A.N.D.I. (A New Digital Instrument),  is an open source software development project dedicated to providing a web based platform of highly integrated tools for creative trans-disciplinary collaboration in architectural design. This project is about new approaches to creative transdisciplinary design collaboration in complex, knowledge-based networked environments – most notably in architectural practice, and the novel software instruments that make such approaches possible.

In the recent past, the essence of change in design procedures dealing with a huge amount of data and various perspectives, so typical for knowledge-based environments, has been manifested in such social phenomena as the Open Source movement, the bottom-up approach, the transparency of multiple-authorship, user-driven innovations and the “form follows feedback” principle. This development has called for novel software instruments enabling designers to harness the vast complexity of collaborative networked settings without losing their own point of view.

The objective was to develop a run-time environment with the focus on the development of applications for networked international and cross-disciplinary production in the creative sphere of architecture, urban planning, design and net.art. A.N.D.I. has two basic aspects. On the one hand it is a database driven collaborative environment and on the other hand it will enable the development of future software and tools for networked creative collaboration. This new working tools will increase the creativity, productivity and competitiveness of the involved actors by drawing upon and developing technologies for virtual collaborative environment.

Credits | Design team: ORTLOS – Ivan Redi, Andrea Schröttner  with Vincent Cellier, Martin Frühwirth, Kira Kirsch, Peter Holzmann | Programming team: Nebojsa Dinic, Aleksandar Stojiljkovic | Project Management: Ference Schröttner | Support: City of Graz Departments for Culture, Country of Styria, department for Culture, Science and Research, KUNST.Bundeskanzleramt, Republic of Austria; KulturKontakt Austria