Architecture, Design & Engineering – Archiving Digital Assets: Past, Present and Future

Abstract

For decades, design in the worlds of architecture, design and engineering have been digital and the software tools to support the work operate under a business model of rapid change and proprietary output. This paper reports on the outcome of a two day Summit held at the Library of Congress in November 2017 (Designing the Future Landscape: Digital Architecture, Design & Engineering Assets) bringing together creators, archivists, researchers, project managers, and standards and guidelines developers to illuminate the issues and challenges for preserving and accessing this work product, to explore new research possibilities created by design as data, and to identify initiatives contributing to addressing issues of preservation and access. Like the event itself, this paper hopes to increase awareness of the challenges and issues, and to share and encourage actions and collaborations for preserving this material. An in-depth consolidation of the themes and issues from the Summit can be found in the report written by Aliza Leventhal for the Library of Congress released in March 2018 entitled: Designing the Future Landscape: Digital Architecture, Design & Engineering Assets.