The main strand of research throughout the work of our group has been to explore how digital methods can be used to support participatory design, and collaboration within teams.
This initially manifested itself in the use of early digital photographic manipulation (using Photoshop in the early 1990s), which quickly developed into research concerning the use of 3D modelling (initially through 3D Max) and the use of online surveys. Many of the barriers faced by the research at that time were technical, in that digital photography and modelling were extremely time consuming, and required high specification hardware. Of greater concern when using online surveys was the fact that most internet users were reliant on (what would now be regarded as bizarrely slow) dial up connections, and use of the web was not yet widespread across society. These factors conspired to limit the reach and applicability of the research methods, especially given the desire to use them to encourage and support engagement.
At a similar time, predictions within the construction industry tended towards the notion that many tasks and processes (both procedural and creative) would most likely become automated in the very near future, and that the ways in which we could and would use digital models would focus on information rich approaches to working. Nevertheless, one could not really avoid the fact that software and hardware to allow data capture, modelling, data use and application were limited, and that education of the main disciplines in construction was still far from having a focus on digital means of working.
The millennium came and went, though, the world did not end due to the Y2K bug, and we have found ourselves in a world where high-speed internet has become pervasive, methods to capture data about the world around us (scanning, sensors, photogrammetry) have become increasingly accessible, and the construction, planning and asset management industries have been transformed by the advent of BIM.
I have tried to capture some of the key stages of these developments, which go back much further than many might imagine, in Digital Participation and Collaboration in Architectural Design. Within the pages I argue that collaboration and participation require strategies and dedication of their own, which cannot be served up by technology, but which most certainly can be supported by the software and hardware solutions which have emerged. I have also included many examples from studies with which I and my colleagues have been involved, to provide some kind of illustration and context for the discussion.
Richard Laing
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