Future-Proofing Architectural Computer-Aided Design: MIT's FACADE Project

Abstract

The FACADE project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA is exploring the long-term archiving and preservation of digital data from architectural projects in general, and 3D models and related information in particular. The project is working with design data from major building projects of the architects Frank Gehry and Moshe Safdie initially, and will generalize its findings to other architectural firms using 3D design software. The project is also exploring how to relate 3D designs with related 2D drawings, digital images and videos, email and other communications, and with emerging Building Information Models (BIMs). A prototype archive for this material will be produced with DSpace, the open source digital archive system originally developed by MIT and HP Labs and now widely used by research organizations world-wide.