Design process improvement using a model based approach

Improved data exchange and the overall  better management of design information within the design process remains a key solution to improvement in current design practice. What has long been identified, but not yet achieved is that the design process and the whole construction process need to be carried out as an integrated process. Improving the efficiency of the building design process can involve the facilitation of interactions and communications between inter-disciplinary parties. The thesis demonstrates, that to overcome some of the shortcomings in the current design process, designers require to work with all building data concurrently. The project discusses the strategy behind the development of an integrated design process that covers the stages spanning from architecture to fabrication. An underlying shared product model is a prerequisite for smooth data integration from the different project participants. The aim of this innovative and new design process is to improve the quality of the design at the conceptual design stage through better-informed design decisions that are based on the consideration of a wider range of issues than was possible using traditional design methods. The project aimed to improve the efficiency of the building design process through the use of both sequential and concurrent design practices, within an integrated building design environment called the single model environment (SME). This is a process where a building design prototype is incrementally built by assembling virtual building components such as columns, beams, floors and services, which collectively simulate the 'virtual' behaviour of the building. The virtual building provides feedback on its performance in terms of structural behaviour safety, cost, adherence to the architectural constraints and the client brief.