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nvironment that unites the networked computers in a oherent medium to support the activities involved in ollaborative project development. In the early days, in rder to develop such collaborative environments, the eveloper had to be proficient in conceptual modeling, etwork programming, object management, graphics rogramming, device handling and user interface design. uring the recent years, an alternative approach has been o design collaborative virtual workplaces (CVWs), using emphasis in the design is in reflecting some social and cultural needs and values in particular forms [1]. The establishment of a sense of place is achieved by creating a communication location for groups who share a common interest or purpose. The idea of the virtual architecture approach is summarised in Figure 2. An established method in virtual architecture is to start with the development of an ontology of the virtual place. The ontology usually operates with terms that are familiar from the architecture. For example, the ontology of a buildingRobert P. Biuk-Agha