This paper summarizes some of approaches that could be taken for data exchange in a non-interoperable work environment and reports lessons learned from the Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Park project. Today's widespread application of building information modeling (BIM) to the construction and architectural design industries requires a change in the cooperation between business organizations and their methods of communication. In particular, the interoperability of information between interdisciplinary organizations, which use specific programs for different purposes, has become a critical issue. More than just a technical problem, it is also highly related to an organization's collaboration culture and the particulars of a specific project. This paper describes the interoperability issue that occurred during the construction documentation phase of the irregularly shaped building project, Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Park, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and Samoo Architects and Engineers, from the perspective of the technological problem and the collaborative organizations' communications. Although the perfect compatibility of information is not possible, this paper deals with a practical approach to the interoperability issue by examining the way the end-users of computer-aided design (CAD) resolved the interoperability problems in practice.
This work was supported by the Korean Institute of Construction & Transportation Technology Evaluation and Planning (KICTEP) with the program number of "06-Unified and Advanced Construction Technology Program-E01" and Samoo Architects and Engineers. We are grateful to all the DDP project team members for giving us the opportunity to participate in, observe, and conduct research on the invaluable project, despite their time-constrained nature of the project.