Using AI as a Design Tool in My Architecture Practice
TLDRThe architect shares their innovative approach to architecture by integrating AI as a design tool. They discuss the misconception of architecture as a singular act and instead describe a lengthy, iterative process starting with an idea and evolving through sketches and testing. The architect has been experimenting with 'mid-journey,' an AI tool that generates building designs, which they find both addictive and inspiring. They describe the process of using 'mid-journey' to refine their architectural ideas, emphasizing the importance of starting with a strong concept and guiding the AI through specific prompts to achieve desired results. The architect also highlights the value of blending and remixing AI-generated images to uncover unexpected design elements. They illustrate how these AI-generated images can serve as a springboard for pushing the design forward, considering elements like a heavy stone base and a lighter wood shroud. The architect views AI as an additional tool in the design process, allowing for exploration of more options and providing new opportunities for architectural innovation.
Takeaways
- 🎨 **Architectural Process as Art**: Architecture isn't a singular act but a long process that involves idea generation, sketching, and iterative testing.
- 🚀 **Mid-Journey Tool**: The speaker has been experimenting with a tool called 'mid-journey' which aids in the architectural design process.
- 🔍 **Abstract Thinking**: The tool allows architects to think abstractly, similar to how a sculptor or a material artist might approach their work.
- 🌐 **Data-Driven Design**: Mid-journey uses data averaging to generate building types, providing a familiar yet diverse set of designs.
- 💡 **Strong Conceptual Ideas**: The speaker emphasizes the importance of starting with a strong idea and using the tool to solve specific design problems.
- 📝 **Prompt Structure**: Effective use of the tool involves structuring prompts with important modifiers at the beginning for greater influence on the output.
- 🏞️ **Elemental Forms and Materials**: Thinking in terms of elemental forms and specifying materials can guide the tool towards more interesting results.
- 🖼️ **Image Details and Environment**: Including specific details and the environment in the prompt helps in controlling the final output.
- 🎭 **Artistic Influences**: Referencing specific styles, photographers, or artists can steer the creative direction of the generated images.
- 🧩 **Blending and Remixing**: Combining and remixing generated images can lead to unexpected and innovative design solutions.
- 🔧 **Iterative Refinement**: The process involves guiding the tool through multiple iterations, selecting for certain traits each time to reach a satisfactory design.
- 🏡 **Functional and Aesthetic Considerations**: The speaker discusses how the tool can help in designing elements that serve both functional and aesthetic purposes.
- 🌟 **Architectural Exploration**: Mid-journey facilitates exploration of numerous design options, treating nothing as final until it meets the design requirements.
- ⛓ **Parallax Effect in Design**: Creating exterior screens can produce a parallax effect, offering different visual experiences based on the viewer's perspective.
Q & A
What is the common misconception about architecture creation mentioned in the transcript?
-The common misconception is that architecture comes into being as a singular act of the architect, where a grand vision falls out of the architect onto the page.
What does the speaker describe as the initial stages of the architectural process?
-The initial stages of the architectural process always start with an idea and a sketch, which are then tested in different ways.
What is the term used for the tool the speaker has been experimenting with?
-The term used for the tool the speaker has been experimenting with is 'mid-journey'.
How does the speaker describe the experience of using the mid-journey tool?
-The experience of using the mid-journey tool is described as addicting, a mix between gambling and watching old Polaroids develop.
What does the speaker suggest as a way to approach the use of AI in architecture?
-The speaker suggests thinking more abstractly, like sculpting giant landscapes or using materials in a specific way, and using AI to zoom out and solve problems.
What is the importance of the prompt in using the mid-journey tool?
-The prompt is important because words closer to the front of the prompt have more influence on the final result, allowing the user to guide the AI towards a desired outcome.
How does the speaker describe the blending process in the mid-journey tool?
-The blending process combines two to four images and, among the dead ends, can uncover something unexpected that can be used to guide the AI further.
What is the role of character modifiers in the mid-journey tool?
-Character modifiers can be anything from a specific magazine style to referencing other photographers or artists, which can greatly influence the style and content of the generated images.
How does the speaker use the mid-journey tool to enhance their architectural design process?
-The speaker uses the mid-journey tool to generate a set of base images, which are then blended and remixed to guide the AI towards certain traits, ultimately leading to a final result that can be used in the next part of the design process.
What is the significance of the 'style modifier' in the mid-journey tool?
-The style modifier, set to a value like 1000, tells the mid-journey tool to be wildly creative, allowing for more diverse and innovative image outputs.
How does the speaker view the use of AI in architecture in terms of the final architectural design?
-The speaker views the use of AI as another tool in the design process, not as a direct path to finished architecture. It allows for exploration of many more options and serves as a waypoint in the design process.
What is the speaker's perspective on the role of anomalies in the generated images?
-The speaker sees anomalies in the generated images as opportunities for new design ideas, using them to push the design forward and consider different architectural elements and arrangements.
Outlines
🎨 Architectural Design Process and Experimentation
The speaker dispels the myth that architecture is a singular act by an architect with a grand vision. Instead, they describe a lengthy process that begins with an idea and evolves through sketches and testing. They discuss their recent experiments with a tool called 'mid-journey,' which allows for iterative design exploration. The tool is likened to a mix of gambling and the development of old Polaroid photos, offering a unique and engaging experience. The speaker emphasizes the importance of starting with a strong idea and outlines their method for using mid-journey, which includes specifying the type of shot, the subject in elemental forms, material references, and setting/environment details. They also mention the use of character modifiers to influence the style of the final image. The process involves blending images to create unexpected results, which are then used to further refine the design. The speaker uses these blended images to push the design forward, considering anomalies and elements like a stone base and a wood shroud to create a dynamic and multifunctional structure.
🌐 Exploring Architectural Concepts with Mid-Journey
The second paragraph continues the discussion on the use of mid-journey as a design tool, emphasizing its utility in exploring numerous design options. The speaker highlights that with mid-journey, nothing is considered final or off-limits, allowing for a more flexible and open-ended design process. They describe the tool's ability to facilitate the creation of complex relationships between interior and exterior spaces, using simple exterior volumes and parallax effects created by exterior wood screens. The speaker illustrates this concept with the example of old tobacco barns, where slats open up to reveal the structure behind. They conclude by stating that mid-journey is not an end in itself but another tool in the architect's design process, offering new possibilities and ways to refine architectural concepts.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Architecture
💡Mid-journey
💡AI as a Design Tool
💡Sketching
💡Blending
💡Elemental Forms
💡Material References
💡Setting or Environment
💡Character Modifiers
💡Aspect Ratio
💡Style Modifier
Highlights
Architecture is a long process that begins with an idea and a sketch.
Mid-journey is a new tool being experimented with in the design process.
Mid-journey offers a mix between gambling and watching Polaroids develop.
The tool allows for the generation of numerous building designs to explore various options.
Using AI in architecture can help in abstract thinking and sculpting landscapes.
Asana, an AI tool, averages data to create familiar building types.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of starting with a strong idea in AI-assisted design.
A prompt for AI includes modifiers like shot type, subject, material references, and specific details.
The setting or environment and color tones are detailed to control the final output.
Character modifiers like magazine style or referencing photographers can influence AI design.
The aspect ratio of the image can change the result of the AI design.
A style modifier of 1000 tells mid-journey to be wildly creative.
Remixing and reprompting are used to refine the AI's output until a satisfactory base image is achieved.
Blending combines multiple images to uncover unexpected design elements.
The design process involves guiding the AI to select for certain traits in each iteration.
AI-generated images can be used as a starting point to push the design forward.
Anomalies in AI images can inspire new design elements, such as a heavy stone base and a lighter wood shroud.
The speaker explores the possibility of a multifunctional space that can change its aspect in the landscape.
Mid-Journey allows for the exploration of more design options than previously possible.
AI is considered another tool in the design process, not a replacement for human creativity.