Weekly log

• it's important to keep a record of our work in order to reflect on it later
• take a look at what we've done and see if we can improve in the future
• the professor needs to see that we are spending time on the work

 Introduction to architectural engineering website

• this is the first assignment used to familiarize us with using the web as a tool for presenting our work
• we must ask ourselves what the purpose of each assignment is
• unlike other courses, we aren't just assigned work but asked to question its importance which can make each assignment more meaningful

 Basic building drawings

• we must be able to produce drawings as architectural engineers; we must also understand that engineers and architects produce different types of drawings with different audiences in mind
• one type of drawing commonly used in the professional field, which we will be producing, is the orthogonal drawing - a projected 2-dimensional view of a 3-dimensional object - used to better represent an object's dimensions
• we can also use MSWord to produce drawings such as floor plans, sectional, and elevation drawings; we've never used MSWord as a drawing tool; it will be interesting to see its results

 Interview architectural engineering graduate or building professional

• this gives us a chance to either talk with someone who has gone through Drexel's AE program or a professional active in the field before going on coop
• after talking with them, we can get a better idea of what kind of field we are getting into, we can ask ourselves, "Is this the right profession for me?"
• this assignment will either strengthen our interest in architectural engineering or help us realize that this field isn't for us
• we get honest answers

 Portrait of a building

• architectural engineers work on buildings, through this assignment, we will be using words, drawings, photos, and numbers to describe a building of our choice
• to fully describe a building to a person who has never seen it, we must be very descriptive and give as many details as possible
• we are also learning to communicate our thoughts and/or ideas in different ways - visually, orally, etc.
• without actually taking measurements, we are learning how to estimate the dimensions of a building because when looking at certain buildings, we just won't have a tape measure around

 Personal portfolio of architectural engineering

• gather all of our work and comment on it, displaying it all on our individual websites
• by the end of the course, we should have a clearer understanding of what architectural engineering is and what makes it different from architecture
• are we more interested in architectural engineering at this point or are we considering a change in major?

• engineers work on teams in order to gather ideas from different perspectives
• most of the assignments for this course will be done in teams in order to gain the most experience working with other people
• we must make good use of this time because there are many students who go through an engineering curriculum in college and never once work on a team; they are not accustomed to it in the professional world

• in industry, there are strict deadlines that we must follow; failure to do so may cost the company thousands, even millions, of dollars, or worse, our job
• we are given deadlines to submit our web addresses or hard copy print outs to prepare us for the working world; we cannot put off our assignments now as we can't do it in the future

• this course will be introducing us to the field of architectural engineering
• we will be producing detailed drawings, working in teams, and given assignments that will challenge us
• it is a first glance at what the field is like