Building Information Systems as Interactive Design Support

In contrast to currently still dominant concrete or masonry construction, lightweight frame construction methods, such as in timber or steel, offer a range of advantages, from the possibilities of industrial prefabrication to rapid assembly and reduced transportation costs. Detail design for lightweight structures, however, is commonly time- consuming and costly. The broad range of different solutions available for building joints and connecting components further complicates the decision-making process. Consequently, a design-supporting system that facilitates both the selection of suitable detail solutions and the comparison of competing options for a given structural design would be exceedingly beneficial. Such a structural design-support application is the aim of developing an enhanced computer-database environment in the course of the proposed research project. With an initial focus on timber frame construction, the available data for exemplary existing buildings need to be documented as extensively as possible and variably organized according to relevant criteria for subsequent modelling. An appropriate user interface and application method shall be developed, which systematically guides potential users through the subject matter of lightweight construction techniques. The thus established system shall then be substantially enhanced by the development and prototypical implementation of interactive design tools, which allow experienced building designers to efficiently customise and integrate detail solutions out of the structured information pool into their own work. In particular, the projected calculation tools shall enable the combined parametric adaptation of documented details to determine preliminary design dimensions.