Mostly buildings are designed by a slow process characterized by parallel development of the design proposals and of the design assignment. The process of building design is far from effective and efficient. Often it is needed to change the initial design proposals according to the changes in time of the team knowledge about the design assignment. Also the clients’ perception of his own needs often changes, leading to new or altered demands for changes in the developing design. Misunderstandings as result of the evolving design (based on the rough design phases as conceptual, sketch, preliminary and final design) should be made less possible. Previous work in design methodology based on the rational problem solving paradigm presumes objective and often universal, a priori, criteria for design. The focus lies on objective interpretation of essential illdefined design problems, in order to be able to rigidly organize design process. This leads to a mismatch between design practice, lead by subjective interpretation based on experience of designers, and prescriptions by design methodology. By using the framework of Methodical Design as prescription and use it in workshops to observe and descript adjustments to the methodology used, a bridge between the ‘objective’ and ‘subjective’ interpretation can be formed. Thus a combination is made of reflective practice and prescriptive methodology. This prescriptive methodology was tested and reflected in practice in workshops with professional designers in the built environment, architects and consultants. It is now part of a permanent professional educational programme of the professional organizations involved.

methods

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An introduction to engineering and engineering design

Integral Building Design : Combination of reflective practice and prescriptive methodology

It is shown that there is an interaction between the development work for a new design and the various factors determining the need for a new type of aircraft. Preliminary air­craft design is an essential part of this development phase; its aim is to obtain the in­formation required in order to decide whether the concept will be technically feasible and possess satisfactory economic possibilities.

General aspects of aircraft configuration development

Purpose




The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how associationism mistakenly assumes that direct experience is possible; that is, there is expectation-free observation and association without prior expectation. Thus, associationism assumes that learning involves the absorption of information from the environment itself. However, contrary arguments take the position that, for an individual to make a connection between his/her behaviour and its consequence(s), he/she must first have an expectation in order for a connection to be made.




Design/methodology/approach




This paper uses a personal experience to illustrate how implicit assumptions and unstated expectations can be found in the corporate world. It offers to answer questions that will lead to an examination of overcoming irrationality through utilization of the Popperian philosophy of associationism.




Findings




When evaluating a practice, it is easier to find evidence of some sort to support the practice, especially if we are either disposed to do so or if our colleagues and organizations have recommended that we adopt these practices. However, if we are committed to genuinely improving our practice, Swann (2009) suggests that we become critical and ask, “What are the unintended and undesirable consequences of doing things this way?” (p. 8).




Research limitations/implications




Popper’s approach needs to be developed or learned through stages and with time. We need to be aware that it takes time to master the use of this approach. Merely introducing or having organizations learn the different methods or short cuts have only a limited effect in improving their ability to deal with issues in different contexts.




Practical implications




The examples used throughout this paper illustrate that the adoption of Popper’s approach does not necessarily require large-scale experiments. In fact, a well-conducted case study can be effective in casting doubt on existing assumptions. Regardless of the nature of the research strategy and the scale of the experiment devised to test a hypothesis, the task of testing can and will be problematic.




Social implications




Expectations can make us look foolish from time to time, but they can also be very powerful or useful because they are more than mere anticipation. If we are unable to strip away our preconceptions or prior knowledge, we can at least acknowledge our biases and, in doing so, we may not continue to be trapped within our own perspectives, which can blind us to the truth.




Originality/value




The examples used in this paper illustrate that Popper’s approach is robust and applicable in a variety of contexts and is not limited to educational organizations. Furthermore, it showcases our irrationality, and helps us understand when and where we may make erroneous decisions.

Overcoming Irrationality: The Popperian Approach

Estimating recycling cost at product design stage

Self-programming, intelligent, flexible machine systems offer a desirable alternative to high-volume, hard automation solutions in the complex, ill-structured and dynamic field of construction. A theory of construction is developed which shows that the nature of construction requires the capability for problem solving. Highly complex, dynamic problems require a high degree of intelligence, or problem-solving flux, for solutions to be found. An opportunity exists to apply machine intelligence capable of autonomously attacking construction work. Economic viability underpins the design problem, and the specifications developed in this paper for an effective solution show that selfprogramming systems are preferable for the low-repetition environment of construction. An architecture for a self-programming system is developed, showing application and multi-agent potential, and highlighting the need for such systems to be developed.

An introduction to engineering and engineering design

Citations

Integral Building Design : Combination of reflective practice and prescriptive methodology

General aspects of aircraft configuration development

Overcoming Irrationality: The Popperian Approach

Estimating recycling cost at product design stage

Self-Programming Construction Machines

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