A digital prototype for collaborative conceptual design in the Thai AEC sector

The construction industry is currently driving to reach a high level of achievement for future sustainable built environments. The UK and USA models for the building design and construction process have been developed to enable relevant stakeholders to work closely from the beginning of a project. Indeed, design production is particularly significant, particularly at the concept design stage, as design decisions cost less to change and there is greater opportunity for change at the concept design stage. These are important considerations for this study. In addition, collaboration can significantly reduce redundant loops of performance in the subsequent processes leading to savings both in cost and time. However, the traditional design phases in the USA and Thailand have faced barriers due to silos of effort, a lack of overall project awareness, inefficient collaboration between silos, and poor communication among silos due to the fragmentation of the functional disciplines involved. Furthermore, stakeholders working in partnership in the AEC industry are connected together in a complex way so information sharing is not straightforward; however, they are now supported by digital tools and communication technology, which can mediate this collaborative process. Effective collaboration can be promoted by technology through existing digital tools, for example, CAD or BIM. These tools can enable important increases in productivity through the strategic sharing of information. However, these are not appropriate tools for the concept design stage due to the complex information involved and the difficult user interfaces. This difficult interface leads to consumption of memory and an obstruction of the mental workflow, which does not support designers at the concept design stage. Moreover, the purpose of collaboration among multidisciplinary and multi-functional teams is to enable the integration of other disciplines, to maintain and sustain knowledge and information sharing, and to predict colleague behaviour. Knowledge sources and the retrieval of knowledge and information are significant; however, communication has pros and cons, and current tools, such as email or instant messaging, are difficult to use for the purpose of collaboration. Therefore, this research has developed an innovative digital tool to facilitate collaboration and support designers at the concept design stage. This tool enhances the creative thinking process by emphasising the streaming of the cognitive workload. In addition, collaborative communication supports the creation and structure of contents, posts and replies and supports designers to retrieve information. Collaborators/stakeholders can therefore share space and information. The research methodology for this study was designed to collect data in Thailand; it included the design and development of a prototype, and an evaluation of a case study in Thailand. The prototype is the first pilot of the digital tool to support designers at the concept design stage and could be further developed for use in practice.