Open architectural design: an approach to managing complexity and uncertainty in an open design process

Abstract

By open exchange of ideas and artifacts and non apriori hierarchical processes, Open Strategies enable a better usage of distributed resources, and the release of more creative potential. Applying these Open Strategies to the architectural design process, is goal of our project. The technical basis for our research is FREAC, a software framework developed in-house which provides a collaboration space for co-operation between different users and tools. This framework is designed not just for exchanging the outcome of the design process but also for opening up the design process itself and making it more transparent. Such highly open and distributed design processes, however, also present new problems and uncertainties which need to be taken into account in order to reach successful design outcomes. As a result proposals for the management of such processes need to be developed that facilitate collaborative work but do not unnecessarily constrain the inherent complexity of the design process. The actor-network theory, and other different management concepts, provides a theoretical underpinning for our approach. The project is a collaboration between the fields of computer science in architecture and media management.