Virtual Architectural Workspaces Digitally Mediated Collaboration in the Architectural Design Process
Open Access
- Author:
- Kumar, Sonali
- Graduate Program:
- Architecture
- Degree:
- Master of Architecture
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- October 06, 2008
- Committee Members:
- Katsuhiko Muramoto, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Loukas N Kalisperis, Committee Member
Ute Poerschke, Committee Member
S. Shyam Sundar, Committee Member
John Messner, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor - Keywords:
- digital mediation
collaborative learning
Virtual design studio - Abstract:
- Digital technology is a fast-growing, ubiquitous field that has a strong impact on every area of our life and has become an inseparable part of the design process both in academia and practice. In today’s world of globalization, buildings are being designed in distributed settings with a diverse number of specialists across geographical locations. This leads to an increasingly complex design process that is inherently collaborative due to the large number and diversity of professionals who are involved. The goal of the study is to investigate how the present scenario of digital mediation facilitates collaboration during the design process in architectural practice. Since digital mediation for collaboration in design is an emerging phenomenon, an exploratory investigation using mostly qualitative methods of social science research techniques is undertaken. The objective of the study is to understand the phenomenon of digitally mediated collaboration in two distinct contexts: the academic setting and the realm of professional practice. Observations and field study of a Participatory Design Studio between Pennsylvania State University and Carleton University, where student teams worked remotely on their designs was carried out. The next step was to study exemplary conditions or case studies of architectural firms, who are designing projects that require them to employ digital tools for the purpose of design communication over distributed locations. The study examined the nature of collaboration in various stages of the design process and based on this, identified the type of digital tools and media required for design collaboration. Some of the issues related to digital mediation in design such as design idea exchange and representation, teamwork ability in distributed settings and technical issues of bandwidth and interoperability were revealed. The study compared and contrasts between the tools, technology and mode of design in academia and practice and hence, helped to generate a set of guidelines that enable optimum practices for remote design collaboration.