Summary: |
The paper will discuss how the forces and opportunities of change strongly related to the evolution of computer model-based design and construction are not only driving progress in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) through a transition process but promise to advance the state of the profession through the emergence of com-pletely new paradigms. Computer model-based design and construction will not only deal with the utilization of new tools to improve existing work processes, but with the emergence of completely new ways of doing things which will have to be designed, invented or discovered. The paper introduces the Digital Reality, The Digital Built Environment and The Digital World concepts and summa-rizes how we make and use the built, natural and digital environments and how they interrelate. The paper also envi-sions actions that shall promote the extension of current research contributions by strengthening the overlap of re-search and teaching with computer, social and management sciences in order to address the scientific, engineering, economic, social and political aspects about how we design, build and operate the built, natural and digital environ-ments and how to make their intelligent and sustainable use possible in an integrated comprehensive way. |