A7–Grader’s Comments

Grader-1

Great job on completing AE 390! Overall, the quality of the assignments was very good and I realize that you put a lot of hard work into them. The pictures that you incorporated from the tour really helped to explain what you were talking about. I hope that you learned a lot from this assignment. Have a great winter break!

Grader-2

Congratulations to all of the students from Professor DaSaro's section. All of you have come a long way from Assignment A1. Assignment A7 was exceptional in its organization and execution by all groups. You have all learned a lot about how to effectively communicate engineering work to others. Good luck in your future courses!

Jim Mitchell’s Comment – Congratulations to you all!

A7–Class Voting

Below are the results of the voting in class on the presentations at the final meeting.  As you’ll see, all the groups got the full five points, but looking at the details you’ll see that each group had areas in which they could improve.    I’d be happy to share the detailed votes for any group if requested.   Jim Mitchell

Only seven people wrote comments.  Here they are, not attached to the group about which the comment.

• missed utilities
• very well done
• A little dull. Obvious that they understand what they are presenting though which is a good thing. answered questions well.
• very good presentation
• Very good, detailed information.  Could have improved on the foundation explanation, and numerical presentation.
• The team worked well together and covered the system well.
• I liked the cost analysis for the hvac system
  

Elevator Capacity Information

Mr. Ad M Van Hees has supplied the following information about the elevators in response to our request.

Building Name	Bldg. #	Manufacturer	Type	Function	Year build	Year Renovated	Year in maintenance	Capacity
Academic	55	Dover	Gear	Passenger #2	1989		1989	3500
Academic	55	Sheppard Warner	Gear	Passenger #3	1989		1989	2500
Academic	55	Dover	Gear	Freight	1989		1989	4500
Academic	55	Otis	Gearless	Passenger #1	1989		1989	2000

Added by Mr. Taylor

To add to the information below. Drexel renovated the building in 1989 after purchasing a few years before. The three existing elevators were renovated and a fourth elevator added. All of the elevators were renovated by Dover. In a renovation some components of the original elevator are kept and some are replaced. The replacement components which usually include the car operator panels and door operators, and often the lifting machinery will usually be by other manufacturers than the original installing company.

A6–Grader’s Comments

Grader-1 Comments:

• Perhaps it was the extra time given for this assignment, but I felt that quality of these assignments was very good.  Most groups were quite comprehensive with their relevant systems and criteria.
• Ensure that the decision matrix is giving reasonable suggestions.  I'm not sure if this was due to Excel issues, but it is critical to test out the matrix with various combinations.
• Based on the teamwork evaluations, students seemed to have worked very well in their teams.
• Everyone seems have a good idea of what is required of the assignments now.  This will put you in a good position going into the final assignment.
  

Grader-2 Comments:

• These assignments reflect an improvement from Assignment 5, good job everyone. This section as well seems to be working well together overall according to the team evaluations. Be sure to plan ahead for Assignment 7, you are all well prepared to complete the assignment as long as you schedule enough time to complete it. Keep up the good work!

A7 - Academic Building Drawings

Those drawings that are available to Drexel are now in a folder on the front page of the VBB site.
* Autocad drawing - 20090918 - Academic Master in progress.dwg - shows multiple floors
* Bakery Renovation 6th Floor.zip - Drawings of the Bakery Renovation on the 6th floor - recent
* Academic Building Drawings from PDC Site.zip - All files from the Planning Design and Construction Building (PDC) site.  There's an index in Excel format in the zip file as well.

A6 - Question about Fuel Criteria

Question:

When we sat down yesterday to discuss out criteria we mentioned fuel as one of them. How would you apply this outside of the operational cost? I believe this should be applied under operational costs because to operate the system needs fuel whether its geothermal, water, electricity, or gas with the exception of wind scoops and passive solar. What is your opinion on keep this as a seperate criteria instead of combining it with operational costs?

 

Response:

I'd argue that in at least some circumstances the availability of a particular fuel may be different, although obviously cost is often closely linked.  It's your call whether or not to separate it.

A5 - Grader's Comments

Grader-1

• Overall, students did very well with the modified assignment criteria.  This allowed groups to explore their primary and secondary system a little bit more than in past years.  This helped to minimize overlapping among groups.
• Don't forget to address the concept of a system, as defined in week 1, within your assignment.  This was listed in the grading criteria, but several groups failed to make reference to this.
• Be sure to back up claims about the limitations of systems with some numerical evidence.  For example, what is a typical building footprint (square footage) or climate (temperature, RH, etc.) for this type of system?  This will make your claim sound more convincing and that it is indeed a limitation.
• Be sure to complete the extra credit section.  This is an easy way to make up for lost points.

Grader-2

• As we have progressed through this course, the assignments have become more open ended in regards to the deliverables. A good way to approach these assignments, I've found, is to practice them as if they were engineering communications you would make to somebody that is unfamiliar to the discipline. How would you present this information so that it is clear to understand? What information do you think is the most relevant and important to show? 
• In regards to group work, remember that your teams rely on you to be timely and prompt with your response so that the project can move forward. Communication is very important in engineering whether it be technical writing or correspondence. Please remember that these final two assignments are weighted more than the past assignments, especially the last one. Be sure to give yourself and your team ample time to complete A7. Good luck everyone!

One group had a teamwork problem.  Generally, however, most groups are functioning well.  Congratulations.