A framework for an Architectural Collaborative Design

… of eCAADe 01 …, 2001

. This type of design implies the simultaneous activity of specialists in different fields, often working a considerable distance apart, on increasingly distributed design studies. Collaborative Architectural Design comprises a vast field of studies that embraces also these sectors and problems. To mention but a few: communication among operators in the building and design sector; design process system logic architecture; conceptual structure of the building organism; building component representation; conflict identification and management; sharing of knowledge; and also, user interface; global evaluation of solutions adopted; IT definition of objects; inter-object communication (in the IT sense). The point of view of the research is that of the designers of the architectural artefact ; its focus consists of the relations among the various design operators and among the latter and the information exchanged: the Building Objects. Its primary research goal is thus the conceptual structure of the building organism for the purpose of managing conflicts and developing possible methods of resolving them.

Information about products for the construction industry is increasingly often provided to designers in digital ways that enable them to apply the information directly in the design process. Digital product catalogues are provided using various media and formats and several initiatives are taken by the industry and by CAD developers to integrate this kind of information into CAD systems. Generally, current practice is to distribute the information to designers, for example, by using CD-ROMs or a website where the information can be downloaded. In our research, we recognise that distributing information in this manner detaches it from the business processes in the construction supply chain, which is a major disadvantage.

2001

The architectural design business is marked by a progressive increase in operators all cooperating towards the realization of building structures and complex infrastructures (Jenckes, 1997). This type of design implies the simultaneous activity of specialists in different fields, often working a considerable distance apart, on increasingly distributed design studies. Collaborative Architectural Design comprises a vast field of studies that embraces also these sectors and problems. To mention but a few: communication among operators in the building and design sector; design process system logic architecture; conceptual structure of the building organism; building component representation; conflict identification and management; sharing of knowledge; and also, user interface; global evaluation of solutions adopted; IT definition of objects; inter-object communication (in the IT sense). The point of view of the research is that of the designers of the architectural artefact (Simon, 199...

2009

The constant increase of the complexity of the building process is generally accompanied by a parallel general reduction of product quality, commonly ascribed to the inadequacy of the routine design methods and tools. In facts these ones make their overall integration more difficult and impose serious constraints on design creativity, while they do not help design considered as 'the ability to choose from different solutions'. It is generally recognized that the solution of the problem lies in efficient forms of collaboration among all the actors involved in a project. However none of the forms and tools proposed hitherto has been found satisfactory. The essay shows how the essential basis of all forms of collaboration lie in the representation and management of the knowledge activated along the design process. It subsequently illustrates an innovative distributed Knowledge-based system that allows effective and creative collaboration among the actors. By virtue of the interoperability established among the various semantic universes it enhances the level and the quality of the exchanged information among the actors while managing not to change their operating modes.

2009

The scientific context The present paper addresses ongoing research on Collaborative Design. The proposed model, the resulting system and its implementation refer mainly to architectural and building design in the modes and forms in which it is carried on in advanced design offices. The model, which may actually be used effectively also in other environments, simultaneously simulates: • structure of the networked architectural design process (operators, activities, phases and resources); • required knowledge (distributed and functional to the operators and the process phases). The article focuses on the first aspect of the model: the relationship that exists among the various 'actors' involved (according to the STEP-ISO definition, Wix, 1997) during the various stages of its development (McKinney and Fischer, 1998) and the design process. Only this aspect of Collaborative Design touches on a number of different problems on which a number of different research teams are working: database structure, homogeneity of the Knowledge Bases and their construction (Galle, 1995), the representation of the IT datum (Carrara et al., 1994;

Architectural cooperative design as well as information modeling have been active research areas for several decades. The use of systems adapted to the cooperative design assistance for the building domain is complex. This results from the complexity of the cooperative work (difficulties in tracking actor's work, lack of most of the required information, coordination problems, implicit nature of most of the construction activities, etc.) The main objective of our research in these domains is to develop a tool that helps the management of a building project and aids cooperative design. So, in the first part of this article, we propose to view the exchanging data mode and cooperation tools in the building domain. The second part of this article illustrates the existing cooperative design models. Then we justify the interest shown in a new model of cooperative design where the relational organization of the project and the semantic meaning of works are taken into account. Finally, we use this new model for defining a design-aided tool, to deduce advantages and limits of the "Virtual Cooperative Project".

Blucher Design Proceedings, 2023

Next to the advantages of consistent 3D planning, the Building Information Modeling (BIM) method also places new demands on the actors and thus primarily causes a change in the way of working. Against this background the paper discusses the development of the web-based BIM platform INTERCOM for collaborative planning processes in academia and AEC that enables monitoring, processing and assessment in a location and time independent environment. In addition to the technical advantages, a deeper, active and flexible discussion is intended to be created, involving all project partners. As such, INTERCOM is based on the openBIM idea and provides open access for all participants with a high degree of networking for solving complex planning tasks. The research showcases a further development of a previously implemented prototype and discusses the findings from the first academic projects, focussing on the collaborative workflow and the decision making throughout the design process.

Globalisation and international competition force the AEC industry to change its work and collaboration practices. The traditional way of working is evolving into a more integrated process, and the traditional use of " synchronised passive " files and paper-based communication is being replaced with ICT based solutions. Currently, the AEC community is at an intermediate stage, i.e., it is shifting to " online " electronic documents. In this paper, a new concept called " eDocument " (eDoc) is introduced. The eDoc project is a cooperative effort in order to develop and implement a generic dynamically structured, multimedia, multi-channel, and multimodal information system as a means for communication in AEC projects. The major innovation in the concept is that, although it uses a repository, the focus is on the " logical and physical " specifications of the eDoc concept as a shared tele-workspace that is accessible through multiple platforms. 1 RATIONALE AND BACKGROUND The Architecture, Engineering & Construction (AEC) industry has a rich history of collaboration, even within a competitive market. Globalisation and internationalisation, however, supported by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), are forcing the industry to change, especially in the way industry members work and collaborate. In a struggle to become more agile, traditionally well-defined and understood control hierarchies and relationships are making place for more ad hoc and intricate collaborative processes that are not as easily planned and controlled. At the same time, the traditional use of " synchronised passive " files and paper-based communication is being replaced with ICT based solutions, and information processes in design and construction are becoming more integrated.

The cooperation between the various disciplines interacting in an architectural design process is often inadequate or lacking. This is due to the growing complexity of building design processes involving many experts from different disciplines, having a different knowledge background, view and approach to solutions for design and construction. This lack of collaboration is usually shown by the next aspects; a lack of integration in the team, knowledge gaps between design and construction, failing flows of information and communication and feedback between designers and practitioners. In order to increase the potential of creating better integral design concepts, practitioners tend to use support tools. A design management approach to support design teams integrally in order to improve collaboration and affecting communication needs to focus better on the process aspects of conceptual design. Such a design management approach should easily link all necessary information and knowledge of the involved disciplines (architects, engineers, contractors). To that account in this paper, a support tool is presented that stimulates members of design teams to use collectively a specific method for collaborative design that incorporates the characteristics of an integrated product model. The aim of the management intervention is to support design activities by the use of a framework for the design process to structure information and knowledge exchange between and with commitment of all participants to optimize design solutions. This method, the so called Morphological Overviews, is based on Morphological Charts. The concept will be explained on its functioning and be discussed by the results and insights gained through a series of Workshops executed in the period 2005-2008 with practitioners from the Dutch Construction Industry. Also is discussed how partly, elements of this approach can be used in architectural design management. The paper finalizes with conclusions and recommendations for further research.