Hypermedia and engineering design

Abstract

Building Services Engineering (bse) is an applied discipline within the construction industry. It is concerned with the design, installation, operation and maintenance of all mechanical and electrical systems in buildings. Design software developed for the bse industry is typically structured on sets of well-established rules and building codes. Anecdotal evidence indicates that junior designers, who may lack experience and confidence, frequently adopt a ‘black box’ approach when applying design software. This may be contrasted with the more experienced designer who typically questions the assumptions and algorithms adopted before applying the programs. However, this is not always possible even for the experienced designer, particularly where ‘conventional’ computer-languages have been used to develop die software. It is therefore argued within the paper that for some applications design software based on hypermedia may be more appropriate. This is demonstrated through the development of a prototype ‘fire sprinkler layout design’ model using HyperCard. The paper also indicates that by constructing strategic relations between objects the effectiveness of the design model can be enhanced. In this way the designer is better able to control the process of navigation within die model.