A framework for exploring the ICT impact on the architectural design process

The use of ICT has over the years in different ways influenced and to a certain degree also changed roles and processes within the building project. A better understanding and overview of how ICT affect on the complex mechanisms within the early stages of the planning process can be seen as central to achieve project success. This paper presents a framework for exploring the ICT impacts on the architectural design process, focusing on ICT benefits and challenges regarding four essential design process aspects: the generation of design solutions, the communication, the evaluation of design solutions and the decision-making. The framework is founded on the suggestion of three hierarchical building project levels, the micro (individual)-, meso (group)- and macro (overall)-level. Several benefits and challenges of ICT regarding the four architectural design process aspects are explored and the outline of an ICT impact matrix summarizes the key points of the exploration. Furthermore, the paper gives an example of how the framework could be applied to a real-life project for supporting the exploration of how ICT impact on the architectural design process in practice.