Design processes and context for the support of design synthesis

Abstract

Artefacts are man-made objects that, to an increasing degree, have a determining influence on our world alongside natural systems. We live in geometrically formed houses made of stone and concrete, glass and metal, and by making use of heating, air-conditioning and lighting we can create living conditions that make us independent of external conditions. If one considers the constitutive role played by engineering, it is amazing how little research has actually taken place in the area of designing, of synthesising artefacts. This chapter discusses the problem of synthesising artefacts by proposing an integrated concept of supporting designing. The concept tries to find answers on how to describe indeterministic design processes, knowledge about design objects and how to model them in a context. The concept proposed is the result of ongoing research, and most of it is a compilation of research results from about the last 8 years. The chapter first gives an introduction and overview of the design process to state the assumptions of the conceptual framework in which the whole concept fits in. Then the concept of solution patterns is described, which build the basis of representing artefact and process knowledge. Design working spaces are the means to support synthesis and represent contextual information. Finally, a design system that was used to implement the concept is presented.