The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology is ramping up and some designers are now taking part in the growing trend in an attempt to reduce time to market. But generative software tools require professional oversight from design experts for the best outcomes, as a recent case study from Des Moines, Iowa-based architecture firm BSB Design illustrates.
To generate some initial design concepts for a mixed-use multifamily project, the developer and BSB Design each used Midjourney generative AI separately to come up with some initial ideas. In Midjourney, the team entered some fundamental information about the project: its coastal site, the design style, and the preferred color palette.
The developer’s attempt generated an image of a three-story office building with an ethereal mermaid-esque “sculptural painting” in the foreground. The AI incorporated the desired colors but ultimately focused on ocean themes (note the jellyfish and other marine life swirling around the sculpture) in an attempt to meet the “coastal” location parameter. The building is depicted as only three stories without a first-floor retail connection. It resembles a typical office building that lacks any of the client-requested architectural style and character.
BSB Design completed a separate conceptual exercise. The team creatively manipulated the AI prompts from the outset and refined the process by applying architectural specificity, building configuration identifiers, and lessons learned to generate a concept that provided the client with a clear vision of the site’s potential. It addressed all of the requested program elements in a realistic buildable solution.
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