THE DIGITAL WINDOW
by Brian O' Hanlon - September 2005

The popular image of an architect, is someone carrying a 'bundle of drawings' and a great deal of responsibility. The famous 'bundle of drawings' is an architect's perceptual window into a design problem. This is an attractive image, but one far removed from the reality. The quotation below is part of an essay written in 1988 by John Walker. Walker is a talented computer programmer and co-founder of the AutoDesk software company.

Users struggling to comprehend three dimensional designs from multiple views, shaded pictures, or animation will have no difficulty comprehending or hesitation to adopt a technology that lets them pick up a part and rotate it to understand its shape, fly through a complex design like Superman, or form parts by using tools and see the results immediately.

Computers have augmented the intelligence of workers in the knowledge economy
throughout the world. But in spite of John Walker's early vision, architects are reluctant to use computers for design. Why, is the question I want to ask? Well, architects like to use diagrams to analyse a project. A diagrammatic way of thinking can capture the essence of a project in a few lines. It is something 'readable' at a glance, like shorthand. If a client was shown a complicated construction drawing, confusion would occur. As a result of the confusion, the client may lose confidence in the architect's ability. Confidence building is part and parcel of what an architect must do. Architects are concerned that getting attached to an electronic device they might upset the balance and their relevance within the design process.

A diagram composed of 'reduced information' helps an architect to focus on their client. But the same diagram may not focus on the needs of a building contractor. Limited information can hide all sorts of nasties, related to cost and fabrication of the project. In the past, a team of architectural technicians could labour away to bridge the gap. But the gap that exists nowadays, is one that happens in cyberspace. Here in Ireland, we have a proliferation of small ‘principal based’ architectural firms. I think the small firm is a good model of efficiency, but it needs to change with the times. For good deployment of digital design methods, you need a team based office structure rather than a 'principal based' one.

Digital design methods give the opposite to what an architect is hoping for. The view of a project obtained using a computer can be complex, multi-layered and fragmented. Without the right navigational skills, an architect could wander aimlessly through cyberspace without a sense of purpose or direction. The architect would be left standing alone alongside a digital highway. In a principal based office structure, all the information must pass the scrutiny of one individual. The main advantage of that system is the authority of the architect remains intact. But I think that architects over-simplify the diagram, by avoiding the use of digital design methods altogether.

Principal based architectural firms learn to get by on modest means. They rarely learn to harness the intelligence augmentation capabilities of a computer. Even such a task as computer aided drafting, is outsourced to cheaper, ‘on-demand’ drafting services. It is like hiring Fed-Ex to deliver your parcel on time. The architect’s design must enter cyberspace via the assistance of a CAD technician and arrive on site as a finished project. Architects seem to struggle with a language barrier in cyberspace. But all they can do, is stand beside a printer or email inbox and wait patiently for something to happen.

It is not the fault of architects, that computer systems are horribly complicated.
Companies, who sell computers need to build greater flexibility into their design. Utility computing is one form of computing that offers flexibility. Have you ever wondered where electricity is generated? If you are like me, you do not care - you simply use the service. You plug a device into a wall-mounted socket and receive electricity supply directly from the grid. All common utilities behave in this manner. Some day, computing power will arrive into your office building like electricity, phone lines, gas central heating and mains water supply.

Compact disc media is the current method used for distribution of software. Unlike other products we buy, the compact disk costs virtually nothing to reproduce and can be sold in vast quantities, if it contains software that people want. Next year, that CDROM is out of date and you need to install a new one, or several additional bits and pieces. I think, the biggest fault with the CDROM method of distribution, is that you end up with lots of 'extra rubbish' that you will never use! Utility computing should allow people to take advantage of a larger and more comprehensive tool set, but stay within budget. You may need word processing capabilities and computer aided drafting this afternoon. You may need PowerPoint and several other presentation tools tomorrow. Next month, a project may demand that you can access geographical information systems. Utility computing would permit the subscriber to build their own environment using a variety of digital LEGO bricks. I could 'assemble' an environment suitable for an occasional user, or tailor one to suit the special needs of a professional.

The charge for using the utility would relate to my usage. It would be a much fairer way to bill customers for using digital tools. We have all struggled with the same old question: What computer system should I buy? For all the hype in the media, there isn't a whole lot of choice. The size of an architectural firm dictates the size and sophistication of the computer system you end up with. In utility computing, the 'computer' is no longer sitting on my desk, it only has a virtual identity in cyberspace. Small and medium sized architectural firms would have the confidence and ambition to undertake large projects using digital design methods. It would allow the architectural practice to combine a variety of knowledge workers in the process. Mobile phone technology has demonstrated the augmentation of the communicative powers of a single human. Utility computing would allow the computer to augment the design intelligence of a small architectural practice.