Mojica 1

Jose Mojica

Neil Leach

Advanced Design Theories

November 23, 2022

AI and Architecture

What is AI?

To understand how AI is changing the world, we first need to understand what

artificial intelligence is. Over the years, a lot of different definitions of artificial

intelligence have surfaced. But one of the simplest definitions we can find is that

artificial intelligence (AI) is the ability of a robot or any type of digital device to perform a

task that is usually attributed to human beings. AI is present in our daily life almost

everywhere and is nowadays an important element of our lives. The capability of AI

goes from performing simple tasks, such as performing mathematics operations and

saving phone numbers, to facial recognition or even performing medical surgeries.

The origins of AI can be traced to antiquity and beyond, where we can find

rumors, stories, and myths about artificial beings that have intelligence and

consciousness. We usually relate AI with digital technology, which is why it may be hard

to tie in AI to ancient times. But the truth is that the seeds of AI were planted by many

philosophies such as Aristotle, which created the foundation of the field of logic, a field

that was critical for the invention of modern computers would not exist. The first person

who explained what AI is was John McCarthy. McCarthy defined AI as the ability of a

machine or software to imitate human brains, which means to learn, reason, and think
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almost like a human brain. Even if the idea of AI has been around for thousands of

years, the potential of AI was first addressed by Alan Turing. Alan Turing is responsible

for the conceptual groundwork for computation as we all know it nowadays. He created

an automatic machine currently known as Turing Machine. The Turing machine was

used to crack the Enigma Code, a machine used by the Germans in the second world

war for communication. A lot of historians agree that Turing’s machine shortened the

war by years and saved millions of lives.

How AI Changed Architecture

According to the article “How AI Is Changing Architecture World”. AI has worked its way

into the architecture industry, providing different advantages that have changed the way

architects practice architecture. AI has reduced the site visits for architects thanks to

“The Internet of Things (IoT)” This creates an interaction between the physical and the

digital worlds, transferring data between them through the internet. Thanks to this, the

architects no longer need to be physically on the construction site because, with IoT,

they can collect information and picture of a particular site remotely and get access to it

at anything with just a few clicks.

Architects must conduct extensive research during the beginning stages of a project,

which usually consumes a lot of the architect’s time, but AI has optimized that process.

AI can give the best results for that specific project by analyzing tons of data and

comparing them with data from different projects with similar environment settings. This

has shortened the first stage of a project significantly. AI has also influenced

productivity. Architects used to have problems with testing different ideas at the same

time. But AI has created a virtual environment for the architect to test several design
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options at the same time thanks to different platforms like BIM that offer different

software to ease the design and analysis of the process for architects. All these

improvements in architecture have influenced cost management. Artificial intelligence

has reduced manual labor when it comes to construction, data management, etc.

There was a time when architects had to suffer gathering information about materials,

temperature, weather conditions for a specific area, construction types, etc. And

sometimes the information was not one hundred percent accurate, so architects had to

find different sources to compare information and make to have precise information to

start the project or ask other architecture colleagues for a second opinion. But

nowadays, architects have most of that information available thanks to some software

and data-compiling tools. Multiple software and tools improve building efficiency by

making calculations and analyses. Ladybug is an example of an environmental design

tool. Ladybug allows the users to perform environmental analysis by inserting the

location and certain parameters and then offers information about how the building

interacts with the environment where is going to be placed. Autodesk flow is also

another software that can perform wind analysis to see how the building will react to

determine wind speed. Architects can also analyze how some materials can react to

certain weather conditions before the building even gets built. Before AI, those analyses

would take a significant amount of time to perform without AI. Thanks to AI, the design

process has been optimized as well. Architects can also get from point A to point B

faster, and they can explore different design techniques such as Parametricism, which

make it possible to create a structure that was unimaginable decades ago. Architects

can be more creative when it comes to design. Having everything so optimized and
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automatized can indeed affect creativity, but depending on how the architects use AI, it

also can boost it. Architects can now design structures that some years before they did

not even imagine that was possible to design something like that.

AI also makes building more secure. Before AI, building owners had to hire security

guards to maintain their buildings secure. However, security guards are humans, which

means there are things they can miss or that they may not be able to remember. The

video surveillance camera was a great improvement for security, but if a crime or

violation occurred in a building, police officers had to go over hours of footage to identify

when that happened. However, a smart security system can scan and automatically

detect any type of suspicious activities and alert the police department immediately.

Nowadays, university campuses, business offices, and most buildings have installed

video security cameras and monitors to see who is coming in and out of the building;

there are still security guards in some of those buildings and campuses. However, the

job of security guards has been updated thanks to the implementation of AI. Now some

security guards oversee video cameras to supervise the job of the surveillance system.

But even if the police officers missed something in the footage, the smart system may

be able to identify and alert the guard of what is happening. Surveillance cameras allow

the guards to watch over multiple areas at once and reduce the price of surveillance for

the buildings.

Besides offering security, AI can optimize building maintenance. AI-based energy

platforms can identify usage patterns of the energy in the building and adjust the energy

to the ideal condition for the tenants, this saves money and energy, and helps with
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climate change. With this technology, tenants do not have to worry about the interior

temperature or about leaving a light on while they are outside, because the AI-based

platform can determine what is the optimal temperature to create a comfortable

environment for the tenant, and it alerts the tenants if the temperature rises or dips

significantly.

The construction industry has been also influenced by AI. Some super complex shapes

and forms are extremely difficult to design, or impossible to build for humans. But

thanks to AI, humans have created robots that can build complex shapes with maximum

precision and in a short time. This technology is still far from perfect, but it has provided

a significant advance in construction already.

AI has also made an impact on the way that architects present projects to the client.

The way that architects used to present projects was through floor plans, sections, and

perspective drawings, all of them drawn by hand. But nowadays, technology has

advanced so much that architects can create realistic renderings to help clients to

visualize the project more clearly. Even if a client can understand a floor plan, most of

the clients are not architects, so they cannot visualize the projects through plans the

same way that architects do. But Virtual reality wants to take over the job of the

renderings. Some architects are placing their projects into a virtual reality environment

to let the client interact and visualize the project before it gets built in a 3d environment.

The potential of this technology is still under development, but it may become key when

it comes to design presentations.

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The Future of AI in Architecture

We have been discussing just part of how AI has influenced architecture so far, but the

job of AI in the architecture industry is far from being done. According to the article

written by Ben Dreith named: “How Ai Software Will Change Architecture and Design.”

The full capacity of AI has not been explored yet, but we can start to imagine how this

technology will continue influencing architecture in the future decades.

One of the big changes will happen in the architecture offices. Architects will have to

start using more AI-based software, and most of the processes in the office will be

automatized. Architects will have a secondary role when it comes to design. If AI keeps

improving as is doing it so far, we will get to a point where architects will no longer

design buildings. AI can get to a point where the client will just have to submit the

specifications for the building they want, such as square footage, site location, typology,

program, etc. And AI will be able to produce different design options for the client to

choose from in just a few hours or maybe in just a few minutes. That means AI will have

the potential to produce the drawings required for the construction and to design

buildings for the architects. If (or when) that happens, the architects will become more

like real estate agents or a supervisor of the machines. But the question behind this is if

AI is what is designing the project, should AI get the credit for the design? Or the

architect who coded the machine will be considered the author? This question is

answered in the video “But who is the author”. In this video, Professor Neil Leach

explains that the person who writes the codes, or in this case, the person who inserted
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the parameters to design the building, will be considered the author because AI is

considered to be a tool, not a human species.

Schools will also be upgraded to adapt architects to the new architectural era. Just like

most architects stopped drawing by hand and started using computers to create

architectural drawings, the architects will have to learn how to use the new AI-based

software, if they want to secure a good job in the architecture industry. That extra

knowledge will have to be learned at school. The universities will have to teach

computer programming classes to architects, and they will have to introduce AI-related

classes in the architecture program. Just like drafting computer software became

essential to get a job in the architecture industry, coding may become a required skill for

architecture in the future, so the schools will have to train the students for that future.

When it comes to construction, AI may also become essential in the future. Nowadays,

robots are limited in what they can do, and they are incredibly expensive to afford for

construction today. But that will change soon. Most construction workers may be

replaced by robots to do their job. Robots have a higher level of accuracy than humans,

and they can work longer shifts without having to take breaks. Robots can do tedious

and dangerous jobs without getting scared or tired. Also, robots are not affected by

hostile environments, and accidents in the workplace will be reduced to zero. There will

not be any distractions by colleagues talking or robots refusing to do a task because

they do not get enough money for it, or it is way too complicated for them. Because of

this, a construction worker will have to adapt and become more like a supervisor, and

the projects will be built way faster than they are now.
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3d-printers will also benefit from AI. So far, there are huge 3d printers that can print a

small building, or they can even print materials to be used for construction; however, the

size of what they can print, and the cost are still limited. But when AI keeps improving,

so 3d printers can improve as well. In the future, we may not even need robots or

construction workers to build a house. If the 3d printer technology keeps evolving like is

doing it so far, we may get to a point where we can have printers that could print entire

buildings in a more efficient and faster way than how it does it nowadays. And it can

even print buildings taller and wider than what it can do now, and it can become

affordable.

The client’s presentation will be updated as well. Instead of showing the plans to the

client and renderings, we could put on the clients a virtual reality glass and show them

the project in a virtual reality environment so the clients can have a better experience of

their buildings. That technology is available today, but still is new and the clients do not

get comfortable wearing the glasses, and the glasses are still very expensive.

Nevertheless, while AI continues making its way through our daily life, the clients may

become more familiar with it and be more willing to experience the buildings in that

environment. That can also be integrated into most of the drafting software that we have

nowadays like Revit and Rhinoceros. That software has the option to visualize the

model in 3d, soon, someone may create a tool that can be integrated into that software

and give them the option to visualize the project in virtual reality. That way the architects

can keep working on the programs they are used to and have that technology available

with just one click.

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The cities as we know them may disappear, and what will replace them is a type of city

that we call the smart city. A smart city uses digital technology to connect, protect, and

enhance the lives of citizens. IoT sensors, video cameras, social media, and other

inputs act as a nervous system, providing the city operator and citizens with constant

feedback so they can make informed decisions. A smart city collects and analyzes data

from IoT sensors and video cameras. In essence, it "senses" the environment so that

the city operator can decide how and when to take action. Some actions can be

performed automatically. For example, a public waste bin can contact the city for

service when it is near capacity instead of waiting for a scheduled pickup. There will be

tremendous benefits that will come with smart cities, and they will improve the daily life

of all the citizens living in them. Not just the citizens would benefit from smart cities, but

also local businesses, the environment, and even the government will benefit from

having this city. Are we close to having smart cities all over the world? Probably not, It

may take several decades for smart cities to replace the actual cities, but when that

happens, we could say that we are already living in the future.

The Downside of AI for Architecture

Despite all the good that AI is doing for the architecture industry, not everything that

shines is gold. For sure AI is renovating our life and changing architecture majors, but

some disadvantages come with that. One of the main disadvantages is that the

unemployment rate will increase significantly. Architecture firms will need way fewer

employees than they need now. With the advances of AI, the job that five or six people

must do probably will be reduced to one AI machine of software doing all that job, and
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just one person supervising that everything is going in order. And people who do not

adapt on time to the new technology will live a nightmare to find a job. In the

construction workplace, if all the humans are replaced by robots, what will happen to the

construction workers? They will have to look for another profession to adapt to the new

reality. We are seeing this nowadays in some fast-food restaurants. In big food-chain

restaurants like McDonald's, some cashiers have been replaced by Kiosks, a machine

that allows customers to order from the screen instead of doing a line to the cashier.

This has fastened the ordering process in these restaurants. The cashiers had to learn

other positions to continue working in the restaurant, and the ones who could not adapt

lost their job.

Besides unemployment, AI will also take away one of the things that makes architecture

unique, and that is creativity. It does not mean that there will not be creativity in the

design generated by AI, but the more the technology advances, the less human

interaction needs. Architects will become the real estate agent who suggests to the

clients which building generated by the AI should the client choose, or the architects will

explain the benefits of each building to the client. But most likely, the architect will not

have any role in the design process, and it may become hard to distinguish between an

architect and a computer engineer

Conclusion

AI came to our life to stay, and the advantages that AI has provided to humanity have

changed the way we live forever. Architects will not be able to stop the changes that AI
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will produce. The only thing we can do is adapt to the new future before it gets too late.

AI in Architecture is full of promises, challenges, and potentials that will continue to be

explored by the new upcoming centuries. It is hard to predict what is going to happen

with AI, how many changes it will bring to the architecture industry, or If AI will finally

take over in the architecture offices. But we can know something for sure. AI will

revolutionize every aspect of architecture forever.

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References

Oberste-Ufer, Dr. Kai, et al. “7 Ways Artificial Intelligence Is Revolutionizing

Architecture.” EN - Dormakaba Blog, 16 Jan. 2020, https://blog.dormakaba.com/7-
ways-artificial-intelligence-is-revolutionizing-architecture/.

“How AI Is Changing Architecture World.” AIWS, 13 Nov. 2020,

https://aiworldschool.com/research/how-ai-is-changing-architecture-world/.

“5 Ways Artificial Intelligence (AI) Is Changing Architecture.” DezynCle,

https://dezyncle.com/en/articles/5-ways-artificial-intelligence-ai-is-changing-
architecture#:~:text=5%20Ways%20Artificial%20Intelligence%20%28AI%29%20is
%20Changing%20Architecture,5%205-
%20Artificial%20Intelligence%20systems%20integrated%20indoors.%20.

Ben Dreith |16 November 2022 Leave a comment. “How Ai Software Will Change
Architecture and Design.” Dezeen, 18 Nov. 2022,
https://www.dezeen.com/2022/11/16/ai-design-architecture-product/.

Leach, Neil. Architecture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction to AI for

Architects. Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2022.

Leach, Neil. The Death of the Architect, YouTube, uploaded by Neil Leach, 28 Aug.
2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBZOr8prNQY. Accessed 3 Nov. 2022.

Leach, Neil. What is Artificial Intelligence? YouTube, uploaded by Neil Leach, 06 Sep.
2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pA8IJX1YRA. Accessed 3 Nov. 2022.

Leach, Neil. Alan Turing, YouTube, uploaded by Neil Leach, 20 Sep. 2021,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grY9Hb5m6og. Accessed 3 Nov. 2022.

Leach, Neil. The Birth of Computation, YouTube, uploaded by Neil Leach, 20 Sep.
2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NhlTFDYOOA. Accessed 3 Nov. 2022.

Leach, Neil. AI, Art + Creativity, YouTube, uploaded by Neil Leach, 27 Sep. 2021,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zwcVZZSgBs. Accessed 3 Nov. 2022.

Leach, Neil. But who is the author? YouTube, uploaded by Neil Leach, 27 Sep. 2021,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3IZRvY_YTc. Accessed 6 Nov. 2022.

Leach, Neil. City of the Future, YouTube, uploaded by Neil Leach, 1 Nov. 2021,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y3sJeFJDlE. Accessed 9 Nov. 2022.

Leach, Neil. The Future of AI, YouTube, uploaded by Neil Leach, 15 Nov. 2021,
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