Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

The aims of this proposal are to devise, implement and evaluate new tools and techniques for designers (architects, engineers and others). People design by making and reflecting on many alternative ideas. With manual design media, designers make, arrange and review many alternatives. We say that they ""explore for designs"". Current computers tools largely limit designers to working with one alternative at a time. This project aims to change this by devising new ways for designers to make, store, compare and combine alternatives.The design tools most commonly in use today are ""parametric""--with them designers can define and vary parameters. When designers change these parameters, the design work can transform. For example, a stadium roof's height, span and window pattern can be varied. Current parametric modelers theoretically define alternatives, that is, multiple designs, from a single model, but their interfaces generally provide access to such designs one at a time. This project will amplify parametric modelers' ability to represent multiple designs by enabling designers to work with mutiple designs simultaneously. By enabling designers to create, develop and compare many alternatives at once, our techniques will improve design variety and outcomes.Over several years of research, we have developed principles for supporting design exploration. In this project we will further these principles and use them to build and demonstrate new systems for working with design alternatives. Our corporate partner, Bentley Canada Inc., aims to introduce design exploration into its systems and will integrate our results into its development. In the project we will also work with select Canadian design firms to help specify our prototypes and to demonstrate our results. All designers stand to benefit from the project results. Canada in particular will benefit through Bentley's investment in new systems, through new techniques in practice and through the highly qualified personnel that the project will foster.