The Impact of AI on Architecture

How AI and XR Are Shaping the Future of Architecture 🏠

How is AI impacting the architecture profession? We recently had the pleasure of hosting a group of esteemed experts from various architecture firms, along with colleagues from TU Delft, at the Erasmus Data Collaboratory: House of AI.

Together, we explored the transformative impact of AI and XR on architecture and city planning. The session was a vibrant exchange of ideas, focusing on how to harmonize hard and soft values in design processes and how AI-powered tools can augment the architect’s profession.

Key Highlights:

Eric van Heck & Marcel van Oosterhout 🟥 shared insights into current AI-related initiatives at Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Erasmus Centre for Data Analytics.
Marie Kegeleers of the Immersive Xperience Lab presented examples of how immersive technologies powered by AI are influencing architecture and city development.
Michela Turrin from TU Delft discussed the integration of AI in architectural research and education.
Bart Mispelblom Beyer emphasized the importance of soft values in architecture, using the Zuidoever project as a case study for innovative design solutions that enhance well-being and sustainability. Zuidoever in Amsterdam is a residential facility for people with dementia. Here, the intuitive legibility (immediate readability) of the environment – a typical soft value – is the primary criterion for achieving a meaningful design solution. He noted that architecture and urban design must consider both hard and soft values. Soft values, while equally or even more critical for sustainability and overall design quality, are difficult to quantify and can be overlooked in AI-driven processes.

Key Guiding Questions:

  • To what extent is the profession aware of AI’s implications for design practice and the role of designers?
  • What opportunities and risks accompany AI integration in design processes?
  • How might AI-driven methods reshape the boundaries between architecture, urban design, landscape, and interior design?
  • Can we develop AI models that incorporate (or even create) soft values to augment the designer’s task?
  • How can AI models and designers collaborate to empower each other?

👉 The session underscored the need to develop a platform for sharing knowledge about responsible innovation and AI, and their impact on the architecture profession. To this end, we are currently exploring a possible collaboration between the architecture industry, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and Delft University of Technology. A central element of such a platform could be the creation of a generic design tool, on which individual practices and institutions can build.

👉 Please reach out to us if you would like to join this initiative via: ecda@eur.nl