AbstractThis paper describes design and implementation of an open, extensible object‐oriented framework that allows the integration of new and legacy components into a single user‐friendly Grid computing environment. Thus we extend the researcher's desktop by providing seamless access to remote resources (that is, hardware, software, and data), and thereby simplifying currently difficult to comprehend and changing interfaces and emerging protocols. The user, through the familiar Web browser interface, is able to compose complex computational tasks represented as a collection of middle‐tier objects serving as proxies for services rendered by the back‐end. The proxies through a Grid resource broker use the Grid services, as defined by the Global Grid Forum, to access remote computational resources. The middle‐tier objects are persistent, and therefore once configured, simulation can be reused, shared between users, or undergo transition into operational or educational use. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.