Constraint Ontology in Design Process

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD Candidate, Faculty of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran

2 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran

Abstract

The concept of design is associated with the notion of constraint as a limiting factor, and the search for the constraint in the design process is essential in design research. This study applies the ontological method to define the domain and scope of constraints, their classes and subclasses, and how to apply them. We concluded that there are two types of constraints in design: inside the designer’s mind or internal constraint and outside it or external constraint. Each of these is classified into two subclasses: internal constraints can be divided into deduced and subject constraints, and external constraints are categorised into imposed and intrinsic constraints. In the end, we proposed a model that shows that designers can identify, choose, manage, and even generate constraints in the design process to facilitate the restructuring of the design problem, which helps them solve the design problem.

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