Digital 'Factory' Invents Tools That Can Unlock Architects' and Designers' Creativity.

Byline: University of Washington

SEATTLE, Oct. 25 (AScribe News) -- They sound like games: Digital Sandbox, Mouse Haus, Electronic Cocktail Napkin, Navigation Blocks, Space Pen.

But they are not for kids - they are tools invented by the University of Washington's Design Machine Group to unleash architects' and designers' collaboration and creativity.

The 18-month-old idea factory, part of the UW's College of Architecture and Urban Planning, is making a splash in the academic world and will go public Nov. 5 with a presentation at the Seattle Art Museum.

"Until now, architects have used the computer to replace the pencil and drawing board," said Design Machine Group director Mark Gross, an associate professor of architecture. "But the computer is really a knowledge tool, an information-processing …