The implications of using computers: A study of the architectural profession in Puerto Rico.

Abstract

Technological innovations are considered the originators of increases in production activity. Thus, the possession and control of these accepted agents of change is seen as a matter of economic survival. In part this ideology of production has given the computer an important role in the current debate among architectural professionals on new approaches to design/production. This study discusses the sources, character, and implications of the use of computers in the architectural profession. It is centered on understanding the ideologies and mythology surrounding the implementation of computers, and the networks of human interaction through which experiences are shared. The discussion is presented in the form of a qualitative descriptive study, within the human science tradition. It is based mainly on experiential field work in the Island of Puerto Rico. The scale of the professional activity, the geographical condition of an island, and the familiarity with the setting were the three fundamental factors that determined choosing the research site. The study is grounded in the context of human action, thus the images are conveyed as experienced by the informants. Events are set in the present, and were recorded as they happened. This research will be of interest both to those involved in the design/production process in architecture, and to computer scientists. The understanding gained through the study may help illustrate the nature of the transformations in the profession, of which the computer seems to be merely "the tip of the iceberg," a sign of transformation rather than its cause. It also sheds light on the elements involved in the construction of a common ground of knowledge in architecture, and presents dilemmas related to learning about and using computers.