A Theoretical Model of Shared Distributed Knowledge Bases for Collaborative Architectural Design

This paper is a report on research in progress on Collaborative Architectural Design. The proposed model, the resulting system and its implementation are referenced mainly from the point of view of architectural design and related branches, as envisaged in more advanced design studies. The model is not lacking in validity when its rationale is applied to other fields. The research simultaneously pursues an integrated model: a) of the structure of the net-based architectural design process (consisting of operators, activities, phases and resources); b) of the required knowledge (distributed and functional to the operators and the phases of the process). The paper is focused on the second horn of the model: the structure of the distributed KBs of the Entire Building (EB). The article is divided into three parts. In the first classification is made of the support tools available to architectural design based on two paradigms: the Conventional Method and Collaborative Design. In part two a description is given of the overall model structure, the stratified structure of the Knowledge Bases (Common, Specialized, Project) and that of the EB. The latter is represented by means of the Space System and the Building System. Lastly, a description is given of the atomic elements of the Knowledge Bases - the objects-components; their characteristics in a collaborative, distributive context, in the presence of constraints and objectives that vary according to the operators and the context. In part three a possible implementation of the model is discussed.