Building is a team effort in which many elements have to be combined into a unified structure.
The aims of the architect, the engineer and all the other players should merge into a seamless design, but until recently that ideal was difficult to achieve because everyone had to begin and continue working on new projects from a different perspective. Each specialist was obliged to operate on an island of isolation until the time came to match and patch with other members of the design team. Information technology is changing that approach because rapid exchange of data is making it possible for all players to work around the same interactive core design. This breakdown of barriers is a significant advance not just in terms of administration, but in achieving better final results. Instead of having add-on compromise, all the functional elements of a building project, such as energy efficiency, can be merged into a totally integrated design.