Thomas Kvan

Collaborative design: what is it?

Abstract Collaborative activities are an important application of computer technology now that telecommunications infrastructure has been established to support it. There are many students in schools of architecture who are undertaking collaborative projects using the Internet and many practices who work together exchanging files and interacting on shared digital models. Software vendors are developing tools to support such collaboration. But what are we doing? What is the nature of collaboration and what are the implications for tools that support this work?

The pedagogy of virtual design studios

Abstract Virtual design studios (VDS) are proliferating as schools of architecture experiment with the technology of the Internet. Discussions about VDS typically focus on technological issues — which hardware, what software — or environments — MOOs, ftp. Recently, some papers have been written on the perceptual issues and the social aspects of remote design collaborations, thus contributing to some of the contextual issues within which virtual studios are conducted. This paper contributes another perspective, presenting a review of the pedagogical issues raised in a VDS. It examines the difficulties and opportunities that present themselves in teaching a VDS.

Rapid prototyping for architectural models

Rapid prototyping (RP) technology has developed as a result of the requirements of manufacturing industry. There are a number of other application areas where RP has been used to good effect and one of these is architectural modelling. However, such application areas often have different requirements from what is offered by the current technology. This paper describes work carried out by the authors to investigate potential applications for architectural modelling, as well as an attempt to explore the limits of the technology. It will go on to discuss how the technology may be developed to better serve the requirements of architects.

Designing collaborative environments for strategic knowledge in design

This paper considers aspects of strategic knowledge in design and some implications for designing in collaborative environments. Two key questions underline the concerns. First, how can strategic knowledge for collaborative design be taught and second, what kind of computer-based collaborative designing might best support the learning of strategic knowledge? We argue that the support of learning of strategic knowledge in collaborative design by computer-mediated means must be based upon empirical evidence about the nature of learning and design practice in the real world. This evidence suggests different ways of using computer support for design learning and acquisition of strategic design knowledge. Examples of research by the authors that seeks to provide that evidence are described and an approach to computer system design and evaluation proposed.

Expertise, collaboration and bandwidth

This paper describes de results of a study evaluating the effects of computer mediation on collaboratively solving architectural design problems. Pairs of graduate design students were asked to work on a landscape architecture design problem via computer terminals. In one condition they were allowed to communicate with an electronic whiteboard and a chat-line while in the other, the chat-line was substituted with videoconferencing (real-time video and audio). The protocols were evaluated according to two models. First, they were coded according to the pattern of collaboration, distinguishing meta-planning, negotiation; evaluation, and individual work No differences were found between the two groups when coded this way. The protocols were also coded in terms of the problem-solving content, distinguishing task-related exchanges, interface related exchanges, low-level design exchanges, and highlevel design exchanges. The results showed that in the bandwidth-limited chat-line condition, participants cut down task and interface-related as well as low-level design exchanges but attempted to maintain the same amount of high-level design exchanges. When de final designs wene evaluated by professional architects, no differences were found between two conditions indicating that chat-line participants implicitly compensate for the narrower bandwidth interface.

Spatial Understanding in Immersive Virtual Environments

In this study, we examined the perception and understanding of spatial volumes within immersive and non-immersive virtual environments by comparison with representation using conventional media. We examined the relative effectiveness of these conditions in enabling the translation to a tangible representation, through a series of design experiments. Students experienced, assessed, and analysed spatial relationships of volumes and spaces and subsequently constructed real models of these spaces. The goal of our study is to identify how designers perceive space in Virtual Environments (VEs). We explore issues of quality, accuracy and understanding of reconstructing architectural space and forms. By comparison of the same spatial performance task undertaken within a Head Mounted Display, screen-based and real 2D environment, we are able to draw some conclusions about spatial understanding in immersive VE activity.

A virtual community as the context for discursive interpretation: a role in cultural heritage engagement.

Increasing recognition is being accorded to the important role of digital media in the management of heritage. Although little explored, there is significant potential for virtual communities to contribute to the interpretation of heritage and engender a sense of place. By way of a case study, the authors examine the theoretical and practical aspects of engaging members of the public in the collection and interpretation of cultural heritage in Hong Kong.

Supporting design studio learning: an investigation into design communication in computer-supported collaboration

Earlier studies suggest that benefits may be found in chat line communication rather than high bandwidth video-conferencing conditions when considering collaborative design learning. This paper draws together studies that look at this conjecture and concludes that chat line collaboration reduces fixation in problem space exploration. This encourages the participants to explore design opportunities in a different way than graphical or video based communication.

The experience of burnout among future construction professionals: a cross-national study

A survey of undergraduate students in Australia and Hong Kong revealed that a specially adapted version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (the MBI‐SS) possesses good internal consistency reliability among construction students. A three‐component model of student burnout, comprising emotional exhaustion, cynicism and personal efficacy was supported in both the Australian and Hong Kong samples. Burnout levels among construction students were similar to those reported in previous non‐construction student samples. Both Australian and Hong Kong construction students reported higher personal efficacy than non‐construction students. Australian students expressed considerably higher cynicism in relation to their university education than the Hong Kong students. The three dimensions of burnout were differentially correlated with work, study and socio‐economic variables. In Australia, student burnout was associated with a perceived tension between paid work and study. In Hong Kong, the demands of study and concern with the economy were significant correlates of student burnout.

An Analysis of Problem Framing in Multiple Settings

Concerns have been expressed that digital tools disrupt the design process. Schon identifies the importance of problem framing in both design practice and design education. In this paper we use teamwork protocol analysis to examine the problem framing activities of architecture students to identify differences in framing activities in three different design settings, namely online co-located, online remote and paper-based co-located. In order to encode these design activities, we first developed Schon’s model of “reflective conversation with the situation” into “framing”, “moving”, and “reflecting”. The “framing -moving — reflecting” model is adopted as first coding scheme to examine framing activities. Furthermore we use Minsky’s frame system as second coding scheme to investigate the different types of problem framing activities. We find that paper based design tools can afford marginally more design communications than digital based tools; however, the proportion of framing activities in online remote setting is higher than others. Implication of these findings is discussed.