We were asked by a leading provider of Architectural Design and Engineering software to re-think the Unix front-end interface that people used to manage and share information generated using the main design application. Research and investigation into the use of information within architectural practices determined a set of requirements that could be used to conceive initial models for the interface operation.

A primary consideration was the number of people who may require shared access to a single drawing over a network, but allow access privaleges to attributes on the drawing itself, for instance the capablity to change or see certain details. The management and storage model used to operate the system was also a high priority due to the complexity of the Unix operating system, and an effective visually interactive model had to be designed.

The model illustrated here used the drawing office as a basis for the interactive space within which data was shared. The screen space is arranged in the planometric projection, to allow a sense of three dimensional location and structure to be built up by groups of people within the system. An advantage of this is that data location takes on an more literal quality within the operating system, allowing the architect to construct project spaces using plan chests in their chosen area. By doing so the architect could more readily locate material amongst the many drawings that were stored, by using their spacial skills.

Each planchest would hold a series of draws, the draw being allocated to a specific project. Document architypes could be dropped and placed inside draws, and the file sharing attributes amongst group members could be annotated on the rear of the drawing object. Plan chests could be expanded using addtitonal shelves.