Studying visual practices in construction

The significance of the Building Research Information special issue on 'Visual Practices: Images of Knowledge Work' (2007) is that it provides a window on a different and, in some ways, alternative mode of describing and theorizing the work of design professionals through the visual dimension of construction work, and it offers a more realistic view of visual practices. It shows that design activity is not a linear process composed of steps or phases; instead, design practice can be better understood as a social and material choreography. Three important themes emerge. First, visual artefacts have an active role in making things happen in the construction process. An enhanced understanding can prevent the blunders deriving from using inappropriate tools. Second, visual artefacts only become meaningful when applied within the context of a complex and 'messy' practice through understanding the interconnections of people, things, and discourses. The capacity of visual materials to contribute actively to the design process strongly depends on when different artefacts are introduced, their relation to specific activities, and how they are used in conjunction with other tools. Third, visual practices have an important capacity to support or prevent collaboration of different and, at times, distant parties and interests. Visual artefacts can operate as 'boundary objects', thereby creating a simultaneous response to different concerns and serving as common points of reference.