What Didn't We Do

June 26, 2019

Busy Day

After breakfast, we headed to Beijing University of Architecture and Engineering. As we drove onto campus we saw students with a total station, and it brought back memories of surveying camp. I keep thinking how different American and Chinese culture are, but at the same time, they can be so similar.

We were greeted by the Dean of the school and some Chinese students who are in our building science program at Auburn. After we were led to a conference room, Ms. Wong, a BIM manager for China Construction Company 2, did a presentation about BIM and how they are utilizing the programs in the Chinese construction industry.

Dr. Azhar also presented. He talked about mixed reality and the research we're doing at Auburn. He explained a study where students used traditional plans to building a bathroom mockup vs. students who used mixed reality.

Next we visited their BIM and VR lab. They had this safety course on the VR our students got to try out. It simulated a worker not tied off properly and falling off the building while trying to install some guard railing. They also had a lot of 3D printing, and later took us to see a giant Buddha that they printed.

Everyone we met was so nice, and at lunch they had some extra sandwiches for us in case we didn't like the Chinese food they were offering. We got to talk more with the students who are in our classes in Auburn, and those who want to go to Auburn. One girl, Ann, was really excited. She was a business student and told us her dream was to go to Auburn.

Company 2

Next, they set up a site visit for us. The job is being built by China's Construction Company 2, and it has 35 project team members with 7 smaller departments. The whole site will have 12 residential high rise buildings, but they were only working on a portion of the project. As we drove up there must have been nearly 30 tower cranes. It was all we could see. The project has 2 private owners and costs around 217 million yuan. Each unit will sell for around 3-4 million yuan, or they can be rented for around 4000 yuan/month.

The project is around 45,000 square meters below grade and 82,000 square meters above grade. 65% of the project is pre-fab, and all the building will be sustainable. The different buildings varied from 6 floors to 17 and this was mainly because different buildings would be rented or sold for different prices. For the 12 buildings construction company 2 is responsible for, they had 9 tower cranes, and 3-7 truckloads of pre-fab pieces delivered daily. The panels used in design are standard sizes, so orders are put in 2 days in advance. They use QR codes to track and can send back any damaged pieces. It takes only 7 days to construct an entire floor.

Student Guides

After the site visit, some of the students gave us a quick tour of campus. There was a lake in the middle that was really pretty. They also had some really cool architecture. A few of the buildings, including the library, had a shell type casing instead of a typical facade.

Close to Home

Later that night a few of us ate dinner at the French restaurant next door. I got beef tenderloin with prawns and it was delicious. I'm really enjoying the Chinese cuisine, but it was nice to switch it up a little bit.