Optioneering in Collaborative Design Practice

Abstract

The discourse about computational support of collaborative architectural design has in recent years mainly focused on the topic of Building Information Modeling (BIM). In this paper, the method of 'optioneering' is presented that, in contrast to current BIM capabilities, assists designers and consultants to resolve design problems through integrated analyses across disciplines in the early stages of design. Although the method of 'optioneering' has only recently been adapted in building practice, it has been preceded by manifold efforts by researchers in the field of design and computation over the past two decades. At the end of this paper the computational framework 'DesignLink' will be discussed. 'DesignLink' supports 'optioneering' in the design stages before BIM becomes effective and it is currently being developed and used to support performance optimisation of building projects in practice.

BIM's Seven Deadly Sins

“…Considering the type of work currently supported by the main BIM software platform, users witness a strong push by software providers to create all-round tools that can assist designers in their creative processes from early conceptual design all the way to the delivery of projects. Identified as a shortcoming in BIM [22], mass modelling and conceptual design has seen particular progress over the past years with numerous tools being developed that allow users to overlay and interface virtual concept models with basic building performance feedback.…”

Custom Digital Workflows: A New Framework for Design Analysis Integration

“…The question of interoperability has long been vexing the AEC industry. While computational systems for design-analysis integration, for example PACE [22], SEMPER [23] and P3 [24], have been the subject of research for decades and instrumental in establishing a foundation for current integration efforts, they have largely not been adopted in practice.Their inability to support the ad hoc workflows experienced on real projects [25] is a problem similarly observed in integration practices today, both of which can be attributed to implementation of an interoperability approach based on a common data schema. By imposing inflexible standards for data representation and exchange, restrictions are placed on the software and processes that can be supported, and severe limitations are inflicted on the ways in which designs can be described and explored.To overcome these limitations, we are proposing that direct communication between different data schemas facilitated by an open mapping approach -rather than communication via a multi-domain schema -is the preferred and even necessary arrangement.…”

An integrated geospatial approach for repurposing wind turbine blades

“…Design fixation can be avoided by providing designers with technical expertise, and by teaming novice designers with experienced designers (Hilton et al, 2015;Holzer et al, 2007a). An integrative design process that simultaneously considers social, environmental and economic considerations has been proposed (Bantayan and Bishop, 1998;Blizzard and Klotz, 2012;Holzer et al, 2010).…”