Web based design and communication pedagogy: Group pedagogy and the implementation of web-based technologies within the design process

The success of the international Zollhof project in Düsseldorf, Germany, in which virtual communication played a crucial role, was the catalyst for introducing interdisciplinary digital methods in the field of teaching. The firm of Frank O. Gehry and Associates, Santa Monica, California, served as an initial field of experimentation in order to bring together a heterogeneous group of project partners to participate in the design and construction phases of the Zollhof project. The design development, construction document, and construction phase was considerably enhanced by the employment of digital media as a communication and information tool. Parallel to the design process in the office in Santa Monica, a line of information flow and management had to be established to connect the local design team with consultants that were located in Europe and specifically in Germany. This line of communication required the team to send precise descriptions of project steps to the participants abroad, as well as receiving and processing a flow of responses returning to the Santa Monica office in very short intervals. By advancing and documenting each design and development step, the project progression was clearly documented by the project teams and thus understandable to everybody involved. The process demanded a highly articulated project description in text and images that were refined and exchanged daily. This helped to strengthen the cooperation between the design team and the project consultants and started to dissolve the role of the prime architect or designer toward a more team-related and democratic structure. All participants had quick access to all necessary information, which set aside the vertical hierarchy in favor of transparent communication tools and platforms