FREEHAND SKETCHES AND DIGITAL METHOD IN THE DESIGN ARENA (PART 3)

This is the last episode of our 3-part mini-series, the second of which, I concluded with the following words:

“As we have been discussing so much about digital design and architecture, I should say that nowadays, AI technology is becoming so popular and widely used in the design industry. It is so phenomenal, and its rapid growth far exceeds all the recorded advancements in the world of digital technology. It is so imminent that even non-professionals can create something that appears professional to many, not only in architecture and interior design, but in almost every field: from song composition and music arrangement to creating artworks, graphic design, and creative writing, among many others. Now, we couldn’t hide the fact that it seems so threatening for designers like us, huh? What do you think? Let’s talk more about it on the last episode of this series. Thanks for following.”

As I have always said, “I have nothing against the digital method...” and now we have finally arrived at the most awaited discussion on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the field of Architecture. In this article, we will explore the term “machine learning,” a subfield of AI, based on a conference presentation written by Mr. Giuseppe Gallo, a PhD candidate in Architecture at the University of Palermo, Italy, and submitted to Academia.edu. In my interpretation, it is through the subfield of machine learning that AI is being applied to the architectural design process.

OBJECTIVE

Although AI is being highlighted in this article, I would still maintain my full support for the importance of manual sketching in the design process. After all, that is actually my main goal, or should I say, an advocacy that I have supported ever since I started discussing this subject matter. Moreover, some parts of this article shall serve as a commentary on the writings of Gallo in order to help us understand more deeply how AI affects the architectural design process. So, some excerpts may be expected occasionally to meet our objective.

According to Gallo, “The proliferation of data together with the increase of computing power in the last decade has triggered a new interest in artificial intelligence methods. Machine learning and in particular deep learning techniques, inspired by the topological structure of neurons network in brains, are omnipresent in the IT discourse, and generated new enthusiasms and fears in our society.” And so, this article is somehow aimed at alleviating that growing fear, especially to the professionals who have spent a lifetime of devotion to the field using just their acquired knowledge and manual sketching method.

DEFINING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

According to Wikipedia, “Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the capability of computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of research in computer science that develops and studies methods and software that enable machines to perceive their environment and use learning and intelligence to take actions that maximize their chances of achieving defined goals. Such machines may be called AIs.”

For me, I still find definitions on Wikipedia sound a little technical in nature, and you still need further reading or more research efforts to get the definition you need, regardless of the specific purpose. I have read the definition of AI in the Academia.edu article I am referring to, but somehow found it a little profound, receiving a combination of opinions from different architects being interviewed at the conference. Most of them are pointing to different subfields of the subject AI, and so, it prompted me to consult with ChatGPT about the different subfields of AI, and here is exactly what I got (exactly what the selected architects interviewed by Gallo are trying to say):

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a broad and diverse field with many subfields. Each subfield focuses on different aspects of intelligence and problem-solving. Here are some of the major subfields of AI:

1. Machine Learning (ML)

• Definition: A subset of AI that enables systems to learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed.

• Types:

○ Supervised Learning: Learning from labeled data to make predictions.

○ Unsupervised Learning: Learning from unlabeled data to identify patterns or structures.

○ Reinforcement Learning: Learning through trial and error, receiving rewards or penalties based on actions taken.

○ Semi-supervised Learning: Combines labeled and unlabeled data for learning.

○ Deep Learning: A type of machine learning based on neural networks, especially deep neural networks.

2. Natural Language Processing (NLP)

• Definition: Focuses on the interaction between computers and human language.

• Applications: Machine translation, sentiment analysis, chatbots, text summarization, speech recognition, and more.

• Tasks: Syntax and semantics analysis, text generation, language translation, etc.

3. Computer Vision

• Definition: AI field that enables machines to interpret and understand the visual world.

• Tasks: Image recognition, object detection, facial recognition, video analysis, and image generation.

• Applications: Autonomous vehicles, medical image analysis, security systems, etc.

4. Robotics

• Definition: Focuses on creating intelligent machines that can perform tasks autonomously or semi-autonomously.

• Applications: Manufacturing robots, drones, medical robots, service robots, and more.

• Sub-disciplines: Kinematics, control theory, and robot perception.

5. Expert Systems

• Definition: AI systems designed to emulate the decision-making ability of a human expert in specific domains.

• Components: Knowledge base, inference engine, and user interface.

• Applications: Medical diagnosis, technical troubleshooting, financial planning, etc.

6. Cognitive Computing

• Definition: AI systems designed to simulate human thought processes and decision-making.

• Related Technologies: Natural language processing, machine learning, and reasoning.

• Applications: Personal assistants (like Siri or Alexa), decision support systems, and intelligent automation.

7. Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (KR&R)

• Definition: Focuses on representing information about the world in a form that a computer system can use to solve complex tasks.

• Tasks: Logic-based reasoning, ontologies, semantic networks, and probabilistic reasoning.

• Applications: Question answering, inference systems, and AI reasoning tasks.

8. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)

• Definition: A hypothetical AI system that can perform any intellectual task that a human can do.

• Research Goal: Achieving human-like cognitive abilities in machines.

• Current Status: Still theoretical and not yet realized.

9. Fuzzy Logic

• Definition: Deals with reasoning that is approximate rather than fixed and exact, mimicking human reasoning.

• Applications: Control systems, decision-making, and systems where precision is not required.

10. Swarm Intelligence

• Definition: Inspired by the collective behavior of decentralized, self-organized systems (e.g., bird flocks, insect colonies).

• Applications: Optimization problems, robotic control, and network design.

11. AI Ethics

• Definition: The study of ethical issues related to AI development and usage.

• Issues: Bias in AI models, data privacy, accountability, AI fairness, and ensuring AI systems are aligned with human values.

12. Neural Networks

• Definition: A computational model inspired by the way biological neural networks in the brain process information.

• Applications: Deep learning, image recognition, natural language processing, and more.

13. Automated Reasoning

• Definition: Focuses on the automation of logical reasoning and proofs.

• Applications: Theorem proving, verification of software/hardware systems, and automated decision-making.

14. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)

• Definition: The design and use of computer technology that interacts with human users.

• Applications: User interfaces, voice assistants, and smart devices.

These subfields often overlap, and researchers may work in multiple areas simultaneously. Together, they contribute to making AI systems more capable, adaptive, and intelligent.

I think I am now finding myself getting too far from my real objective. But somehow, this time I just have to use my intuition to simplify the definition. Let’s just begin with a machine that can think like a human. Perhaps now, you are thinking about a robot. But this robot, although it can talk, perhaps write, or communicate with us in any way it can, still, the information it could provide will depend on the data received from humans, initially from its creator or inventor, then from the users themselves. The learning process could be both supervised and non-supervised, allowing the AI to process available data by itself or while being trained by the inventor or the users. In the long run, both the AI and the users tend to benefit from each other and develop a reciprocal and infinite learning process. Now, in the light of architecture, I would rather attribute the traditional sketching to human ability and the parametric architecture to AI ability. For me, both are useful tools in the design process and cannot be separated from each other. Well, by integrating some of the technical definitions initially derived from research, I hope I am able to satisfy the objective that we are trying to reach here.

WILL AI BE USEFUL IN ARCHITECTURE?

This was an important question Mr. Gallo asked when he interviewed ten architects of different specialties from February to July 2019. It somehow turned into a survey where the participants tend to vote on certain categories. So, to cut the story short, here’s a table and an excerpt of the result:

“Machine Learning is the technology that obtained the highest score with a total of 53 out of 70 achievable points, followed by digital manufacturing with 51, third “other computational methods” with 47, then Internet of things with 38, BIM and Augmented Reality with 37, last Virtual Reality with 30. It is interesting to note that Machine Learning and "other computational methods" both obtained the first place in the personal rankings of the designers four times, as well as happened twice for BIM and once for Digital Manufacturing. It is therefore clear that based on the experiences and expectations of the interviewed designers, machine learning and its derivations are expected to play a role within the architectural practice, a role that, for many of the interviewees, will be decisive in ten years.”

Such a piece of concrete information somehow supports my own definition of AI, as I have provided above, and has somehow satisfied the objective of this article. However, if you still need further clarification, let's discuss further, and please feel free to leave a comment.

EXPECTATIONS OF AI TECHNOLOGY IN ARCHITECTURE

It has been five years since Gallo conducted his research work, and the above survey was projected for ten years. Here’s an excerpt:

“Architecture is a complex practice. On the contrary, sectors where Artificial Intelligences are showing an important impact, have a more linear nature than that of our profession. The interviewee goes on saying that, by breaking up the architect's work into separate tasks, describing the process rigorously, it is easier to imagine an AI capable of solving these operations individually. It is therefore important to ask ourselves several questions: Are we able to manage these enormous potentials to generate new concepts and ideas? Can we describe this complexity so that a machine can process it? Maybe in the future.”

Now that we are actually more than halfway through the projected time of the survey, do you think that at that time, they might have overlooked the capability of AI technology in the field of Architecture? The way I experienced it, it came so drastically at a very high speed, that even non-professionals could produce professionally looking products on their own. I guess that’s where it becomes intimidating for the professional community.

AI may sound intimidating due to the unpredictable speed in terms of the development of technology. However, as we continue reading Gallo’s research, he says:

“It is therefore still too early to understand how much these technologies will erode from an architect's professional practice, and certainly nothing in terms of responsibility. In this sense, Arthur Mamou-Mani declares that even by using AI, designers retain the right to control the design process at any time, making choices and questioning answers provided by artificial intelligence.”

This was exactly what I was trying to point out as I concluded in my first episode:

“In the next episodes, we can expect AI to enter the arena. Oh well, let's just welcome it, but I believe we should not let it dominate the show. Instead, let us use our own creativity and use AI as a modern tool only that we have full control of. Use it to enhance our own ingenuity, nothing more, nothing less.”

Now, it seems like the majority of the comments I heard from other famous architects add up to my confidence that I am on the right track when I say I support the advocacy of retaining the manual sketching method in the design process. For me, this is some sort of sustainability that matters in the field of architecture.

FINAL THOUGHTS

In the first episode of this mini-series, I mentioned in my conclusion that "it is the cultural identity and the sense of originality of the architect or artist that I want to emphasize and preserve in this endeavor. The bottom line is that we should stop arguing about which one is best. Let's discuss this with a sense of balance." That was when I discussed the integration of computer technology in the manual sketching method used in the design process. Well, I would say it would be the same thing in the use of AI technology. Instead of being intimidated, let us be confident that AI is a helpful tool in our professional practice. If we could train it, then we can definitely control it. Let’s be friends with them, a new colleague whom we can trust and rely on based on accuracy and consistency. But what about loyalty? Oh well, don’t you dare compare them to a colleague next to your cubicle. Just kidding.

Thanks for joining me throughout this mini-series. Hoping we could have more of this...what do you think?

JOEY CASTANEDA, Architect

Link in account for architectural works.

Linktree account for artworks.

CITATIONS:

Thanks to Wikipedia for the initial definition of "Artificial Intelligence."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence

Some excerpts and a table derived from a research work submitted to Academia.edu are as follows:

The role of Artificial Intelligence in architectural design: conversation with designers and researchers
By Giuseppe Gallo and fulvio wirz

https://www.academia.edu/44902106/The_role_of_Artificial_Intelligence_in_architectural_design_conversation_with_designers_and_researchers?nav_from=f119e482-b1bb-4831-ad11-df870f718f49

Photos courtesy of Pixabay.

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FREEHAND SKETCHES AND DIGITAL METHOD IN THE DESIGN ARENA (PART 2)

 

This is a continuation of our 3-part mini-series, the first of which, I concluded with the following words:

“In the next episodes, we can expect AI to enter the arena. Oh well, let's just welcome it, but I believe we should not let it dominate the show. Instead, let us use our own creativity and use AI as a modern tool only that we have full control of. Use it to enhance our own ingenuity, nothing more, nothing less. So what do you think? Come, join me in this journey...”

The truth is that I have nothing against the digital method, or should I say, a design process with much precision and efficiency. Of course, we must always innovate and push forward advancements in technology, not only in architecture, but also in all fields of knowledge. My point is to utilize both manual and digital methods with a sense of balance and appropriateness. I believe that our personal creativity is a gift from the one who created us, and so, we should not let it simply slip away from our hands. In the design arena, we should not treat the digital side as an opponent, but rather consider it as a friend or teammate instead. I believe that in the field of architecture, freehand drawing and digital media should work together in harmony to meet our ultimate goal – to turn our imagination into reality.

OBJECTIVE 

Aside from my personal experiences, I occasionally used research work in Academia.com, which is supported by citations that eventually support the authenticity of this article, which serves as a commentary on the referenced research work in return. This time, I found one that suits my objective in this article. It's a research work submitted by Mirjana Pali, an Architecture graduate of Epoka University in Albania. So, please expect me to quote some excerpts from the research work to help us understand more deeply the objective of this article.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF FREEHAND OR MANUAL DRAWING

In the first part of this series, I quoted from a research work mentioning the prehistoric or even neolithic era, while Pali's writings elaborate more on the Renaissance and Modern era:

“The two-dimensional drawings are traced from the ancient Egypt as the first mediums used in thinking and design process. At the time of the Renaissance, the information detected from the two-dimensional drawings wasn't sufficient and that is why Filippo Brunelleschi introduced perspective and the three-dimensional physical model. Since then, physical models have been widely used for presenting the mass, details, interior space, and structural relationships of a design, becoming a very important tool through the design process. The same methodology was also used during the nineteenth century, helping the masters in understanding better the volumes and the spaces created. It is interesting and surprising how architects like Frei Otto, Pier Luigi Nervi, Anton Gaudi proposed such complex geometries in a time when technology wasn't involved in architecture. Each of them brought an innovation in different techniques of working with physical models and templates to experiment with the free form geometries. Also, in the twentieth century architects main tools to design projects with very complicated shapes and curved forms, were the physical models of various scales.

However, the advance of technology in the areas of building, environmental control and computing, meant that architectural design processes needed to be adapted with the modern tools. (Hadjri, 2003) So, in the digital age, the designers faced a new thinking process and explored new, unconventional shapes in a more efficient and practical way.”

TRADITIONAL DESIGN MEDIUMS AND DIGITAL MEDIA

In this section, let me just give a brief commentary on the research paper done by Ms. Pali. Two major mediums were described: (1) Sketching as a medium; and (2) Modeling as a medium. Although sketching was the traditional medium used in communication between the architect and the constructors even since the Gothic era, and has been widely used for centuries, no one could prevent the use of digital sketching from entering the design world. On the other hand, modeling as a medium was not exempt from the duel. Here, the works of Antonio Gaudí were highlighted, where he uses physical and explorative tools such as hanging chain models or stacking plaster pieces. However, there were challenging factors that made the design process quite difficult. The efficiency depends on the expertise and skills of the architect, according to Ms. Pali.

ARCHITECTURE IN THE DIGITAL AGE

As per Ms. Mirjana Pali, “...the introduction of these new tools (computers) may limit the expression of the creative work. Therefore, care should be taken when using this tool in architectural design.” I absolutely agree with Ms. Pali on her point of view on this matter. I have always been pointing out that a careful sense of balance should be taken into consideration when using new and traditional tools together in the design process.

Pali mentioned about two notable architects that had opened the way to a new architecture that is born (the digital architecture): (1) Frank Gehry who used CATIA computer program, as an important design tool, to produce a smooth and well dimensioned steel structure pavilion for Barcelona; and (2) Peter Eisenman who also used computer to design the Aronoff Centre for Design and Art by generating a series of tilted building forms.

THE CHALLENGE

With regards to the computer-based design, Ms Mirjana Pali quoted that, “...it limits the creativity of the designer, who is more focused on the shape and the rules that different programs provide to him and in this way he is just producing an automatically product, that everyone could do it. So, what makes one design special from the other is the idea and the imagination behind it and not the shape or its construction. Finding a way of integrating both of these approaches would be the best and most efficient solution during the design process.”

The emergence of digital architecture has greatly influenced both the educational and working sectors, according to Ms. Pali. There has been a gap that has emerged between the actual curriculum in schools and the digital approach and which has caused some difficulties for students. She said, “One way of intervention in this process could be using combined design techniques, starting producing physical models in different scales, than following with 3-Dimensional digitalization, ending up with the 3D modeling. And in this way, we can manage better the changes happening in the modern society.” Again, this statement apparently coincided with the solution that I was trying to point out in my previous articles concerning the “sense of balance” for both the traditional and digital design process.

For the working sector, Ms. Pali quoted some examples of programs like Rapid Prototyping, Digital Design Fabrication, CNC Machines, DIM, and BIM models are integrated in the process of creative design, in order to build a bridge between conceptual design, produced in architectural studios, and real-world construction.

Once in my career, I have encountered making a study on the use of CNC machines and how the operator should be trained in order to produce a physical model based on the samples given in physical form. However, the difficulty arose when the management decided to train the existing Machinist who used to operate the conventional machine. It has to take so much time, effort, and money to fund the training because we need to train the Machinist to be a designer first and teach him how to operate CNC. I think that’s one good example of the effect of the transition in technology.

For me, the effect of digital methods in design has a greater impact on the workforce than on schools. Students and school faculty could adjust based on the availability of equipment in carrying out the education process, but in the workforce, companies or freelancers have to meet the growing demand for digital presentations. It is because, timetable is a very critical factor in project management nowadays, and companies have to compete with rival designers who could meet the client’s requirements.

On my part, I used to be proficient in AutoCAD, but my skill gradually became stagnant as I went on and climbed the ladder for so many years with very minimal use of the software, until I turned into an intermediate user. Fortunately, Sketchup became popular and I had the chance to learn and use it as 3D modeling tool. While there are dedicated BIM software solutions like Autodesk Revit and ArchiCAD, you might be surprised to learn that SketchUp, can also be used effectively for BIM purposes.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I am finalizing this article through an agreement with Ms. Pali's statement: “As we live in a period when digital developments are widely influencing the design process, treating the effects that cause the gap between physical and digital mediums will help in reaching the goals of this paper, in order to finalize it with a new, effective and practical design method for the architects of the digitalized age."

As we have been discussing so much about digital design and architecture, I should say that nowadays, AI technology is becoming so popular and widely used in the design industry. It is so phenomenal, and its rapid growth far exceeds all the recorded advancements in the world of digital technology. It is so imminent that even non-professionals can create something that appears professional to many, not only in architecture and interior design, but in almost every field: from song composition and music arrangement to creating artworks, graphic design, and creative writing, among many others. Now, we couldn’t hide the fact that it seems so threatening for designers like us, huh? What do you think? Let’s talk more about it on the last episode of this series. Thanks for following.

Joey Castaneda

Architect

Link in account for architectural works.

Linktree account for artworks.

CITATION:

Excerpts and photos taken from the following website:

https://www.academia.edu/37379157/Bridging_the_gap_between_handmade_and_digital_media_Computational_Design_in_Architecture

Other photos courtesy of https://www.pixabay.com

FAIR USE DISCLAIMER:

This document may contain copyrighted material whose use may not have been acknowledged by the copyright owner. We believe that this constitutes a "fair use" of the copyrighted material as generally provided for in every copyright law of the country in which it was produced. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for your own purpose that goes beyond "fair use," you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. On the other hand, if you see that your copyright material appears on this website and you disagree with our assessment that it constitutes "fair use," contact us.