Artificial Intelligence in Architecture and the Built Environment : The Revolution Yet to Come

An AI assistant that learns from a human expert to handle the routine and parametric aspects of architectural design not only represents a forward-thinking vision for the profession but also offers significant opportunities for computer scientists, AI developers, investors, and ultimately, society as a whole.

Imagine if every architect had an apprentice who could consistently observe and understand their intentions, take over routine tasks and monitor technical, environmental, and economic constraints. This apprentice would continually improve, freeing the architect to concentrate on truly creative work. This book outlines a plan to turn this vision into reality. It evaluates the development of artificial intelligence from its inception to the present, focusing on the last two decades of applying AI in architectural design and planning; the current state of architectural practice is also examined. Integrating architecture, computer science, AI, robotics, economics, law, neurobiology, and philosophy, the vision is built on three key premises: (i) authentic, poetic creativity that transcends parameterization and algorithmizing, (ii) innovative learning strategies and training approaches not yet applied concerning architectural design, and (iii) the convergence of architecture’s inherent spatiality with virtual reality technology and new theories of human thinking and intelligence, poised for implementation in machine learning.