9313186 Gross The project develops a computer aided design method for laying out subsystems in building designs. By using a CAD program with embedded assembly rules and spatial layout rules, each subsystem designer can subscribe to this layout method. The project develops and tests and interactive layout program based on constraint techniques that can be programmed to manage and enforce different sets of layout rules. A series of design experiments test and evaluate the layout method and the program that supports it. A team of designers use the program to design a series of increasingly complex layouts using residential wood frame buildings as an example. evaluation includes interviews with the participants and reviews by external consultants with experience in subsystem layout. The objective of the method is to support cooperative design by minimizing spatial interference conflicts among the designers of different subsystems the pipes, ducts and wires that supply water, electricity, and ventilation. The method restricts the placement of subsystems into preallocated spatial zones, restricting interference conflicts to predictable locations that can be resolved with predetermined fixes. It supports cooperative design by allowing members of a design team to work independently and in parallel knowing that their respective designs can easily be integrated.
