Collaborative Design as an Experimental Multidisciplinary Approach to Develop Computer Aided Architectural Design (CAAD) Courses

This study demonstrates an overview of the state of teaching Computer Aided Architectural Design (CAAD) in the Department of Architecture, Misr Academy for Engineering and Technology (MET). This course is basically designed to enable students to explore new ways of design using Computer Aided Architectural Design software. In hypothetical valuation analysis, the study examines the necessity of combining ICT with architectural coursesi teaching in a collaborative design manner. In this sense, it tackles an experimental multidisciplinary approach to develop CAAD courses. It focuses on the innovation of the course by the introduction of ICT both in the contents of the course and as a means of education. To attain its goals stated above, the paper discusses the differences between teaching CAAD by using standard software and teaching the principles of CAAD. It distinguishes four-interdisciplinary system of application for collaborative design in education: social systems, professional systems, educational systems, and innovative systems. This exploration is seldom backed up from a design methodological viewpoint. The conclusion shows how the developed CAAD course, when taught in combination with ICT and collaborative design approaches may result in favorable learning outcomes.