I would highly suggest the Senior IPD/BIM Thesis to any Architectural Engineering students looking for an opinion. I look forward to applying the knowledge and skills I have gained this past year to my responsibilities as an entry level engineer.
I would like to thank all of the AE faculty, all BIM Thesis advisors, and industry professionals. Last but not least, I want to thank Team Creation for their effort and support throughout this entire year. They helped make thesis a memorable and gratifying experience.
Jeffrey Sopinski
The AEI Integrated Design competition was overall an educational and beneficial experience. Working throughout the year on design and construction planning served for the project as a great learning experience for all AE disciplines and has prepared us all well for the building industry. All group members can say that they learned the value of integrated design and the benefits associated with integrated design. The IPD BIM senior thesis program has been a great opportunity and I would encourage all AE students to consider this route for AE senior thesis.
Emily Wychock
Looking back at the past year, my experience as a member of a BIM Thesis Team and participant in the AEI National Student Design Competition was extremely positive and beneficial to my education. Throughout the process of working on an eight-person integrated design team I have been able to further advance my knowledge and understanding of multiple engineering disciplines. Through collaborative design I have gained a broader sense of how each component of a building meshes together. I believe this experience has prepared me to be a valuable team member in my future career in the building industry.
Open and consistent communication among group members was inherent to our success as a team. Our ability to think with an integrated mindset, rather than focusing on our individual disciplines allowed us to present a quality design for a high-performance building. We were also able to discuss and compare many ideas as opposed to relying only on ourselves. By working through the design process from beginning to end I was able to gain a more complete understanding of structural systems within a building, and how they influence all other building components. I believe these achievements were a direct result of working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Overall I am very happy with my experience as a member of a BIM Thesis Team. I would like to thank everyone who helped me through such a challenging part of my academic career; most importantly my seven teammates. I would also like to extend my thanks to the faculty and advisors who supported us throughout the process, along with all industry contacts who played a vital role in our success.
Ingenuity | Quality | Enjoyment | Integrity