AI tools for architecture: Designers explore what’s possible
8 Takeaways for Designers Using AI for Architecture
What did we learn about AI in IdeaXchange design competition? We can summarize the lessons of AI in the following AI design mantras. They are, like our AI-powered design process, a work in progress that we will continually refine.
1. Approach AI as a tool, not a decision-maker
Understanding where and when to apply which AI tool is important. And it’s still work. Creating prompts, optimizing workflows, choosing inputs, sorting through the output, retouching imagery. All of that takes time. There’s still a lot of work done outside of AI that defines the project outcome. We can use AI to augment our design capabilities, but it doesn’t replace human creativity or choice. Designers remain the ultimate decision-makers.
2. Overcome fear through use
For some of us, the first emotion when it comes to AI is fear. We were able to overcome fear through experimentation, play, and curiosity about the power of AI. Using it to iterate and refine our project helped demystify AI. We built confidence in our ability to guide the design process and achieve satisfying results. We’re thrilled to have the chance to push this technology to the limit.
3. Experiment, iterate, and play
Success with AI comes from approaching it with curiosity, testing what is possible, and learning from it. Again, and again. Some AI tools are new to us; we need to try them out to see where they are most valuable.
Design is an iterative process. Using AI at this stage doesn’t change that. Years ago, we were playing in Midjourney and finding the results unsatisfactory; the quality was not what we required for work. But we kept on playing. Now, as technology is evolving, we are ready to push AI tools to places where they bear fruit. AI is very good at generating multiple options. Practically speaking, AI speeds up the iterative design process. As we sharpen our design intention, it allows us to make hundreds of edits and re-export the imagery.
4. Choose the right AI tool for the task
A good designer knows that they are better at some things than others. We are always looking for tools that can do the things we don’t like to do or to take on arduous, time-consuming tasks.
For example, we love creating renderings, but we don’t always love that they can take 60 hours to generate. What if we could create a quality rendering in 3 hours? That’s the kind of tool we want in our toolkit. On the IdeaXchange project, we were able to dial in astounding results using AI’s image-generating capabilities in a fraction of the time it would take to render them in conventional technology.
Maybe some AI tools for architecture aren’t ready for day-to-day use? Recognizing which AI tool fits a specific design challenge is key; not every tool is suitable, and part of the process is reducing our tech stack to what works best. Example: This competition gave us the opportunity to research certain applications. We tried and discovered that one well-known app was a clunker. It was not useful for our purposes. And we’re able to share our results with designers. That way, we can spend more time with better tools.
