Simulated Site Visits. A 4D multimedia database for the study of architectural construction

Architectural designs are translated into buildings using the documentation language. Gaps invariably exist between what is documented and what is built. Once a building is complete, its construction is largely concealed and it becomes difficult to compare the drawn details with the built details. This difficulty is compounded by the abstract nature of traditional architects´ orthographic drawings. A multimedia relational database titled `Simulated Site Visits´ (SSV), developed by Clare Newton and Jonathan Finkelstein at the University of Melbourne, records the process of constructing buildings. The structure and layout of SSV facilitates comparisons across media and helps to shift the focus onto the connections and gaps between a building and its representation. The development of SSV has been funded because of its potential as a teaching aid for architecture and building students. This paper outlines teaching implications of this form of multimedia intertwined with a discussion of the research potential