MACE – enriching architectural learning objects for experience multiplication

Education in architecture requires access to a broad range of learning materials to develop flexibility and creativity in design. The learning material is compromised of textual and visual media including images, videos, description of architectural concepts or projects, i.e. digital artifacts on different aggregation levels. The repositories storing such information are not interrelated and do not provide unified access so that retrieval of architectural learning objects is cumbersome and time consuming. In this paper, we describe how an infrastructure of federated architectural learning repositories will provide unique, integrated access facilities for high quality architectural content. The integration of various types of content, usage, social and contextual metadata enables users to develop multiple perspectives and navigation paths that support experience multiplication for the user. A standards-based, service-oriented software architecture, and flexible user interface design solutions, based on embeddable widgets, ensure easy integration and re-combinability of contents, metadata and functionalities.