Architectural design-by-features

Design tasks, in particular architectural design tasks, have been found hard to support by means of computers. The main reason for this is that design is a problem solving process, which requires a dynamic way of handling information involved in the design process. The research presented in this paper focuses on this aspect of CAAD: the support of design tasks with dynamic, flexible information modelling techniques. The basic concepts for the developed approach is taken from the field of Feature-based modelling. We briefly review these concepts and then interpret and transport them to the context of architectural design. In defining types of Features, a distinction is made between domain-specific Features and generic Features for which we propose a classification. A framework for the definition and modelling of Features is discussed as well as a prototype Feature-based Modelling Shell based on this framework

On the Management of Sharing Design, Knowledge

This paper presents the approach and results of a research project that develops an environment for sharing design knowledge. The project implements a design modelling approach that allows designers to capture design concepts into formally defined typologies. With these, designers can build flexible design models and have full control over definitions and structures used to represent design concepts. The presented research project uses this dynamic modelling approach in the development of Design Knowledge Servers that function in a network to provide a distributed multi-user environment for sharing design knowledge. Such a network serves the requirements of collaborative design and is useful for other purposes, such as publication of formalised product datasheets. The paper briefly provides the background of the knowledge modelling approach underlying this project and describes the design and implementation issues of the Design Knowledge Servers and the services they provide

Supporting collaboration design by type recognition and knowledge sharing

In collaborative design projects, designers are required to share and identify design knowledge, which is an aspect of design that can benefit significantly from formalisation of design knowledge. On the other hand, working with formalised design knowledge should not impede the creativity in design by restricting the design process and limiting the freedom of manipulating design information. The research project reported in this article provides an approach to design modelling that manifests a high level of flexibility and extensibility of the formalised design knowledge. The design process is supported in this approach by tools that help identify the design rationale through type recognition and by Internet-based services that allow designers to share design models and design knowledge in a well-structured manne

A Distributed Object Model for CSCW in the Construction Industry

Information about products for the construction industry is increasingly often provided to designers in digital ways that enable them to apply the information directly in the design process. Digital product catalogues are provided using various media and formats and several initiatives are taken by the industry and by CAD developers to integrate this kind of information into CAD systems. Generally, current practice is to distribute the information to designers, for example, by using CD-ROMs or a website where the information can be downloaded. In our research we recognise that distributing information in this manner detaches it from the business processes in the construction supply chain, which is a major disadvantage. The project presented in this paper concerns the implementation in the Dutch construction industry of a methodology for sharing product information through a distributed object model. The methodology, which is called Concept Modelling, forms a generic basis for the support of collaborative design, but is applied in this project to the integration of information from the supply chain in the design process. Through the distributed object model, design information and product information can be integrated while the actual data objects remain at their source. This enables the supply chain to provide information of a high semantic level to designers while keeping the control over the information and maintaining the relationship of the information with their business processes. The advantages of this approach in which information is shared, rather than exchanged, are numerous. Redundancy of information is minimised, consistency is improved, and updated information is available immediately. Moreover, design and construction processes can benefit significantly from the dynamic aspects of accessing information that is tied to business processes in the supply chain. For example, product selection during design can be based on latest information on product details, prices, production methods, and variants of products. This information can be provided to designers automatically and on demand

An Ontology Web Language Notation of the Industry Foundation Classes

In this paper we describe and discuss an OWL notation of IFCs, its advantages over generic XML schema representation, its various fields of possible application, and our implementation of it in a multi-agent framework

Design Studio of the Future

New communication media enable new design technologies. To investigate the mutual influence of a new medium like Virtual Reality (VR) and architectural design technologies, a laboratory called ‘the design studio of the future’ is established. In due time a design system will be developed offering different design technologies in an integrated environment. Interfaces within VR will support various approaches to the design problem. A large research program (Virtual Reality - Distributed Interactive Systems) is carried out to provide state-of-the-art tools for designers to experiment and to give feed back on the results

Virtual Reality Design Information System : distributed interactive simulation

no abstrac

Invariance of the relativistic one-particle distribution function

The one-particle distribution function is of importance both in non-relativistic and relativistic statistical physics. In the relativistic framework, Lorentz invariance is possibly its most fundamental property. The present article on the subject is a contrastive one: we review, discuss critically, and, when necessary, complete, the treatments found in the standard literature