ARC 694
The surge of accessible artificial intelligence is profoundly reshaping every aspect of our lives, and architecture is no exception. The question is not whether we use it, but how and to what end? How do we wrap these new tools into a design process we have relied on for generations?
In times like these, it’s useful to look back to our fundamentals. As Rem Koolhaas said in his introduction to the 2014 Venice Biennale, a study of the fundamentals is a study of histories, and “tries to reconstruct how architecture finds itself in its current situation and speculates on its future.” In this studio, students will use AI to unlock novel design tools and methodologies, while critically analyzing the core elements of architecture: floors, doors, windows, walls, ceilings, and stairs. Students will propose new designs for the fundamentals of architecture with an outlook toward a future that promises radical change. We will use creative AI and traditional methods of design (both analog and digital) to reveal new categories of space and performance.
Using the concept of “wrappers” as a technique and strategy for enclosure, the studio will explore architecture as a heterogeneous assemblage of elements, each with its own identity and character that when combined, form a building that has multiple readings and offers a range of experiences.