Design through Digital Interaction : Computing, Communication and Collaboration in Design

This work provides an introduction for architects, designers and software developers to the emerging field of Computer Supported Collaborative Design (CSCD), which is becoming the most effective way to develop new building projects.

The times when architects and other designers embarked on the solitary process of developing a design are long gone. Their work has been radically effected by new advances in Information Technology, which are now allowing individuals from very different disciplines to work collaboratively to develop new projects. This book provides an introduction to this emerging field of Computer Supported Collaborative Design (CSCD), presenting a survey of recent experiments in computer-supported collaborative drawing and design activities, and assessing their implications. The studies explore teamwork in building design, where team members collaborate to achieve a coherent architectural whole. The book shows that some kinds of flexible generic frameworks or emergent common metaphors can be employed to sustain group dynamism in design through a project's lifetime. Digital networking is the foundation for the development of all CSCD applications. This book presents a basic typology of networking upon which collaborative computing systems can be built and operated and is the first book to meet the subject matter as a whole in a single coherent volume.