Crossing Two Thresholds with one Stepping Stone - Scenario for a More Comfortable Design Environment (2002)
article⁄Crossing Two Thresholds with one Stepping Stone - Scenario for a More Comfortable Design Environment (2002)
abstract⁄In architecture, design ideas are developed as much through interaction as by individuals in isolation.This awareness inspired the development of a dynamic architectural memory online, an interactiveplatform to share ideas, knowledge and insights among architectsdesigners in different contexts and atdifferent levels of expertise. User interaction revealed this platform to suffer from at least two thresholdsFirst of all, consultation during design is impeded by a physical threshold that separates the platformfrom the designer’s working environment. Secondly, designers tend to sense a psychological thresholdto share their ideas and insights with others. This paper proposes to cross both thresholds byconnecting the collective platform to a private design space, where designers can feel free to jot downand reflect on their ideas without fear for criticism, compromise or copying. This connection should allowthem to access the platform during the very act of designing, and to regulate to what extent they ‘giveaway’ their own ideas. The latter regulation is literally meant as a stepping stone that if not primes, thenat least paves the way for a sincere shift in mentality.
