“Technology is the answer, but what was the question?” Cedric Price, 1966 Data Becoming ART! This research investigates whether AI and BIM enhance architectural creativity or contribute to the standardization of design. It examines whether computational workflows expand the boundaries of architectural expression or gradually replace human intuition with optimized uniformity. The study further explores … Read more
A conversation with Jesper Wallgren Introduction In recent years, computational design and BIM workflows have become common tools in architectural practice. However, most of these tools remain confined to individual projects, often developed as internal scripts or one-off automation solutions to solve immediate design problems. While effective in improving efficiency within a project, these tools … Read more
The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is currently undergoing a major technological shift. We are witnessing a definitive transition from manual, labor-intensive site measurements to AI-driven scan-to-BIM workflows. The goal is clear: to unlock the digital potential of existing buildings by creating high-fidelity records that support more efficient design, engineering, and facility management. As … Read more
INTROUCTION Building regulations are among the most critical and most cumbersome aspects of architectural practice. In Spain, the Documento Básico de Seguridad en Caso de Incendio (DBSI), part of the Technical Building Code (CTE), sets out detailed requirements for fire safety across every typology of building. Yet in most practices today, compliance validation remains a largely … Read more
During the AI in Architecture and Urbanism Seminar, our team built an automated compliance checking system that validates architectural projects directly from IFC models. Building regulation checks are traditionally manual, slow, and error-prone. Architects review 2D drawings, interpret regulations individually, and often wait weeks for compliance feedback. We asked a simple question: what if compliance … Read more
Monsoon Nest is a modular housing proposal for Bangkok that responds to monsoon rainfall, flooding, and high-density urban conditions. The project explores adaptable modules, elevated structures, and passive climate strategies to create resilient, community-oriented living environments in a tropical context. The design of Monsoon Nest is informed by four primary parameters: contextual environmental data, parametric … Read more
Heritage is not memoryHeritage is Production + Community In the dense urban fabric of Sant Gervasi, Casa Tosquella sleeps a Modernista jewel originally conceived as a summer retreat, now stranded in a city grappling with permanent heat. This project explores the tension between heritage preservation and climatic urgency. The proposal views the building not as … Read more
ABSTRACT The integration of generative AI into architecture is transforming early-stage design processes, particularly by enabling rapid and automated floorplan generation. These tools increase efficiency by exploring large design spaces and producing multiple layout options in a short time. However, current workflows struggle to integrate critical performative analyses such as daylight availability, thermal comfort, and … Read more
ABSTRACT Recent developments in generative artificial intelligence, particularly diffusion models such as Stable Diffusion and DALL·E, have enabled the creation of visually compelling architectural façades from text-based prompts. While these outputs are expressive and stylistically diverse, they remain fundamentally unstructured, lacking spatial intelligence, semantic clarity, and geometric editability. This limits their integration into architectural design … Read more
Simulate. Forecast. Outpace failure. Abstract AssetPulse is an advanced asset management simulation tool and synthetic data generator designed to optimize resource allocation, improve decision-making, and facilitate research through realistic scenario modeling. Building on a graph-based approach, AssetPulse models asset lifecycles, calculates remaining useful life (RUL), and applies business rules for budget planning, risk management, and … Read more
In contemporary architectural practice, the gap between conceptual design and structural analysis often leads to delays, miscommunication, and inefficient iteration cycles. This project proposes an integrated workflow that bridges this divide by creating an interactive interface where architects can receive real-time structural feedback while scanning their preliminary physical model. By combining Unity-based visualization, QR code-enabled … Read more
Nestled within IAAC’s Master of Advanced Computational Design program, our recent investigation of Graph Machine Learning (Graph ML) sought to reimagine how we perceive, evaluate, and improve architectural spaces. Our team of Andrea, Leila, Lennart, and Mahnoor worked on a courtyard prototype to create a seamless process that combines parametric modeling, semantic data interchange, and … Read more
In modern residential architecture, acoustic comfort is as vital as daylighting or thermal performance. In our latest studio research at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Group 09 tackled the challenge of mapping and optimizing sound behavior in homes using graph-based machine-learning workflows. Over the next five minutes, you’ll discover how we combined city-scale … Read more
GWP-data enriched graphs Imagine being able to see the carbon footprint of a building, not after it’s built, but while it’s still a sketch. What if architects and engineers could get real-time sustainability feedback the moment they decide on a material or tweak a wall layout? That’s the vision behind Visual GWP. We combined Graph … Read more
