Erosion of drawing as a thinking and collaborative tool

The Building Research & Information special issue on ‘Visual Practices: Images of Knowledge Work’ (2007) begins to unravel the complex uses of knowledge embodied within artefacts such as drawings and the use of these artefacts in the wider social contexts of sharing and negotiating knowledge. However, there are some central questions about the changing nature of working practices and the complex functions ascribed to visual artefacts. The declining use of drawing and the rising use of computer-aided design (CAD) and information technology (IT) require further understanding, particularly for the social and organizational aspects of working within a design team and engaging with ‘outside’ stakeholders. Within the design office, the use of CAD systems may inhibit crucial peer conversations and interactions as well as limit the iterative working process when compared with the drawing process. Outside the design office, does the finished quality of CAD documents encourage dialogue, understanding, flexibility and openness with stakeholders (especially users) when compared with other forms of drawing? The act of drawing is an intellectual activity that embraces both analysis (understanding) and conception (proposition). Can CAD offer a similar level of richness or is there a loss in capabilities for those without drawing skills? Further research is needed, along the lines initiated in this special issue, to understand better the impacts and limitations imposed by the isolation of working behind a computer monitor.

Le numéro spécial de Building Research & Information consacré aux ‘Visual Practices: Images of Knowledge Work’ (2007) commence par dévoiler les usages complexes de la connaissance intégrée dans des artefacts, comme les dessins et l'usage de ces artefacts dans le contexte social plus large du partage et de la négociation de la connaissance. Il demeure cependant un certain nombre de questions centrales concernant la nature changeante des pratiques de travail et les fonctions complexes attribuées aux artefacts visuels. Le déclin du dessin au profit de la conception assistée par ordinateur (CAO) et le recours croissant aux technologies de l'information (TI) exigent un complément de compréhension, en particulier pour ce qui est des aspects sociaux et organisationnels du travail au sein d'une équipe de conception et un engagement avec des intervenants extérieurs. Au sein du bureau d'étude, l'utilisation de systèmes de CAO peut inhiber les conversations et les interactions si importantes entre collègues et limiter aussi le processus itératif comparé au dessin. En dehors du bureau d'étude, la qualité finale des documents CAO encourage-t-elle le dialogue, la compréhension, la souplesse et l'ouverture des intervenants (en particulier les utilisateurs) par rapport à d'autres formes de dessin? Le dessin est une activité intellectuelle qui englobe à la fois l'analyse (compréhension) et la conception (proposition). La CAO peut-elle offrir un même niveau de richesse ou bien y a-t-il une perte de capacité pour ceux qui ne possèdent pas de compétences de dessinateur? Il convient de mener d'autres recherches le long des axes présentés dans ce numéro spécial afin de mieux comprendre les incidences et les limitations imposées par l'isolement que constitue le travail derrière un écran d'ordinateur.

communication,?pratiques de la conception,?procédures de la conception,?dessin,?pratiques professionnelles,?représentation visuelle,?visualisation     

Confronting bureaucracies and assessing value in the co-production of social design research

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the issue of assessing the value of social design research. It locates the emergence of social design practice and research against a background in which public and social organisations are increasingly bureaucratised as a result of New Public Management and shifts to New Public Governance. Within universities, too, organisational processes and structures require research to demonstrate impact within an audit culture. Through the study presented in this paper, we claim that the bureaucracies found in contemporary academia are ill-equipped to adequately assess generative, impactful, and multi-sited research in which value is co-produced with diverse participants. This presents challenges when attempting to understand the value of social design research. Building on social research and studies of innovation policy, sustainable human-computer interaction and evaluation, we define social design research as inventive, contingent, and political. To address the issue of its evaluation, we propose two-stage social design research. In the first stage, research issues, questions, methods, data, and ‘proto-publics’ are assembled, which reveal the conflicting framings and ways that value is assessed. These are re-assembled in a second stage during which the research is stabilised. The findings have implications for research managers, academics and their partners, and university administrators.     

Influence of sketch types on distributed design team work

Product development is a collaborative activity more often than ever carried out by distributed design teams. It is critical to determine how sketches are used in such environments in order to improve the design process. Sketches produced by students participating in a collaborative design project of three European Universities are classified according to the intention of the designer when producing a sketch, the level of detail shown in the sketch and the phase when the sketch was produced. The adapted classification system used in this paper helps to analyse type of sketches with most variety of ideas. Furthermore, this paper reviews which type of sketches offers the most potential to be further developed. Results show that persuasive sketches offer the broadest range of ideas since they are produced as a combination of ideas from brainstorming sessions. Shared sketches help to achieve consensus in decision-making since the sketches are most likely to be produced by the entire group rather than individually.     

The semiotics of landscape design communication: towards a critical visual research approach in landscape architecture

In landscape architecture, visual representations are the primary means of communication between stakeholders in design processes. Despite the reliance on visual representations, little critical research has been undertaken by landscape architects on how visual communication forms work or their socio-political implications. In this theoretical paper, we argue that such research is of great importance. We explain how concepts of visual and critical social theory such as visual semiotics, simulacra and simulation, and power/knowledge can be used to critically reflect on landscape architectural representations. We further propose to study these representations at different stages of meaning-making by using visual methodologies such as visual discourse analysis, iconographical content analysis and social semiotic analysis. We conclude that these research approaches have the potential to explain issues such as dominant power structures, miscommunication between participants, and visual path-dependencies during landscape design processes.     

道路线形设计中视觉影响因素的研究

介绍了道路景观设计过程中需要考虑的各种因素,在此基础上着重探讨了视觉感受对线形设计的影响,从行车视距、运行速度、驾驶错觉三方面阐述其影响,并针对目前道路设计使用中存在的问题提出了相关建议。     

浅议住宅设计与视觉景观

从人们的心理需求与住区环境设计出发,分析了我国城市住宅景观环境的现状,指出现代城市住宅应加强视觉景观品位设计,并介绍了视觉景观环境设计的手法和途径,以满足舒适、休闲、惬意、健康文明的生活需求,使人居环境更加自然、和谐。     

视知觉理论下的幼儿园建筑设计

从建筑设计中视知觉的基本理论入手,分析了儿童视知觉的特性,对幼儿园建筑设计中建筑色彩、建筑尺度、建筑形态要素等相关方面进行了研究并给出建议,对视知觉理论与建筑设计两方面结合的意义做出了总结。     

后媒体时代的建筑媒体与媒体建筑

讨论了现代社会媒体对建筑行业的冲击以及媒体建筑和建筑媒体之间的联系和互动,评价了当今社会媒体建筑存在的意义和发展走向,指出媒体建筑作为一种新的建筑存在方式所具有的前瞻意义。     

博物馆室内光环境视觉舒适性问题探讨

通过对一些博物馆照明设计的现实情况进行初步的分析，就其中的问题或优秀的设计以引起业内人士对此方面的关注和重视，从而能为照明工程实践提供参考和借鉴。     

室内视觉环境的舒适性研究

从定位定时、接触自然、放松和休息、安全和引导四方面探讨了人体需要与室内视觉舒适性之间的关系，总结了舒适室内环境所必须具备的条件，为人性化室内设计提供有益方法。     

初探未来建筑的发展趋势

随着科学技术的日益进步和经济的不断增长,人们对居住环境也有了新的理解和认识。本文立足于现代建筑的发展现状,从建筑的文脉性、生态型建筑、智能化建筑三个方面阐述了未来建筑的发展趋势。