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Forms of the organizations of actors in a cooperative work.
Mechanisms of coordination: from Direct Supervision to Mutual Adjustment.
Task planning: methods and tools.
Knowledge sharing and cooperation tools typology.
Exchange standards, IFC and the concept of digital mockup

SDC is an experimental pedagogical environment setted up since 2004 by the pedagogy/research team of the CRAI laboratory in Nancy. Since 2007-2008, it involves three academic and research partners: the MAP/CRAI laboratory (Nancy, France), the LuciD Group (Liège University, Belgium) and the CRP Henri Tudor (Luxembourg).

In 2007-2008, the SDC educational scenario brings together in 4 mixed teams students different by their geographical origin (Belgium and France) but also by the particular skills they are studying (building-engineer and architects). Then this studio proposes to the students an original work environment in which cooperation is necessary. It is characterized by the geographical distance barrier and also by the necessary integration of different points of views in the design activity. Moreover the scenario of architectural design itself encourages cooperation. It consists in designing a “house of environment” in Nancy, in an industrial area under rehabilitation. In fact, for us, taking into account the environmental dimension implies to exchange, share experiences, share knowledge, or confront different points of view and is then a very interesting exercise of cooperation.

In 2007-2008, SDC had taken place from October to December, during 13 weeks. In order to perform the work and to realize the project, a cooperative process (see below) was defined with the students. This exercise was based on the main concepts related to cooperative projects taught in the theoretical courses.

Build-IT document management server

We carefully insist on the distribution of roles in order that each one of the students carries a set of objectives and develops clear tasks. These roles are also complementary ensuring a need of information exchange and work sequencing for each student: architectural design, inner spaces design, energy manager, structure engineer, environmental quality manager and daylight system designer.

Finally these cooperative activities of shared and distant design are driven by a conceptual theoretical background based on our research activities. The notions of actor organizations and task coordination are addressed in courses. In addition we insist on examples applied to the design and construction collective activities in AEC. We also teach issues related to object sharing. The standardization of building’s object description is introduced through the concepts of digital mock-up and the description of the IFC format.