Teaching Reform of Building Construction Course under the Background of New Digital Technology

Haoran LENG1*, Wenhui CUI1, Hui WANG

1. College of City Construction, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China; 2. No.8 Primary School of Xiushui County, Xiushui 332400, China

Abstract With the advent of the information age, all walks of life have paid more and more attention to the development and application of digital technology. At the same time, the construction industry, which is a traditionally important industry, is not an exception. A series of high- tech digital technologies have been widely used in architectural design and construction, such as BIM technology, 3D printing technology, and VR technology. In view of the teaching link of architectural talent training, it is necessary to keep up with the development trend of the digital age, integrate these three kinds of technology into architectural teaching, and impart knowledge to students from planar 2D textbooks to 3D visual digital models, and further transform it from 3D digital to physical perceive or virtual simulation level, and reform teaching methods in all dimensions and in all dimensions to improve teaching effect. In this paper, the feasibility and necessity of integration of the above three architectural digital techniques into the teaching process of "building construction" from the aspects of teaching content, teaching method and teaching evaluation were discussed, and a new teaching model under the background of digital technology was proposed, which has certain teaching reference significance.

Key words BIM, 3D printing, VR digital technology, Building construction, New teaching model

1 Introduction

With the emergence of new words such as Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing, mobile internet, smart terminals, and artificial intelligence, the society is gradually entering a new stage of the information era, and people’s work and lifestyle are also changing accordingly. The progress of the times cannot be separated from the support and drive of high technology. As one of the important technical means in the information age, digital technology has received much attention. As its continuous development, its tremendous impact on all walks of life is still increasing. The construction industry is one of the pillar industries of China’s national economy, its new high- tech digital techniques such as BIM, 3D printing, VR, and digital construction have also begun to enter the design, construction, decoration, and management links to promote the upgrading of the construction industry. For the sustainable development of the construction industry, the cultivation of architectural talents should keep pace with the times, and new architectural digital technology must be integrated into the teaching of architecture major faster and better. In this paper, the integration of three digital techniques such as BIM, 3D printing and VR into the traditional teaching of "building construction" course was discussed, and a feasible new teaching model was proposed to meet the needs of talent training in the new era.

2 Current situation and problems of "building construction" course

As a professional basic course in architecture, "building construction" focuses on the structural composition of buildings and the combination principle and construction method of the components. The purpose of its teaching is to cultivate students’ architectural design ability and then realize the material construction of architectural design schemes through material and technical means.

2.1 The knowledge system of the course is complex and difficult to understand"Building construction" is a basic course with strong material substantiality and close combination of construction technology and building materials. The content usually covers all the structural components of a general building, such as foundations, wall columns, doors and windows, floor slabs, roofs, floor elevators and decorations, and the knowledge surface is wide enough. Each component has its own system and needs to be further decomposed according to material type, construction process, use requirements,etc., and the knowledge points are deep enough. Therefore, the knowledge system of the course is complex and has both large and detailed features, which increases the difficulty of learning. At the same time, all the components are inseparable from building materials at the material level. In addition to some common building materials such as cement, steel, glass,etc., there are many kinds of building materials. Due to the lack of perceptual knowledge, students are difficult to understand it.

2.2 Lack of teaching methods and poor effectIn the teaching process of traditional "building construction", the teaching mode of "teacher speaking, student listening" is still used. In the course of teaching, teachers are active "speakers", and students are passive "listeners". The knowledge transmission is one- way passive acceptance, lacking activity links. The curriculum atmosphere is dull, and even students will feel sleepy, so the teaching effect is poor. In recent years, based on the characteristics of "building construction" course and traditional PPT teaching, practical cognitive learning links such as building construction laboratory, building materials market and project site visits have been added, which enriches teaching methods and improves teaching effect to a certain extent, but such practical teaching methods are limited by many factors, and there are considerable limitations.

2.3 Assessment method of the course is single and not comprehensive"Building construction", a compulsory course for students, is assessed usually by a written test at the end of a semester. The questions are generally composed of fill- in- the- blank questions, multiple- choice questions, noun explanations, short- answer questions, and drawing questions. Although a variety of questions are used in the question design of a written test, it is limited by traditional written tests, and generally only facilitates the memory study of knowledge points. However, the assessment of the flexible use of knowledge and hands- on ability is very limited, and the students’ learning outcomes can not be fully reflected. It can be seen that "building construction" is a basic course with equal emphasis on theoretical knowledge and practical skills, and it is extremely necessary to reform and explore the course to improve teaching effectiveness in all directions by enriching teaching process, innovative teaching methods, and reforming assessment methods.

3 Characteristics of new digital technology and advantages of its application in teaching

Digital technology is a technique that is accompanied by electronic computer. It is a technique for converting all types of information (including pictures, texts, sounds, images,etc.) into binary digits "0" and "1" that are recognized by electronic computer, and then computing, processing, storing, transmitting, spreading, and restoring the information. Architecture major and digital technology have been combined for a long time, such as CAD, SkecthUp, and 3Dmax, but these digital techniques only stay at the level of computer- aided design, and the teaching focuses more on the use of software itself. As an auxiliary tool for design, they are used for the expression of two- dimensional drawings and the performance of three- dimensional effects[1]. The three new digital techniques BIM, 3D printing and VR are introduced into the teaching of architecture major. How to use their advantages to serve the teaching is still in the initial exploration stage.

3.1 Characteristics and advantages of BIM technologyBIM is the abbreviation of Building Information Model, which was first proposed by Autodesk. Based on three- dimensional digital technology, BIM integrates engineering data models of various related information of construction engineering projects, and can provide coordinated, internally consistent and operational information for design and construction. BIM has characteristics of information completeness, information relevance, information consistency, visualization, coordination, simulation, optimization and imageability[2]. Among them, the characteristics such as 3D visualization, simulation, and imageability can be applied to the teaching of "building construction".

3.2 Characteristics and advantages of 3D printing technology3D printing technology is commonly known as additive manufacturing technology in the manufacturing industry. The process of 3D printing can be summarized as three steps: model design, slice processing, and layer printing. Firstly, the 3D model of a designed product is drawn by computer, and then a 3D modeling file is converted to a digital file that can be recognized by a 3D printer. Secondly, the 3D printer is driven to layer and superimpose the printed materials according to the requirements of the 3D model design. Finally, a complete three- dimensional processed product is formed. 3D printing has the characteristics of rapid prototyping timeliness and simulation turning falseness into trueness[3]. Among them, the characteristic advantages of physical simulation can be applied to the course teaching of "building construction".

3.3 Features and advantages of VR technologyVR technology uses computer technology to produce real- time dynamic virtual environment, and integrates various techniques such as sensing and simulation, so that users can integrate themselves into the virtual environment through interactive devices to complete immersive experience. The upgraded version of VR technology can even provide all the perceptual abilities of people such as touch and smell[4]. VR is characterized by multi- perception, immersion, interactivity and experience. Among them, the features advantages of the immersion and interactivity can be applied to the course teaching of "building construction"[5].

4 Exploration of a new teaching model integrating with three types of new digital technology

According to the course content and teaching situation of "building construction" as well as the advantages of the three kinds of technology, the following new teaching reform model is proposed as follows: BIM building information model is as the main line, and 3D printing technology and VR technology are as two wings to strengthen the cultivation of practical ability and build a new teaching system of building construction that is in line with the background of the digital information age.

4.1 The main line of teaching——BIM building information modelThe traditional textbooks of building construction are arranged according to the basic components of a building. For example, the foundation and walls are divided into various chapters. The classroom teaching is also performed according to this logic. The original building as a whole is dismantled. Although a single knowledge point is simplified and easy to learn, it is not conducive to the understanding of the integrity and the combination principle between the main components of a building by lower grade students. Buildings often emphasize integrity, which is consistent with the state of buildings in reality. Therefore,it is proposed that BIM technology is used to establish a BIM information model composed a large number of buildings (Fig.1). The model content covers the main basic building components, and on the premise of ensuring the integrity of a building, the basic components of the building are extracted and independently studied, which is both systematic and logically coherent. All macro knowledge points are learned in the three- dimensional visual model environment to make the entire complex building structure system intuitive and easy to understand, fundamentally solving the shortcomings of traditional two- dimensional PPT teaching.

4.2 Two wings of teaching——3D printing technology and VR technologyFor the knowledge types of mesoscopic and microscopic levels (structural nodes), 3D printing technology can transform the virtual 3D models of BIM, SkecthUp, and 3Dmax software into reality, thereby clearly displaying them through the printed miniature models. For example, in the chapter of stairs, there are various forms of stairs, such as straight running, parallel double running, spiral, cross running,etc. Among them, scissor stairs are the most difficult to understand. A BIM model may not cover all types of stairs. In this case, a 3D printer can be used to print a stair miniature model (Fig.2 and Fig.3), and a certain knot is left. Students can not only observe the model, but also assemble the model, which can make them intuitively understanding complete composition of a building component.

Fig.1 BIM model of a kindergarten made by studentsFig.2 Printed miniature model of scissorsstairsFig.3 A desktop-level 3D printerin a studio

Because the production of VR courseware has higher technical requirements and longer cycle, the use of VR technology is mainly focused on the immersive and interactive teaching of key and difficult points. VR technology can introduce macro knowledge, such as roaming inside and outside a building. It can also explain the medium and micro knowledge points, such as the popular exterior wall finishing practices of public buildings——dry hanging stone finishes. Because this kind of decoration practice is a systematic decorative structure, it is generally composed of thermal insulation material, keel, pendant (connecting piece) and natural stone. The structural composition is more complicated, and in the on- site visit mode, only the final decorative finish surface can be seen generally. The internal system is a concealed project, and it cannot be effectively observed after completion. The teaching of such main knowledge points should be performed by VR technology (Fig.4 and Fig.5).

Fig.4 Three-dimensional model of dry hanging stone joint structureFig.5 VR courseware of dry hanging stones

The basic work of the above two techniques is inseparable from the creation of 3D models. BIM technology can be used as model making software, and run throughout the entire new technology, which is consistent with its main line status. 3D printing and VR technology are as an effective supplement. The three coordinate to form an organic whole.

4.3 Training of practical abilityIn order to fundamentally change the passive acceptance status of students in the teaching process in the past, students are required to participate in various links of BIM model modeling, 3D model printing and VR courseware production. The three new teaching digital techniques are not only used as new ways and new means for professional teachers to improve teaching effects, but also the use of relevant digital technology should be popularized among undergraduate students to strengthen students’ practical ability and test theoretical knowledge in practical links. Meanwhile, the proportion of assessment of practical operation ability in the course should be improved to change the shortcomings of a final written test as the sole criterion.

5 Conclusions

The "BIM+3D printing+VR" explored in this paper is integrated into the new mode of building construction teaching, breaking the conventional traditional teaching status. The introduction of new digital technology improves the ease of learning of professional construction knowledge, increases the interest and experience of teaching, mobilizes the initiative of students, strengthen practical teaching, and change the inefficiency, dullness and boring of previous classrooms from the source, makes students become important participants in the teaching process, and finally cultivates architecture technical personnel that suit the needs of the times.