Cloud and Computer Mediated Collaboration in the Early Architectural Design Stages: A Study of Early Design Stage Collaboration Related to BIM and the Cloud

Efficient collaborative design during the early design stages in architecture is a condition for effective overall design and construction and visual and tactile interfaces can facilitate and support collaborative design leading to promoting communication and effective information exchange. The collaborative design process is captured nowadays within shared Building Information Models (BIMs) that bridge spatial, temporal and conceptual barriers, and the technological means for sharing that information are based on cloud technologies. Nevertheless, BIM models tend to be focused on detailed and construction design stages while the current paradigm on early stages conceptual design tends towards still using analogue means of communication. The focus of this paper is about bridging the conceptual design stage with the later detailed design BIM ones by using tactile and tangible interfaces and digital and cloud technologies. As a result, the information and initial ideas are effectively transferred between the different design stages. A specific case study is presented to illustrate the conceptual design process of a multidisciplinary focus group using both analogue means and tactile and tangible user interfaces (TUIs).