e-SPAN Newsletter v036: Architecture students take up the question of AI
Dear School of Architecture Community,
The fall 2024 semester is building toward an exciting crescendo. The studios are alive with the energy of final review preparations — messy, palpable and inspiring. We have freshly celebrated our fall award recipients with their amazing travel itineraries and projects to look forward to in the year ahead. Thesis projects are nearing the halfway point, with ideas crystallizing through the dynamic interplay of design and research. Meanwhile, the first round of the PJ Dick Innovation Fund Faculty Grants Program is concluding. We look forward to our Year One Recipients Celebration in January and learning more about the impact of these projects and courses on the School’s three challenges of climate change, artificial intelligence and social justice.
As much as I enjoy hearing music drifting through the College of Fine Arts Great Hall during recital season, my favorite spot is just inside the building’s side entrance, listening to the hum of machines from the architecture wood shop and inhaling that shot of freshly cut wood infused air. Thinking and doing, embodied through design practice — this is a hallmark of Carnegie Mellon Architecture.
In this context, it is not surprising to witness how Carnegie Mellon Architecture students organized to host the 2024 AIAS Northeast Quad Conference, unpacking some of the most pressing issues of our time related to generative AI. The conference events moved beyond abstract theorizing and simplistic technological solutionism, instead demonstrating a deep curiosity and critical engagement with the intersections of architectural design and the broader societal impacts of architecture. Clearly, these are students trained in a discipline where head and hand come together to probe complex problems — a discipline that recognizes that, even when words fall short, we can still imagine a way forward.
I encourage you to take a few moments to explore the critical reflections, incisive questions and creative imaginaries shaped through the 2024 AIAS Northeast Quad Conference, DES[AI]GN: Artificial Intelligence in Architecture. Enjoy!
One last note: on Giving Tuesday, I ask you to consider making a gift to the School of Architecture Head's Innovation Fund. This vitally important fund provides direct support for the necessary technology, supplies and experiences needed for students to have an equitable and successful academic experience. Your generous contributions make an impact on our students and the continued vibrancy of this School. Visit our giving site on or before Tuesday, December 3 to participate.
Warm regards,
Joshua Bard
Associate Head for Design Research
Associate Professor & Associate Head for Design Research
![Northeast Quad Conference DES[AI]GN: Artificial Intelligence in Architecture event graphic](/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/2024-10/CMU-Quad-Conference-2024-2048x1325.jpg?itok=LOAp5SYp)
Like their professional counterparts, architecture students are pondering artificial intelligence (AI).
Last month, Carnegie Mellon Architecture students Julia Kasper (B.Arch ’26), Gloria Lee (B.Arch ’25) and Mikayla Gee (B.Arch ’27) took that thinking up a notch when they co-hosted the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) Northeast Quad Conference on campus.
The conference’s theme, “DES[AI]GN: Artificial Intelligence in Architecture,” invited attendees to think critically about — and experiment with — AI in architectural design.
Each year, AIAS holds regional gatherings, called Quad Conferences, at various colleges and universities. Kasper and Lee (former president and vice president, respectively, of Carnegie Mellon’s AIAS chapter) started planning a bid to host the 2024 Northeast Quad Conference after attending and finding value in a number of regional and national AIAS-sponsored events.
This year’s conference, held on campus from October 31 to November 3, attracted close to 140 students from 14 architecture schools, mostly from the northeastern United States. In addition to academic lectures, panels and workshops, attendees benefitted from a career fair with the event’s sponsors and — as tradition mandates — a glittering Beaux Arts Ball.
Why AI?
It didn’t take long for the event’s directors to decide to focus the conference on AI.
“The choice of theme made sense as it’s quite the trending topic,” said Lee. “Also, CMU is one of the birthplaces of AI, and the university has so many schools, institutes and other entities doing innovative work with AI and 3D generative tools.”
Gee (CMU’s current AIAS president) adds that, once the planning team identified the general theme, they prioritized offering a wide variety of approaches to and opinions about the topic. “We didn’t want to present AI as though it’s the sole answer to anything,” said Gee. “Our discussion panels included people working in the field of AI, as well as people playing devil’s advocate about its utility. And we offered a drawing workshop by Professor Doug Cooper, which had nothing to do with AI at all, but demonstrated the continued importance of hand drawing.”
What to Learn and What to Conserve
The conference aimed to demonstrate the breadth of both AI’s utility in design and Carnegie Mellon’s AI resources. Representatives from Graphisoft introduced their new AI rendering software. CMU’s Textiles Lab offered a workshop on creating three-dimensional fabric patterns via automation, fabric-planing techniques and jacquard machines. CMU’s Robotics Institute shared both its “huggable” pet-simulation robot and FRIDA, an AI-powered robotic arm that collaborates with humans to make paintings. Carnegie Mellon Architecture’s Design Fabrication Lab (dFAB) gave a workshop about architectural robotics that featured ABB industrial robots.
For the students, a highlight of the conference was a talk by keynote speaker and Gensler architect Kamil Quinteros, who warns about what is often termed AI’s averaging effect: because AI tools summarize public information, they can’t create new ideas beyond what already exists.
Kasper understands the implications: “the more we use AI for creative tasks, the smaller the average becomes, until everything begins to look — and be — the same. And of course, that average is incorporating all of the systemic problems we know already exist in architecture and the world at large and preserving them. So, the onus is on us designers to make our own decisions, do our own creative work and keep expanding what’s possible.”
This view is similar to a challenge posed by biologist and philosopher Humberto Maturana (by way of Paul Pangaro in October’s e-SPAN issue). Maturana proposes not that people avoid new technologies, but that we explicitly identify what we want to conserve as we adopt them. Kasper, Lee and Gee intend to preserve key elements of the design process even as their facility with AI grows:
- Iteration
“It can be a lot,” said Gee, “but making 10 little sketches or massing models in a row is very productive. I can never grasp what I’m trying to do until I do it over and over again, and we have to retain that in the design process. - Person-to-person interaction
Kasper values “human connection and communication with the community; hearing, rather than assuming, what people need beyond the technical aspects of a design.” And Gee noted that “architects sit with their clients and talk with them. Perhaps that could be made more efficient with AI tools, but those conversations aren’t about efficiency.” - Meticulous work by hand
Lee described a realization from her studio this semester: “There are so many intersections of technology and hand-drawing and dismantling and fabricating; working hands-on and getting messy in the process is so important to get a deeper understanding of your design’s narrative.” - Interdisciplinary collaboration and critique
“Feedback from practicing architects and faculty — or, later, from structural engineers and other professionals — can be difficult to incorporate into your work,” said Kasper, “but ultimately, it’s so important. In collaboration with people who don’t think like you, you can design something far better than you (or any digital tool) can alone.”
Lee is excited by AI’s potential to help personalize design and “foster meaningful relationships among creator, tool and user.” Her thinking is shaped by a workshop from School of Design Professor Jonathan Chapman, who asserts that design should have emotional, not just physical, longevity. “Design as a relationship, not a product” is something Lee seeks to conserve — and she expects AI to help facilitate this.
“As aspiring professionals,” said Kasper, “we know we need to hop on this moving train in order not to be left behind as the technology grows around us. We need to learn to use these tools so we can also help shape them.”
2024 Northeast Quad Conference
Quad Conference organizers Mikayla Gee (B.Arch ’27), Julia Kasper (B.Arch ’26) and Gloria Lee (B.Arch ’25) welcome guests and introduce the schedule.
Quad Conference organizers Mikayla Gee (B.Arch ’27), Julia Kasper (B.Arch ’26) and Gloria Lee (B.Arch ’25) welcome guests and introduce the schedule.
2024 Northeast Quad Conference
The opening keynote featured Dr. Anthony Mirando and Dr. Lameck Onsarigo, both Associate Professors of Construction Management at Kent State University.
The opening keynote featured Dr. Anthony Mirando and Dr. Lameck Onsarigo, both Associate Professors of Construction Management at Kent State University.
2024 Northeast Quad Conference
After the opening keynote, participants enjoyed stamp printing while having a social meeting with the Northeast Quad Director, Brianna Alexander.
After the opening keynote, participants enjoyed stamp printing while having a social meeting with the Northeast Quad Director, Brianna Alexander.
2024 Northeast Quad Conference
Tours of local architecture firms and points of interest were offered on the second and third days of the conference. Here, the Remaking Cities Institute leads a tour of Pittsburgh's North Shore.
Tours of local architecture firms and points of interest were offered on the second and third days of the conference. Here, the Remaking Cities Institute leads a tour of Pittsburgh's North Shore.
2024 Northeast Quad Conference
The conference featured a variety of workshops, including "Drawing as Conversation" with Douglas Cooper, Andrew Mellon Professor of Architecture.
The conference featured a variety of workshops, including "Drawing as Conversation" with Douglas Cooper, Andrew Mellon Professor of Architecture.
2024 Northeast Quad Conference
Bill Bates, Adjunct Professor of Architecture, speaks at a panel about AI in architectural design.
Bill Bates, Adjunct Professor of Architecture, speaks at a panel about AI in architectural design.
2024 Northeast Quad Conference
Costumed students pose at Spellbound Soiree, the Harry Potter-themed Beaux Arts Ball.
Costumed students pose at Spellbound Soiree, the Harry Potter-themed Beaux Arts Ball.
2024 Northeast Quad Conference
A career fair with local architecture firms and industry companies took place in the College of Fine Arts Great Hall on the third day of the conference.
A career fair with local architecture firms and industry companies took place in the College of Fine Arts Great Hall on the third day of the conference.
2024 Northeast Quad Conference
CMU NOMAS led a workshop about air quality measurement using robotics that included demos of various instruments and tools.
CMU NOMAS led a workshop about air quality measurement using robotics that included demos of various instruments and tools.
2024 Northeast Quad Conference
Conference guests also had the opportunity to check out fabric automation in the Carnegie Mellon Textiles Lab.
Conference guests also had the opportunity to check out fabric automation in the Carnegie Mellon Textiles Lab.
Spring Course Offerings in Artificial Intelligence
This course focuses on the search engine and the discussion of digital representations in the context of search engines and generative AI.
![computer screenshot, Wright, W. (1990). SimEarth: The Living Planet [Video game]. Maxis.](/sites/default/files/styles/16_9_637x359/public/2024-11/62706_Jimmy%20-%20Jimmy%20Cheng.jpg.jpeg?itok=k-NC7BXh)
This course focuses on using software as a storytelling machine to provoke architectural thinking about reality. Through the interaction, simulation and immersion of play, we can experiment with ideas, collect data and create narratives about our vision of the future built environment. Students will learn generative systems such as cellular automata, wave function collapse, and generative AI to construct a fictional world that speculates about future urban spaces using the Unreal Engine (UE) game engine by Epic Games.
This course critically examines the professional practice of architecture through historical and contemporary lenses. Students explore how the practice of architecture has evolved and the role of the architect in shaping not just the built environment, but societal values and well-being. The course integrates discussions on health, safety, welfare, professional ethics, regulatory frameworks, climate change and career pathways, as well as the challenges of professional practice with present and future AI tools and the legal implications of their use.
MUD Commoning the City Studio: Field Trip to the Sweet Water Foundation
contributed by Stefan Gruber
During fall break, the Master of Urban Design (MUD) students traveled to Chicago and Detroit for immersive experiences at the Sweet Water Foundation and Freedom Dreams. Taught by Jonathan Kline and Stefan Gruber, the Commoning the City thesis studio explores community-led transformation of cities towards more equitable, regenerative and self-determined futures. Each year, the studio travels to experience and learn from inspiring commoning initiatives around the world and documents the fieldwork in a growing archive of case studies known as “An Atlas of Commoning.” This year, the studio was generously hosted by Emmanuel Pratt and his team at the Sweet Water Foundation on Chicago’s South Side, as well as Communiversity partner Freedom Dreams in Detroit.
MUD Field Trip to the Sweet Water Foundation
Emmanuel Pratt is the founder of the Sweet Water Foundation and the inaugural Watson Chair in Architecture at Carnegie Mellon Architecture. Last spring, Emmanuel and his team came to Pittsburgh for a public lecture followed by a design-build workshop with the Sankofa Village Community Farm in Homewood.
Emmanuel Pratt is the founder of the Sweet Water Foundation and the inaugural Watson Chair in Architecture at Carnegie Mellon Architecture. Last spring, Emmanuel and his team came to Pittsburgh for a public lecture followed by a design-build workshop with the Sankofa Village Community Farm in Homewood.
MUD Field Trip to the Sweet Water Foundation
In turn, visiting the Sweet Water Foundation provided MUD students with the unique opportunity to actively participate in regenerative neighborhood development. Over the course of a decade, the Sweet Water Foundation has transformed six vacant city blocks into an oasis for urban agroecology, education and civic art.
In turn, visiting the Sweet Water Foundation provided MUD students with the unique opportunity to actively participate in regenerative neighborhood development. Over the course of a decade, the Sweet Water Foundation has transformed six vacant city blocks into an oasis for urban agroecology, education and civic art.
MUD Field Trip to the Sweet Water Foundation
During a three-day immersion, Emmanuel and his team led the group through quick intervals of action and reflection. Students reflected on the prevalent values and systems of oppression that perpetuate disinvestment in historically disadvantaged communities.
During a three-day immersion, Emmanuel and his team led the group through quick intervals of action and reflection. Students reflected on the prevalent values and systems of oppression that perpetuate disinvestment in historically disadvantaged communities.
MUD Field Trip to the Sweet Water Foundation
The group also participated in hands-on activities such as composting, harvesting, carpentry and civic art as the foundation of regenerative practices.
The group also participated in hands-on activities such as composting, harvesting, carpentry and civic art as the foundation of regenerative practices.
MUD Field Trip to the Sweet Water Foundation
“The trip to the Sweet Water Foundation was eye opening for understanding how larger systems are connected to even the simplest tasks in daily life,” said student Sindhu Prabakar. Indeed, starting as an effort to address food apartheid, Sweet Water has grown into a layered approach for neighborhood regeneration that aims for a system level change.
“The trip to the Sweet Water Foundation was eye opening for understanding how larger systems are connected to even the simplest tasks in daily life,” said student Sindhu Prabakar. Indeed, starting as an effort to address food apartheid, Sweet Water has grown into a layered approach for neighborhood regeneration that aims for a system level change.
MUD Field Trip to the Sweet Water Foundation
Student Nakshatra Menon said, “During the three days at the Sweet Water Foundation, I observed and learned how commons are produced and reproduced. The relationships and trust built within the community are a vital part of Sweet Water’s success. Throughout the visit, many of the neighbors stopped by and it was evident from the way they connected that they have deep respect for each other and Sweet Water’s work.”
Student Nakshatra Menon said, “During the three days at the Sweet Water Foundation, I observed and learned how commons are produced and reproduced. The relationships and trust built within the community are a vital part of Sweet Water’s success. Throughout the visit, many of the neighbors stopped by and it was evident from the way they connected that they have deep respect for each other and Sweet Water’s work.”
MUD Field Trip to the Sweet Water Foundation
Emmanuel and his team leverage the power of co-producing physical spaces, ritualizing togetherness and sharing resources to nurture community, enabling healing and building resilience.
Emmanuel and his team leverage the power of co-producing physical spaces, ritualizing togetherness and sharing resources to nurture community, enabling healing and building resilience.
MUD Field Trip to the Sweet Water Foundation
Vanshika Bhaiya reflected, “A few days of activities, conversations, observations and simply being in contexts of commoning has allowed me to understand concepts that had been limited to a theoretical perspective alone. I feel encouraged to explore the capacities of ‘design as a process’ through urban acupuncture and to reinforce the importance of placemaking, placekeeping and material fabrication as a regenerative node to co-produce knowledge.”
Vanshika Bhaiya reflected, “A few days of activities, conversations, observations and simply being in contexts of commoning has allowed me to understand concepts that had been limited to a theoretical perspective alone. I feel encouraged to explore the capacities of ‘design as a process’ through urban acupuncture and to reinforce the importance of placemaking, placekeeping and material fabrication as a regenerative node to co-produce knowledge.”
MUD Field Trip to the Sweet Water Foundation
Moving forward, the MUD students will build on their experience to develop their thesis proposals and work on translating patterns of commoning to contexts as diverse as Kali in Colombia; Kuttanad in Kerala, India; and Downtown Pittsburgh.
Student Valeria Duque Villegas believes that “By engaging with patterns and the concept of commoning, this trip provided concrete insights that allowed me to move my thesis research from abstraction to practical application. Learning from empirical practices, I observed how concepts like graduated incrementalism, permeability and civic art profoundly influence communities. These frameworks not only shape interactions within communal spaces but also offer scalable strategies for fostering resilient social systems.”
Moving forward, the MUD students will build on their experience to develop their thesis proposals and work on translating patterns of commoning to contexts as diverse as Kali in Colombia; Kuttanad in Kerala, India; and Downtown Pittsburgh.
Student Valeria Duque Villegas believes that “By engaging with patterns and the concept of commoning, this trip provided concrete insights that allowed me to move my thesis research from abstraction to practical application. Learning from empirical practices, I observed how concepts like graduated incrementalism, permeability and civic art profoundly influence communities. These frameworks not only shape interactions within communal spaces but also offer scalable strategies for fostering resilient social systems.”
MUD Field Trip to the Sweet Water Foundation
In spring 2025, Emmanuel and his team will return to Pittsburgh to continue building this value-based partnership with Carnegie Mellon Architecture’s Remaking Cities Institute.
In spring 2025, Emmanuel and his team will return to Pittsburgh to continue building this value-based partnership with Carnegie Mellon Architecture’s Remaking Cities Institute.
The Commoning the City Studio is grateful to the entire team at the Sweet Water Foundation for their generous hospitality and inspiration. Thank you to Emmanuel Pratt, Lucero Flores, Alysse Hines, Courtney Hug, Phoenix Lewis, Jia Lok Pratt, Daniel Salomon, Sam Scardefield, David Snowdy and Rudolph Taylor.
The Commoning the City Studio is led by Stefan Gruber (fall ’24) and Jonathan Kline (spring ’25) and includes students Sakshi Aparajit, Vanshika Bhaiya, Valeria Duque Villegas, Sagarika Kulkarni, Nakshatra Menon, Xuan Peng, Sindhu Prabakar, Jiaxi Wu and Yuhan Wu.
The field trip and immersion were made possible through the support of the Carnegie Mellon Architecture Watson Chair in Architecture and the organization of the Remaking Cities Institute.
Celebrating the Fall 2024 Award Winners
During a virtual ceremony on Friday, November 15, we honored the fall 2024 student and faculty award winners and shared their exciting proposals and applications. Over $72,000 in funding was awarded to support travel, projects, internships and research for undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty. Awards also recognized student work in sustainable design.
The call for spring awards will be released in December and all winners for the academic year will be honored at an in-person celebration in the spring.
Alumni News & Updates
We invite all Carnegie Mellon Architecture alumni to keep us up to date on their awards, professional milestones and more. Send us your updates with a brief description and link to more information.
- Joon-Ho Choi (PhD-BPD ’09), Associate Dean of Research and Creative Work in the USC School of Architecture and Associate Professor of Architecture, has been promoted to full professor.
- Alyssa (Mayorga) Mitchell, AIA, NOMA (B.Arch ’20, MSAECM ’21), Project Architect at Weber Thomspon, was interviewed on the podcast The Blackprint for Architects for the episode “Navigating the Architect Exam – The Alyssa Mitchell Story.” Mitchell has successfully chartered her path to licensure while navigating the challenges and triumphs of balancing a full-time job and a healthy personal life.
- Taylor Latimer (B.Arch ’21), Assoc. AIA, NOMA, is a Junior Architect at OCA Architects and 2024 President of New Jersey’s chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). As a member of AIA Central New Jersey, she was highlighted in a feature titled “A Voice for the Unheard + Making Visible in Architecture.”