Project Extranets and Distributed Design: the Value of Internet-Based Media for Design Collaboration

Internet-based project extranets represent a new generation of CAD tools that has been much talked about in the design professions recently. Many believe they hold considerable promise to change dramatically how design participants collaborate in the AEC industry. Yet we are only beginning to understand the real value that such project extranets provide. Clearly, empirical studies of project extranet usage are needed to illuminate the situation. This paper summarizes the results of an explorative study into the implications of such project extranets on design collaboration