Web-based Collaboration Systems for Structural Design: A Review

Web-based Collaboration Systems for Structural Design: A Review

In a construction project, collaboration amongst the project participants is a critical factor for high-quality results and successful completion of the project. Owing to the advance of information technologies, web-based systems have become more common in the construction industry, but research and development has been made for only limited areas. For organized and systematic collaboration in various fields, collaboration systems have to be developed in a holistic manner based on diverse needs from the whole construction industry. This study aims to investigate the current status of web-based collaboration systems from structural engineers’ perspectives and propose an improvement plan. For a systematic analysis of selected cases, we apply a classification of three developmental stages depending on interoperability and organizational levels: structural design and analysis, collaborative design, and integrated design management. Thereafter, the characteristics of each stage are extracted and comparatively analyzed. Lastly, three functional factors were proposed for the improvement of web-based collaboration systems for structural design.