SOCIAL MEDIA ZEITGEIST

 

In the world of architecture we are currently experiencing what has been labelled as an ‘AI revolution’, reshaping how we envision and create the built environment, while also opening discussion on the value of the role of an architect. 

Let’s take a step back to the 1980’s – the arrival of CAD and fast forward to the 2000’s and the ‘3D era’ – the workflow and path to realising a project are again transformed. With generative design tools like Grasshopper the use of algorithms and data offered an innovative way to design, whereby the project was obtained by scripts and numerical information. Architects were no longer required to directly model all the elements, but to write the parameters and set the ‘design code’. Over time it is evident how the role of ‘the architect’ has evolved, alongside the fear of its diminishing value and centrality to design. The evolution: the architect guides the design process through the writing of the ‘script’, laying the groundwork for the prompting process within AI today.

In our current content-based reality, shaped by social media and average user’s attention span of 8 seconds, images are a primary and key element during the development of a project, shifting the role of the architect once again. The story of the project is no longer the focus, instead it is how we write the prompts to achieve it.

AI platforms are of course open to everyone, but prompting is a more refined skillset that architects need to introduce into their methods, especially within daily production of visual content for clients and submissions. A well-crafted prompt seamlessly blends technical knowledge with creativity. It is a dialogue between the AI and the designer which does not diminish the value of human input but rather expands it, emphasising the architect’s ability to guide and interpret the output of the AI.

What started in 2022 as just a curiosity, with simple text and inputs, is today a vital part of my day-to-day operations as an architect. The prompt is part of the project-shape moment, where different platforms combine to illustrate the vision of the project.

In addition to the software we use like Rhino, Vray, and Adobe programs, my role role as an architect is now supported by Midjourney, ControlNet, Magnific AI, and Adobe Firefly. It is an entirely new workflow that merges platforms to achieve the final image: a simple sketch turned into a base image with ControlNet, which then becomes the base for the the text-to image prompt of Midjourney. Adobe Firefly and Magnific AI make the final adjustments that enhance the reality and quality of the resulting image, modifying selected areas with Firefly first, and after upscaling with Magnific AI for a final high-res image.

The power of AI is not only in its ability to improve the production of images, but also in its capacity to explore design solutions that may not be immediately apparent through traditional methods. While design possibilities are infinite, our imagination is usually restricted by our personal backgrounds and references we can find on the internet: AI bursts open a wider range of solutions that we can evaluate and evolve. This doesn’t mean the platform is designing for us, but that we are designing through the prompt.

PopUp Architecture aims to shine a light on how our spaces today have lost their identity and fail to evoke involvement of the people. The architect is a prisoner of enduring standards which have become completely detached from the living and daily experience, instead of using architecture as a space for entertainment and identity.

While living in New York I saw how the city has become a soulless stream of rigid, enclosed high-rise volumes: a crisis of spaces that is slowly diminishing the small-scale identity of the different neighbourhoods composing the city. The answer is not as easy as ‘just avoid skyscrapers’, we must confidently face the developers, and real-estate mentality at top of the construction business. I began to explore how the future image of New York can evolve to include the iconic skyscraper archetype and real estate development, while also bringing to the surface the identity of the city, and attracting interest in people.

 

This image, created with Midjourney and the following upscaling though Magnific AI, was not obtained in 30 seconds with a single, simple prompt, it is the product of an entire days’ worth of work.

When using AI we must keep in mind what we want to achieve, and how we want to write the story. The identity-necessity of the cities and the lack of spaces involves big scale projects as well as small scale buildings, this is why the starting point was to imagine how the small-scale buildings can escape their rigidity. Thinking above the ordinary does not mean you must just create designs in crazy shapes, but also investigate materiality and colours beyond what is typical: coloured plastic and membrane represents the essence of pop with their flexibility and availability, keeping that sense of exclusivity but also industrial mass-production. It’s pneumatic architecture, coloured, and modular, explored in different cities to understand how their identity can become a luxury in the design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following images, that could be standalone works, are instead the baseline for what we want to obtain: New York’s skyscraper of tomorrow. The tower needs to answer the construction’s necessities, it must be modular not just in the panelisation or façade expression but in the city’s small-scale realty going vertical.

 

To arrive at a comprehensive view of the tower the focus started on the ground level –  base images – in order to understand how the broken mass climbs to the top.

Midjourney provides the chance to keep expanding the image along its sides and scale inside the same aspect ratio. Instead of starting with the full view of the project from afar, which often results in the image losing some details, (adding to the prompt “extremely detailed” or similar will not help) I usually start from the macro focus and zoom out to gain a comprehensive view of the space with the maximum detailing and quality.

 

 

 

 

 

Work with prompting becomes a real journey as is with the development of a project, where the text base is only a small component of a more complex workflow.

It is a matter of composing the image and the result. The final image at the end is born of a proper design process, where different options are evaluated, and used to evolve the design and introduce changes to the prompt throughout; for example moving the camera from the ground to an higher level.

 

It is important to remember, there is no magic prompt or secret words that can make a difference, the key is in how you use the words to build your story.

You must include the graphic style you want to express, the camera position, and a description of the main protagonist with its features, materiality, and conceptual expression. You cannot exclude details of the context or the atmosphere, the specific references or type of cameras and lenses you want to use.

It is a precise story to tell while utilising the infinite chances provided by the AI platform.

For instance, in Midjourney you can add parameters such as “style”, “chaos”, “image weight”, and “image quality”. The options are countless, so I usually send the same prompt multiple times with different combinations of parameters, starting with a simple prompt of just the aspect ratio, progressing onto more complex combinations, specifying chaos for more realistic results, or others with the higher value of style for more creative outputs.

The reality is that there is not one prompt working, just as there is not one conceptual and architectural solution when you start the project. It is a combination of elements, solutions, and outputs. Behind the final image there is a complex network of variations, changes, and inputs, where the architect designs not only the space but writes the story of how the space is designed: the architect becomes a storyteller.

 

Matteo Gawlak is an architect and Associate at Foster + Parters. He formed popUP Architecture in 2017 as a vehicle for architectural experimentation and project work.