Nowadays, virtual teamwork has become a worldwide trend and Multinational Teams (MNT) remain an essential part of corporations. The cultural difference as the nature of MNTs causes misunderstandings. This research explores the influence of informal communication on team collaboration in MNTs during the early idea-generation phase of interior design projects in a virtual environment. An exploratory research methodology evolved from a combination of research methods. Qualitative data was collected from survey questionnaires and observations of two virtual ideageneration workshops with five participants in each group. According to the analysis, mandatory break time with participatory activities revolving around cultural differences increased informal communication amongst the team, and in turn improved participation and the exchange of ideas during continued collaboration. Informal communication has a positive influence on collaboration of MNTs. The conceptual framework was developed to illustrate its role by connecting the "creation of deeper relations" to "more of collaboration" in MNTs.

This research has been undertaken partly due to the literature review on this subject. Whilst it's accurate to say that there is much contentious debate on the subject of digital modelling and its place in architecture in general, the debate has lessened somewhat in the last decade or so, and the volume of more technically-minded books on the subject suggest a subtle shift away from the original debate of the role of digital modelling on interior architecture, and more towards a tacit acceptance of its presence as a tool for creative invention. This paper seeks to qualify the influence that digital modelling has had on interior architecture, particularly in recent years since its widespread adoption. In particular, it seeks to investigate new forms of interior architecture and design trends that would otherwise not have been possible without digital modelling programs. In order to accomplish this, hypotheses will be formed out of the author's personal experience and works, and a discussion and analysis relevant findings and arguments drawn from conclusions of other authors on the subject will be used to contextualise and frame the hypotheses to see if they stand up to scrutiny.