Collaborative Design and a Web Based Database For Active Roofs

Lack of collaboration in design teams often results in a low mutual level of understanding about the design to produce. This is due to the following intertwined aspects: a lack of integration in the team, knowledge gaps between team members and failing flows of information and communication between team members. Especially the collaboration between designers and contractors is difficult, resulting in sub-optimal design solutions and problems in construction. Within the Dutch building industry the roofing industry is aware that better collaboration and knowledge exchange between designers and contractors is strongly needed. Exchange and integration of technical, engineering and design knowledge is most effective in the beginning of the design process. To improve that design phase was one of the aims of the 6th European Research Project ‘Euractive Roofer: develop tools to support designers and specialized roof-contractors in the setting of collaborative design to create innovative ‘active’ roofs. One of the tools developed in concept is presented in this paper: a web-based database. This tool-concept has the potential to stimulate team members, Architects and Roofers, to use collectively qualified and shared specific information of innovative ‘active’ roofs. By using a structuring method, Morphological Charts, a web-based database was designed for use by design teams. By using this tool a team is able to store and maintain the existing knowledge and also can add new knowledge about active roofs. This offers opportunities for design parties that are contributing to the database, to use the latest knowledge for the design of ‘active’ roofs. The concept of the web-based database is explained by its lay-out and functioning and is discussed through the results and insights gained by the Euractive Roofer-workshop with practitioners from the Dutch Construction Industry. Also is discussed how this support tool is related to knowledge sharing and management. The paper concludes with recommendations for further research and development