Skip to main content
Log in

Ordering Systems: Coordinative Practices and Artifacts in Architectural Design and Planning

  • Published:
Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In their cooperative effort, architects depend critically on elaborate coordinative practices and artifacts. The article presents, on the basis of an in-depth study of architectural work, an analysis of these practices and artifacts and shows that they are multilaterally interrelated and form complexes of interrelated practices and artifacts which we have dubbed ‘ordering systems’. In doing so, the article outlines an approach to investigating and conceiving of such practices.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ackerman, Mark S. (1994): Augmenting the Organizational Memory: A Field Study of Answer Garden. In T. Malone (ed.): CSCW’94: Proceedings of the Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, October 24–26, 1994. New York, N.Y.: ACM Press, pp. 243–252.

  • Ackerman, Mark S. and Thomas W. Malone (1990): Answer Garden: A Tool for Growing Organizational Memory. Proceedings of the Conference on Office Information Systems, Cambridge, Mass., April 1990. ACM, New York, pp. 31–39.

  • Bannon, Liam J. and Susanne Bødker (1997): Constructing Common Information Spaces. In J.A. Hughes, W. Prinz, T.A. Rodden and K. Schmidt (eds): ECSCW’97: Proceedings of the Fifth European Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, 7–11 September 1997, Lancaster, U.K. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 81–96.

  • Bannon, Liam J. and Kjeld Schmidt (1989): CSCW: Four Characters in Search of a Context. ECSCW’89: Proceedings of the First European Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, Gatwick, London, 13–15 September, 1989, pp. 358–372.–Reprinted in Studies in Computer Supported Cooperative Work. Theory, Practice and Design, Bowers, John M. and S.D. Benford, Eds. North-Holland, Amsterdam etc., 1991, pp. 3–16.

  • Bardram, Jakob E. (1997): Plans as Situated Action: An Activity Theory Approach to Workflow Systems. In J.A. Hughes, W. Prinz, T.A. Rodden and K. Schmidt (eds): ECSCW’97: Proceedings of the Fifth European Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, 7–11 September 1997, Lancaster, U.K. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 17–32.

  • Pierre Bourdieu (1980) Le sens pratique Polity Press Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowker, Geoffrey C. and Susan Leigh Star (1991): Situations vs. Standards in Long-term, Wide-scale Decision-making: The Case of the International Classification of Diseases. In J.F. Nunamaker, Jr. and R.H. Sprague, Jr. (eds): Proceedings of the Twenty-Fourth Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Kauai, Hawaii, January 7–11, 1991, vol. IV. IEEE Computer Society Press, pp. 73–81.

  • Geoffrey C. Bowker Leigh Star Susan (1999) Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequences MIT Press Cambridge, Mass

    Google Scholar 

  • Peter H. Carstensen Sørensen Carsten (1996) ArticleTitleFrom the Social to the Systematic: Mechanisms Supporting Coordination in Design. Computer Supported Cooperative Work. The Journal of Collaborative Computing. 5 IssueID4 387–413 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00136712

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conklin, Jeff (1989): Design Rationale and Maintainability. In B. Shriver (ed.): Proceedings of 22nd Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, vol. II, IEEE Computer Society, pp. 533–539.

  • Conklin, Jeff (1993): Capturing Organizational Knowledge. In R.M. Baecker (ed.): Readings in Groupware and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work: Assisting Human-Human Collaboration. San Mateo, Calif.: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, pp. 561–565.–Originally published in D. Coleman (ed.): Proceedings of Groupware ‘92, Morgan Kaufmann, 1992, pp. 133–137.

  • Conklin, Jeff and Michael L. Begeman (1988): gIBIS: A Hypertext Tool for Exploratory Policy Discussion. CSCW’88: Proceedings of the Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, Portland, Oregon, September 26–28, 1988. New York, N.Y.: ACM Press, pp. 140–152.

  • Jeff Coulter (1983) Rethinking Cognitive Theory Macmillan London

    Google Scholar 

  • Cournot, Antoine Augustin (1851): An Essay on the Foundations of our Knowledge, The Liberal Arts Press, New York, 1956. Originally published as: Essai sur les fondements de nos connaissance et sur les caractères de la critique philosophique, Hachette, Paris. Translated by M. H. Moore.

  • Alfred W. Crosby (1997) The Measure of Reality: Quantification and Western Society Cambridge University Press Cambridge 1250–1600

    Google Scholar 

  • Divitini, Monica, Carla Simone and Kjeld Schmidt (1996): ABACO: Coordination Mechanisms in A Multi-agent Perspective. COOP’96: Second International Conference on the Design of Cooperative Systems, Antibes-Juan-les-Pins, France, 12–14 June, 1996. France: INRIA Sophia Antipolis pp. 103–122.

  • Maurice O’C Drury (1974) Conversations with Wittgenstein R. Rhees (Eds) Ludwig Wittgenstein: Personal Recollections Rowman and Littlefield Totowa New Jersey 112–189

    Google Scholar 

  • Elihu M. Gerson Leigh Star Susan (1986) ArticleTitleAnalyzing due process in the workplace. ACM Transactions on Office Information Systems 4 IssueID3 257–270 Occurrence Handle10.1145/214427.214431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jack Goody (1977) The Domestication of the Savage Mind Cambridge University Press Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Jack Goody (1986) The Logic of Writing and the Organization of Society Cambridge University Press Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Jack Goody (1987) The Interface Between the Written and the Oral Cambridge University Press Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Jack Goody (2000) The Power of the Written Tradition Smithsonian Institution Press Washington D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Irene Greif (1988) Overview I. Greif (Eds) Computer-Supported Cooperative Work: A Book of Readings Morgan Kaufmann Publishers San Mateo, Calif. 5–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Rebecca E. Grinter (1996) ArticleTitleSupporting Articulation Work using Software Configuration Management Systems. Computer Supported Cooperative Work The Journal of Collaborative Computing 5 IssueID4 447–465

    Google Scholar 

  • Jonathan Grudin (1994) ArticleTitleComputer-Supported Cooperative Work: History and Focus Computer 27 IssueID5 19–26 Occurrence Handle10.1109/2.291294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grudin, Jonathan (1999): CSCW and Groupware: Their History and Trajectory. In Y. Matsushita (ed.): Designing Communication and Collaboration Support Systems, Amsterdam: Gordon and Breach Science, pp. 1–15.

  • Christina Haas (1996) Writing Technology: Studies on the Materiality of Literacy Lawrence Erlbaum Mahwah, New Jersey

    Google Scholar 

  • Harper, Richard H.R., John A. Hughes and Dan Z. Shapiro (1989): The Functionality of Flight Strips in ATC Work: The report for the Civil Aviation Authority. Lancaster Sociotechnics Group, Department of Sociology, Lancaster University, January, 1989.

  • Roy Harris (1986) The Origin of Writing. Duckworth London

    Google Scholar 

  • Roy Harris (1995) Signs of Writing Routledge London and New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Roy Harris (2000) Rethinking Writing Indiana University Press Bloomington and Indianapolis

    Google Scholar 

  • Kathryn Henderson (1999) On Line and On Paper: Visual Representations, Visual Culture, and Computer Graphics in Design Engineering MIT Press Cambridge, Mass., and London

    Google Scholar 

  • David L. Hull (1988) Science as a Process: An Evolutionary Account of the Social and Conceptual Development of Science The University of Chicago Press Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwin L. Hutchins (1986) ArticleTitleMediation and Automatization Quarterly Newsletter of the Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition 8 IssueID2 47–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwin L. Hutchins (1995) Cognition in the Wild The MIT Press Cambridge, Mass., and London, England

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwin L. Hutchins Klausen Tove (1996) Distributed Cognition in an Airline Cockpit Y. Engeström D. Middleton (Eds) Cognition and Communication at Work Cambridge University Press Cambridge 15–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Victor Kaptelinin (1997) Computer-mediated activity: Functional Organs in Social and Developmental Contexts. B.A. Nardi (Eds) Context and Consciousness: Activity Theory and Human–Computer Interaction. The MIT Press Cambridge, Mass 45–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Kari Kuutti (1997) Activity Theory as a potential framework for Human–Computer Interaction Research B.A. Nardi (Eds) Context and Consciousness: Activity Theory and Human–Computer Interaction. The MIT Press Cambridge, Mass 17–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Laiserin, Jerry (2002): The Convergence of CAD Standards. Digital Architect, April 2002.

  • LeCuyer, A. (1995): Design on the Computer: Frank O. Gehry und Peter Eisenman. ARCH+, no. 128, September 1995, pp. 26–29.

  • Lévi-Strauss, Claude (1962): La pensée sauvage. Paris: Librairie Plon [Reprint published by Plon, Paris, 1990].

  • Lutters, Wayne G. and Mark S. Ackerman (2002): Achieving Safety: A Field Study of Boundary Objects in Aircraft Technical Support CSCW 2002: ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, New Orleans, Louisiana, 16–20 November 2002. New York: ACM Press, pp. 266–275.

  • W. Maas J. Rijs ParticleVan (1998) FRANAX: Excursions on Density O10 Publishers Rotterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Marx, Karl (1845): Thesen über Feuerbach. (Spring 1845). In K. Marx and F. Engels (eds): Werke, vol. 3. Berlin: Dietz Verlag, 1962, pp. 5–7.

  • Marx, Karl (1857): Einleitung. In K. Marx and F. Engels (eds): Gesamtausgabe (MEGA), vol. II/1.1. Berlin: Dietz Verlag, 1976, pp. 21--45. -- English transl. by Nicolaus, in Marx: Grundrisse Pelican, Harmondsworth, 1973.

  • Karl Marx (1867) Das Kapital. Zur Kritik der politischen Ökonomie. Erster Band. (Hamburg1867) K. Marx F. Engels (Eds) Gesamtausgabe (MEGA) Dietz Verlag Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Ernst Mayr D. Ashlock Peter (1991) Principles of Systematic Zoology EditionNumber2 McGraw-Hill New York

    Google Scholar 

  • W.J. Mitchell (1994) Picture Theory: Essays on Verbal and Visual Representation The University of Chicago Press Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitrofanov, Sergei Petrovich (1959): Scientific Principles of Group Technology, National Lending Library for Science and Technology, Boston Spa, Yorkshire, England. Originally published as: Nauchnye osnovy gruppovoi tekhnologii, Leningrad, 1959. Translated by E. Harris. Edited by T. J. Grayson, 1966.

  • Bonnie A. Nardi (1993) A Small Matter of Programming: Perspectives on End User Computing The MIT Press Cambridge, Mass

    Google Scholar 

  • Patrick Nuttgens (1997) The Story of Architecture EditionNumber2 Phaidon Press London

    Google Scholar 

  • David R. Olson (1994) The World on Paper: The Conceptual and Cognitive Implications of Writing and Reading Cambridge University Press Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Opitz (1970) A Classification System to Describe Workpieces. Pergamon Press Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Opitz W. Eversheim H.P. Wiendahl (1969) ArticleTitleWorkpiece Classification and its Industrial Application International Journal of Machine Tool Design Research 9 39–50 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0020-7357(69)90027-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberto Pietroforte (1997) ArticleTitleCommunication and Governance in the Building Process Construction Management and Economics 15 71–82 Occurrence Handle10.1080/014461997373123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fraser Reekie (1995) Reekie’s Architectural Drawing EditionNumber4 Architectural Press Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryle, Gilbert (1946): Knowing how and knowing that. (Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, 1946). In G. Ryle (ed.): Collected Papers. Volume II: Collected Essays, 1929–1968. London: Hutchinson & Co, 1971, pp. 212–225.

  • Gilbert Ryle (1949) The Concept of Mind Hutchinson’s University Library London

    Google Scholar 

  • Sabbagh, Karl (1989): Skyscraper: The Making of a Building. London: Macmillan [Reprint published by Penguin Books, New York, 1991].

  • Kjeld Schmidt J.Bannon Liam (1992) ArticleTitleTaking CSCW Seriously: Supporting Articulation Work. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) An International Journal 1 IssueID1-2 7–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Kjeld Schmidt Simone Carla (1996) ArticleTitleCoordination Mechanisms: Towards a Conceptual Foundation of CSCW Systems Design. Computer Supported Cooperative Work The Journal of Collaborative Computing 5 IssueID2-3 155–200

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, Kjeld and Ina Wagner (2002a): Coordinative Artifacts in Architectural Practice. In M. Blay-Fornarino, A.-M. Pinna-Dery, K. Schmidt and P. Zaraté (eds): Cooperative Systems Design: A Challenge of the Mobility Age. [Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on the Design of Cooperative Systems (COOP 2002), Saint Raphaël, France, 4–7 June 2002]. Amsterdam etc.: IOS Press, pp. 257–274.

  • Schmidt, Kjeld and Ina Wagner (2002b): Ordering Systems: A Conceptual Framework for the Analysis of Complex Coordinative Practices in Cooperative Work. In E. Subrahmanian (ed.): Workshop on the Role of Empirical Studies in Engineering Design, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Maryland (Washington DC), 4–5 April 2002.

  • Schmidt, Kjeld and Ina Wagner (2003): Ordering Systems: Coordinative Practices in Architectural Design and Planning. In M. Pendergast, K. Schmidt, C. Simone and M. Tremaine (eds): GROUP’03: International Conference on Supporting Group Work, Sanibel Island, Florida, 9–12 November 2003. New York: ACM Press, pp. 274–283.

  • Abigail Sellen H.R.Harper Richard (2001) The Myth of the Paperless Office MIT Press Cambridge, Mass

    Google Scholar 

  • Stuart G. Shanker (1998) Wittgenstein’s Remarks on the Foundation of AI Routledge London

    Google Scholar 

  • WesW. Sharrock Read Rupert (2002) Kuhn: Philosopher of Scientific Revolution Polity Press Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Carla Simone Divitini Monica (1997) ArticleTitleAriadne: Supporting Coordination through a Flexible Use of the Knowledge on Work Processes Journal of Universal Computer Science 3 IssueID8 865–898

    Google Scholar 

  • Star, Susan Leigh (1989): The Structure of Ill-structured Solutions: Boundary Objects and Heterogeneous Distributed Problem Solving. In L. Gasser and M. Huhns (eds): Distributed Artificial Intelligence, vol. 2. London: Pitman, pp. 37–54.

  • Susan Leigh Star R.Griesemer James (1989) ArticleTitleInstitutional Ecology, “translations” and Boundary Objects: Amateurs and professionals in Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Social Studies of Science 19 387–420

    Google Scholar 

  • Keith Styles (1995) Working Drawings Handbook EditionNumber3 Architectural Press Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • LucyA. Suchman (1987) Plans and Situated Actions: The Problem of Human–Machine Communication Cambridge University Press Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Talbot J. Taylor (1992) Mutual Misunderstanding: Scepticism and the Theorizing of Language and Interpretation Duke University Press Durham and London

    Google Scholar 

  • Vygotsky, Lev Semonovich (1930): The Instrumental Method in Psychology. In L.S. Vygotsky: The Collected Works of L.S. Vygotsky. Vol. 3: Problems of the Theory and History of Psychology. New York and London: Plenum Press, 1997, pp. 85–89.–Theses of a talk read in 1930 at the N.K. Krupskaya Academy of Communist Education.

  • Wagner, Ina and Rainer Lainer (2001): Open Planning: Inspirational Objects, Themes, Placeholders, and Persuasive Artefacts. Proceedings Colloque Architecture des systèmes urbains, Université de Technologie de Compiègne, 5 July 2001.

  • Osamu A. Wakati M. Linde Richard (1994) Study Guide for the Professional Practice of Architectural Working Drawings John Wiley & Sons New York

    Google Scholar 

  • James V. Wertsch (1985) Vygotsky and the Social Formation of Mind Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Mass., and London

    Google Scholar 

  • James V. Wertsch (1991) Voices of the Mind: A Sociocultural Approach to Mediated Action Harvard University Press Cambridge, Mass

    Google Scholar 

  • Peter Winch (1958) The Idea of a Social Science and its Relation to Philosophy. Routledge & Kegan Paul London

    Google Scholar 

  • Ludwig Wittgenstein (1945-48) Zettel Basil Blackwell Publishers Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Ludwig Wittgenstein (1949-50) On Certainty Basil Blackwell Publishers Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • JoAnne Yates (1989) Control through Communication: The Rise of System in American Management. Johns Hopkins University Press Baltimore and London

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kjeld Schmidt.

Additional information

This article draws on findings and analyses presented in articles published over the last couple of years (Schmidt and Wagner, 2002a; Schmidt and Wagner, 2002b; Schmidt and Wagner, 2003).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Schmidt, K., Wagner, I. Ordering Systems: Coordinative Practices and Artifacts in Architectural Design and Planning. Comput Supported Coop Work 13, 349–408 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10606-004-5059-3

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10606-004-5059-3

Keywords

Navigation