Exploring Architecture Through the Lens of Visual AI: A Year 10 Project

In the evolving landscape of modern arts and technologies education, innovative pedagogical approaches are essential to cultivate students' creativity and technological literacy. In a Year 10 Architecture class, we embarked on a project that integrated architectural studies with the capabilities of Visual Artificial Intelligence (AI). The project brief tasked students with delving into the works of influential modernist or postmodernist architects, followed by leveraging Visual AI platforms to generate design concepts for a shipping container redevelopment. This interdisciplinary endeavour aimed to not only deepen students' understanding of architectural principles but also to explore the transformative potential of AI in the design process.

The Inquiry Process

The first phase of the task involved students working in pairs to conduct an in-depth inquiry into a selected modernist or postmodernist architect. This foundational research provided the students with a solid understanding of architectural styles, principles, and the nuanced approaches of their chosen architects. Students were tasked with presenting their inquiry in a multimodal format, with some choosing to harness AI using CapCut in the production of a video. Armed with this knowledge, students transitioned to the realm of AI-powered ideation for their shipping container projects.

Analysing the Fusion of Creativity and Technology

The analysis phase delved into the details of the process and outputs. Students reflected on the success of their prompting strategies, evaluating the necessity of specific details for successful outcomes. The key questions guiding their reflection included:

1. What Did You Need to Include in Your Prompting Process for Successful Outcomes?

The students discovered that a balance between specificity and openness in their prompts yielded the best results. Including architecturally relevant details while allowing room for AI interpretation sparked creativity.

2. Was the Software Successful? Why or Why Not?

The exploration revealed that the success of the Visual AI software depended on the clarity and relevance of the prompts. When prompts were precise and aligned with architectural principles, the software delivered the desired outcomes. Limitations were noted in the AI’s knowledge of architectural works.

3. How Could the Idea be Included in Your Project?

When integrating the AI-generated concepts into their shipping container designs, some students chose to incorporate the AI-generated ideas directly, while others drew inspiration from the visualisations and adapted the styles to suit their design narratives. Students could return to the concept design process, then upload sketch design or images of mock digital models to an AI platform to explore outputs based on their own designs supported by text prompts. Students then began modelling their designs in SketchUp and visualising using real-time rendering in Lumion.

Showcasing AI in Architectural Design

To broaden their perspective, students explored examples of architects, artists, or designers who leverage AI for architectural imagery. Several AI practitioners identified demonstrated diverse processes and applications, contributing to the students' understanding of the evolving intersection between AI and architecture.

Gateway to Future Possibilities

The Year 10 Architecture class project underscored the transformative potential of blending traditional education with modern technology. Visual AI emerged not only as a tool for generating design ideas but also as a catalyst for pushing creative boundaries. Upon conclusion of the task, students responded to a survey where 100% stated that before undertaking the task, they had not used visual AI in their schoolwork. After undertaking the task, 75% of students said they were more likely to use visual AI in future school assignments. By integrating AI into the design process, students discovered how the fusion of their own ideation and emerging technologies can propel the evolution of design thinking. All students agreed the task provided them with better understanding of generative AI options and that the use of AI was helpful in the ideation of their architectural project.