Week 10
Designing a Materials Database
Problem:
The amount of information on materials can be overwhelming. Green or newly developed materials are not always readily available. There are hundreds of great materials that most people never hear about. Selecting the right materials can be difficult.
Project:
Create a database containing information on materials for an architectural/interior designer to use. Primary users will be the students in our program. Secondary users will possibly be the public in the North Central Texas area. The database should be designed so that future students can add or update information to keep it current.
See the department database under construction. Do we add to this, or create a new one?
Discuss:
Content - What materials should be included? What information about them should be included? See Info Sheet Template (handout) and Properties of Materials (handout) for ideas.
Configuration - What should it look/feel like, how will it be used? How will information be arranged and presented? Should it follow MasterSpec division numbers? What about materials that have multiple uses?
Client or target audience - Who is the user? Who are you designing it for?
Comparable projects: What other databases can be used for comparison? How do they differ? What is good/bad about them? See the Green Links page for some examples.
Local interest - How will the database be specific to the NCT region? Emphasize locally-produced materials? Include local retailers?
Construction - How will it be built? How will the work be distributed? What programs will be needed? How much time will it take?
Other issues - what has not yet been discussed?
Assignment:
To be determined in class