2024. May 03.
BTC week - MSc in Construction Information Technology Engineering
In the second year of the MSc in Construction Information Technology Engineering, our students are involved in a wide range of areas of digitalization in the AEC industry, including sensor network construction and application, programming, BIM, complex building electrical and HVAC systems, sustainability and energy efficiency. In the spring semester, the second semester of the course, students participated in a one-week internship at the BME Knowledge Centre in Balatonfüred. They had the opportunity to install microcontroller-based sensors (that they studied in the previous semester) in different rooms of the BTC building, collecting and recording a variety of big data using cloud solutions. They were able to study the BTC's building structure, building electrical and HVAC systems.
In addition to the BTC building, the purpose of the externship was also to get students away from the life in Budapest, from their classroom studies and to focus on solving a problem or a task in teams for days, and to develop non-technical competences. The BTC days were very intensive, typically starting before 9am and returning after 6pm, with meals being provided at the BTC - the building is fully equipped in this respect (kitchen with microwave, coffee machine and fridge). The students were organised into teams, joined by two colleagues from one of our sponsors, CÉH ZRt., who were able to gain useful new knowledge as part of a team throughout the week, while their experience in industry was a great help to the BME students. During the week, the students also participated in interactive, off-site lessons on the building's boundary structures, electrical and HVAC systems, which contributed greatly to deepening their knowledge of the subject. In order to understand the building physics context through their own experience, the teams were provided with modern building diagnostic tools to run dynamic energy simulations later in the semester based on their measurements. A strong emphasis was placed on documentation, with the teams documenting all their activities with pictures and videos, and on the last day of the BTC week they presented their weekly work and further ideas. We are confident that what we have learned during BTC week has not only developed competences that can be used in industry, but will also serve as the basis for many TDK and diploma theses. The data collected during the BTC week will be processed, analyzed and evaluated by the students for the rest of the semester.
Students were asked about their expectations at the beginning of the project week and about their experiences at the end. Without exception, they found this teaching methodology very useful, highlighting the effectiveness of sustained concentration on a single task in the learning process, the development of transversal skills, especially teamwork and cooperation. The lecturers also found the BTC week very useful and effective, it was also an experience for them, and based on their experience, the relevant subjects will be improved in the fall semester, incorporating the students' feedback.
The students' work was mentored on site by 2-3 instructors per day, but the emphasis was on consultation support rather than continuous supervision. The accommodation of 18 students and 3 instructors and the provision of sensors and equipment for the measurements is expensive, but this was supported by the Faculty of Civil Engineering's partners committed to digitalization in the construction industry, and we thank them for their help!
- CÉH Design, Investment and Development Ltd,
- KÉSZ Group,
- Market Építő Zrt. - Market Group,
- NEO Property Services Zrt.
We are confident that the BTC week’s outstandingly positive experiences will be incorporated as good practice into the training programmes of many more areas!
Tamás Lovas – Árpád Barsi – Balázs Nagy – Zoltán Nagy– Levente Szatmári – Nurlan Aliyev
