About Me- Isabel Brooks

My name is Isabel Brooks, but most people call me Izzy! I am a senior mechanical engineering major, with a minor in business administration.

I worked at PECO for my first co-op, which is not entirely relevant to intelligent buildings but did expose me to a few different types of databases. My previous two co-ops were at ICS Consulting and Burns Engineering; both of which most of my work was in mechanical systems design (HVAC, plumbing, fire protection) in commercial and higher education buildings.

My expectations for the class include learning more about the technological advancements in the building industry in order to be more prepared for my career in the future, as well as gaining a little more Revit knowledge being that Revit is an up and coming software in my field.

The Evernote search I found to be most interesting was entitled "Smart Homes Won't Just Automate Your Life -They'll Track Your Health Too". The article discusses an optical sensor Google is developing that monitors cardiovascular health, with the intention of installing it in people's home bathroom mirrors.  Additionally, other companies are incorporating wearable devices that monitor certain biometric markers on the individual and adjust the buildings systems accordingly.  For example, if the wearable device senses the user is developing a fever it might signal the HVAC system to increase airflow and reduce home temperature.

My initial definition for an intelligent building is as follows: an intelligent building is a structure that incorporates smart technology into its systems that is capable of reading/analyzing data regarding different environmental conditions, and adjusting settings within the home accordingly. Intelligent building attributes can be found in the actual building construction, or its internal systems.