Ulrich Flemming

Integrated of software environment for building design and construction

A prototype system, the Integrated Building Design Environment (IBDE), has been implemented to act as a testbed for a number of issues that arise from the need to integrate computer aids for the design and construction of buildings. The seven programs that comprise IBDE are briefly described. Issues such as knowledge representation, data organization, intercommunication, implementation and control are discussed.

The strategic use of CAD: an empirically inspired, theory-based course

The inefficient use of complex computer systems has been widelyreported. These studies show the persistence of inefficient methodsdespite many years of experience and formal training. To counteractthis phenomenon, we present the design of a new course, called theStrategic Use of CAD. The course aims at teaching studentsefficient strategies to use a computer-aided drafting systemthrough a two-pronged approach. Learning to See teaches students torecognize opportunities to use efficient strategies by studying thenature of the task, and Learning to Do teaches students toimplement the strategies. Results from a pilot experiment show thatthis approach had a positive effect on the strategic behavior ofstudents who did not exhibit knowledge of efficient strategiesbefore the class, and had no effect on the strategic behavior ofthose who did. Strategic training can thus assist users inrecognizing opportunities to use efficient strategies. We presentthe ramifications of these results on the design of training andfuture experiments.

CAD usage in an architectural office: from observations to active assistance

The functionality and resources provided by CAD systems have been increasing rapidly, but productivity growth expected from their use has been difficult to achieve. Although many surveys describe this productivity puzzle, few studies have been conducted on actual CAD users to understand its causes. In an effort to arrive at such an understanding, the first author visited a federal architectural office and observed CAD users in their natural setting. This paper describes preliminary results obtained from the study, which used ethnographic techniques developed by cultural anthropologists. The study revealed that users had leveled-off in their learning and experimentation and were using the CAD system in suboptimal ways. By asking why users were not using many resources available to them to improve performance, the observer uncovered issues of communication and management that needed to be addressed. Based on this understanding, the authors provide explicit recommendations to CAD users and vendors. In addition, they hypothesize that users might benefit from a system that provides active assistance, that is, intervenes spontaneously with advice, assistance, and relevant information while the user interacts with the CAD system. They conclude with some issues revealed by the study that should be considered when developing such active assistance.

Mismatched metaphor: user vs system moeel in computer-aided drafting

Abstract We report findings from an extensive study of the users of a Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) system. Our observations suggest that the CAD system is used inefficiently, because users approach computer-aided drafting from a T-square metaphor reflecting their past experience with traditional drawing media. This prevents them from discovering and using effectively powerful system commands that have no equivalent in manual techniques. These findings suggest that we should rethink the ways in which CAD users are trained and manuals are written, and that we introduce CAD users to a more strategic use of CAD, particularly to a Detail/Aggregate/Manipulate (DAM) strategy that takes advantage of the compositional logic underlying a design.

Design space navigation in generative design systems

Generative design systems make it easier for designers to generate and explore design alternatives, but the amount of information generated during a design session can become very large. Intelligent navigation aids are needed if designers wish to access the information they generate with ease. We present a comprehensive approach to support information navigation in requirement-driven generative design systems, which gain their power form explicit representations of design requirements, which in turn add to the information generated by the system. Our approach takes into account studies dealing with human spatial cognition, wayfinding in physical environments, and information navigation in electronic media. We structure the information to be accessed in terms of a five-dimensional design space model that applies across generative design systems of the type considered here. The model structure supports basic generic navigation operations along its five dimensions. We validated the model in the context of the SEED-Layout system and used it to extend the built-in navigation tools of the system through novel ones, which we subjected to a limited usability study. The study suggests that these tools have promise and warrant further investigation.

A hybrid representation of architectural precedents

Abstract We present a hybrid representation of architectural precedents that separates precedent instances from the concepts they embody, where the concepts are defined in terms of multiple classification taxonomies. The representation allows us to combine the classical view of concept acquisition with aspects of the probabilistic and exemplar views and to organize the database into the equivalents of “episodic” and “semantic” memory. A first application and test context is provided by the Software Environment to Support Early Building Design (SEED), where precedents are used as prototypes and cases. But the representation is flexible enough to support the use of precedents in other application contexts.

Knowledge representation and acquisition in the LOOS system

Abstract LOOS is a generative expert system for the design of two-dimensional layouts of rectangles that can be adapted to different domains. The system is able to systematically enumerate alternative solutions with interesting trade-offs, taking into account a broad spectrum of criteria and practical concerns. The paper describes the overall architecture of the system, in which domain knowledge is incorporated as test rules , and adaptations to two domains, the remodelling of residential kitchens and the layout of service cores for high-rise office buildings. It argues that domain knowledge is particularly easy to elicit, represent and use in this form and indicates directions for further research based on the experience gained in the two domains.

Information Sharing in Building Design

We address information modeling and exchange in asynchronous, distributed collaboration between software applications or design agents that are heterogeneous, that is, developed independently based on application-specific data models. We identify the requirements an integration environment must satisfy if it is to support the semantically correct exchange of selected, locally generated information between the agents. These requirements are distilled from both the literature and our own experiments with the Object Modeling Language OML. The resulting requirements were then formalized into an information modeling and exchange environment constructed around the modeling language called SPROUT (supported by a compiler) and an associated software architecture that can be targeted toward many different hardware and software platforms. A unique capability supported in this environment is formal support for integrating existing applications: Given a schematic description in SPROUT, a formal specification can be used to generate computer programs that provably map data to and from the applications.

Yes, and by the way … thoughts on “Whither design space?”

Having no fundamental difficulties with Woodbury and Burrows article, I explore some implications of their work based on my experience, and that of PhD students advised by me, with developing design support systems. I suggest that such systems need a distinct task layer on top of the computational layer, where the power of a system rests. I also express unease with some details of the article under review, in the hope of contributing to a wider discussion.

A Prototype Environment for Integrated Design and Construction Planning of Buildings

Abstract The dispersed nature of the construction industry raises communication issues that are exacerbated by the increased use of computer programs. Integration of the various disciplines and computer programs requires more than the transfer of geometric data. This paper presents an integrated computer environment in which knowledge-based systems communicate through a blackboard and a central, global database representing the design solution.