This document summarizes a presentation on increasing the information feed in structural steel design. It discusses how designers think and make decisions based on previous experiences and theories. Technology can support design thinking through CAD tools, repositories, and simulations. The presentation explores how a semantic web of linked open data could connect building information models to other datasets to more easily enable designers to learn from a wide range of experiences. This could help designers find relevant information and revisit the design reasoning cycle.

1. 16 to 17 February 2011
Increasing information feed in the
process of structural steel design
Pieter Pauwels
Tine Jonckheere, Ronald De Meyer, Jan Van Campenhout
P. Pauwels - SCAD 2011 – 17/02/2011

2. Ideas
Information
Information
Information
Information
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3. Who are we?
Davy
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Pieter Ruben
Jos
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4. Outline
1. Information in design applications
2. How designers think
3. Technology support for design thinking
4. Semantic Web / Linked Open Data?
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5. Lots of research
- Nigel Cross: ‘82-’85-’90-’97-’99-’06-’07
- Bryan Lawson: ‘79-’05
- Donald Schön: ‘83
- Herbert Simon: ’83-’96
- Christopher Alexander: ‘64-’71-’77-’79-’04
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6. Important role of theories and beliefs
 reflective ‘learning-while-doing’
continuous belief-revision / theory-revision as
a product of doing / design activity
 Theory-based decision-making
The acquired theories serve as a memory of
reference
ABDUCTIVE REASONING
=> Designers rely on previously experienced
design decisions to make new design decisions
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7. Process of scientific enquiry (C.S. Peirce)
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8. Outline
1. Information in design applications
2. How designers think
3. Technology support for design thinking
4. Semantic Web / Linked Open Data?
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9. Technology support
CAD
3D modelling
Sketch apps
…
Repositories
Metadata
Internet
…
Simulation
Calculation
…
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10. MACE – Metadata for Architectural
Contents in Europe
http://mace-project.eu/
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11. Building stories
W.M. Martin, A. Heylighen, H. Cavallin. The right story at the right time. AI &Soc. (2005) 19: 34-47
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12. Evaluation
Objective: provide designers with information
from previous experiences by others.
Solution: labelled repository of images, text, 3D
models, etc.
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13. Revisiting the reasoning cycle
easily enable designers to learn from new experiences that are
- additional to their own experiences, and
- most probably different from what was originally intended
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14. So, how to increase information feed??
Try to simulate the complete reasoning cycle
=> artificial intelligence
AND / OR
Enable designers to find their information easily
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15. Outline
1. Information in design applications
2. How designers think
3. Technology support for design thinking
4. Semantic Web / Linked Open Data?
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16. The Linked Open Data cloud (09/2010)
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17. Describe information
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18. LOD cloud + building information
BIM
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19. Example connections
 Geographical information
 Expert material information
 People / organisation / company information
 Photo material
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20. Visualisation in a design environment
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21. Thank you
pipauwel.pauwels@ugent.be
Presenter - SCAD 2011 - Date
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