Data synthesis : a comprehensive visual approach to material selection in architecture

Abstract

The condition of information overload has become a common problem facing contemporary designers. This has resulted in a critical need for the development of "intelligent decision support" systems. One such system would allow a designer to visualize not only material qualities and behavior characteristics, but provide the means to distill, organize, and select relevant data. Material databases and the enabling power of the internet can only be exploited as "information providers" for designers when such a system is adapted. Material selection has been identified as a means of exploring this type of analysis / assessment strategy because it is a specific activity (within the broader realm of design) that is concerned with complex decision making processes. The decision matrix is defined by multiple disciplines, incomplete and varied information , and an explosion in the production of materials that have dynamic properties. Emphasis must be placed on distilling and presenting critical information in a comprehensive and accessible format.