Welcome to John Dixon's AE Senior Thesis e-Portfolio
Thesis Proposal
Depth and Breath Work summary and pdf links.
The goal of this analysis is to find the best way to manage the many different types of facades on the building to help avoid leaks at the joints. This may involve having less variations of façade types in the building or just fining alternate types to help the building seal better. The alternate systems found should perform as well or even better mechanically to help with heat loss in the building. By changing the façade system I hope to be able to add value to the building through value engineering, schedule reduction, constructability issues as well as make the building more energy friendly
The goal of this analysis is to help get the building up out of the ground faster. I will do this by analyzing the excavation schedule/design, the excavation support system and the type of foundation used to support the building. I hope to find alternative means for these areas to help the building get out of the ground faster helping to expedite the construction schedule.
The goal of this analysis is to reduce the schedule through the use of precast structural members as oppose to the all cast in place structure. Through the use of precast members the structure can be erected faster allowing construction to move on to the façade and interiors work faster. The main focus for these precast members will be the common floors 8-12 of the hotel. The cost added for these precast members would then be compared to the profit the owner earns by being able to open the hotel sooner.
From the PACE roundtable I was able to see how implanting BIM on a project was a huge task for many contractors. I understand many of the benefits of BIM and would like to be able to communicate these benefits to the industry members. I feel the best way to communicate these benefits is to show examples of how it has effectively been used on past projects and show how it could positively affect current projects. By showing these success stories hopefully members of the industry will buy into the fact that the BIM model is worth the time and money it cost to be developed and maintained.