UNDERSTANDING ADAPTABILITY THROUGH LAYER DEPENDENCIES

DS 68-10: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED 11), Impacting Society through Engineering Design, Vol. 10: Design Methods and Tools pt. 2, Lyngby/Copenhagen, Denmark, 15.-19.08.2011

Year: 2011
Editor: Culley, S.J.; Hicks, B.J.; McAloone, T.C.; Howard, T.J. & Dong, A.
Author: Schmidt III, Robert; Deamer, Jason; Austin, Simon
Section: Design Methods and Tools Part 2
Page(s): 209-220

Abstract

This paper looks at change from the perspective of building design (i.e. adaptability), and how a better understanding of product architecture can bring about an easier accommodation of change for an unforeseeable future. The work explores the use of a design structure matrix (DSM) to understand the building’s capacity to accommodate change using building decomposition methods and component interactions as initial guides to suggest possible product architectures. Research for this study took place along side the design stage of an ongoing BSF school project. The systematic analysis of design drawings and reports was undertaken in three phases: code documents using Brand’s layers; identify all variant components to create a work breakdown structure; and classification of all component relationships populating a DSM. Insights that have been gained through the data include the appropriate layer placement of components, the possibilities of new/ different layers, and the highlighting of unwanted/ hidden dependencies. The DSM permutations have also prompted the development of component typologies in an effort to provide a consistent, logical approach to refining the matrix.

Keywords: PRODUCT ARCHITECTURE; MODULARISATION; DESIGN STRUCTURE MATRIX; DEPENDENCIES; ADAPTABILITY

Download