The Virtual Design Studio establishes a new paradigm for CAD, expanding computer tools beyond the technical processes of computer-aided design to include the discussion and negotiation which are a necessary complement to developing design ideas, thus introducing the concept that design is fundamentally a social process.

This studio brought together students and tutors at Barcelona, MIT, Harvard, Cornell, Washington University, St. Louis, the University of British Columbia and the University of Hong Kong in one design exercise conducted over the Internet. The experience documented in this book points to a new way of practising architecture and a new way of teaching design.