Representing Complexity: Understanding Performance in Integrated Design

The term ‘integrated design’ describes the synthesis of multiple design factors so that the resulting solution is meshed as opposed to layered. This paper provides cases on how data can be utilized alongside traditional graphics to better understand integrated design.

This paper addresses two primary challenges to integrated design, understanding how buildings perform, and the problem of measuring performance of buildings early in the design process. It focuses on tools available to measure building performance which are tied to quantitative factors as well as methods under development for measuring qualitative components of the built environment.

keywords: Integrated Design, Complexity, Knowledge, Data, Representation