A prototipagem física de alta fidelidade: uma abordagem de design para projetos na construção civil

Abstract

This dissertation presents a literature review on prototyping as a design approach in product development and an analysis of its applicability in Construction projects. The Construction Industry has historically presented high rates of material and labor waste and, in general, low productivity indicators when compared to other industries. Thus, this research focused on a typical, and even indispensable, design approach in more industrialized sectors, but rare in Construction: high-fidelity physical prototyping. When surveying and analyzing the academic production that deals with the use of prototypes in design processes, it was soon found that there are almost no studies on the subject in the disciplines associated with Construction, and the most relevant bibliography comes precisely from areas of knowledge associated with the most industrialized sectors. Apparently, there are currently no comprehensive and firmly established conceptual bases on the use of prototypes as a design approach in the Construction Industry and in the areas of knowledge associated with it. Thus, the main objective of this dissertation is to address the following questions: What are “prototypes”? How is “prototyping” used in design processes, in general, and in Construction in particular? How relevant is it to these processes and how does it differ from other design techniques in Construction? After reviewing the literature on the subject, an analysis was made, using the theoretical framework established in the bibliography, of the representation methods traditionally used in Construction projects and of some exceptional cases in which high-fidelity physical prototyping was used. Finally, a series of theoretical reflections on the definitions, classifications and concepts studied were proposed and some possible lines of research that could be developed from the contents covered in this study were enumerated.