Artificial Intelligence is an advanced technology system that can perform tasks but needs human assistance like visual interpretation, design-making, etc. Artificial Intelligence comes to decisions by utilizing tons of data. According to recent research, almost everyone has a different requirement for artificial intelligence. Artificial Intelligence has gotten revolutionary changes in industries, like medicine, automobiles and manufacturing, and even architecture.
Table of Contents
Background
The future of architecture in an age of digitization has direct links to the major shifts in a post-Enlightenment era, which believed in three central concepts were the use of reason, the scientific method, and progress. Further led to experimentation in science in the 19th century. This change was signified by scientific and technological progress that led to a greater understanding of the actions and mechanisms of basic human, animal, and plant life. The way your city looks now could be very different in the coming years.
How has artificial intelligence changed architecture
Influence on Designers and Architects
Architects must conduct vast research during the initial stages of the project, which ends up consuming a lot of architects’ time to understand a client’s plan. Artificial Intelligence gives the best results possible by analyzing tons of data, being a great help in architecture.
Architects, designers are proud to be creative people, expressing themselves through their designs and making a statement and, with the help of artificial intelligence, it is possible for them to only focus on the creative element. All these factors are showing towards the fact that future architects will give fewer efforts in drawing and computing and would put more emphasis on satisfying all the requirements of the client.
Influence on Productivity
There are many ways how Artificial Intelligence has transformed architecture. Artificial Intelligence’s changed the way research and planning are done with the capacity to take limitless amounts of data. An architect could easily go about researching and testing several ideas at the same time with ease. Software like The Building Information Modelling (BIM) platform has been a great help to architects and engineers to streamline the construction process. For nearly two decades, artificial intelligence has helped to increase the productivity of the entire process, save time on the project work, and focus on minute details.
Influence of Artificial Intelligence on Efficiency
There was a time when it took a lot of time to gather information about material ratings, weather, temperature, and construction type. Architects nowadays have all that data easily available, like advanced software tools and data compiling tools. Artificial intelligence allows architects to incorporate sustainability into their projects from the initial stages of project development. They can easily plan for storm water management systems, hazard management, smart lighting, etc. Advanced software, like The Building Information Modelling (BIM) platform, has been helping architects and designers to modernize the construction process and make it more efficient.
Influence on Risk Mitigation
With architecture and design, artificial intelligence can also help reduce many types of risks, such as safety, cost, and quality risks. Artificial intelligence now knows many solutions that general contractors used to monitor and prioritize risk on the construction site, allowing the project team to concentrate their limited time and resources on the major risk factors. Another major advantage is that this approach allows improving the safety on sites since advanced software can analyze the situation on set from images and identify risks, including fall hazards.
Climate change is also considered a fundamental design problem. Now, with the use of artificial intelligence, it is possible to analyze where within buildings to produce and store clean energy, from renewable sources such as solar and geothermal. The new software helps architects to predict the way variations in climate will affect a building even before it is even constructed. This enables architects to construct more flexible, durable structures. Architects can create buildings that will last longer and function properly for years.
Influence on Cost Management
Artificial Intelligence has reduced building costs by up to 20 percent in the last two decades and has helped data analytics to achieve accurate cost estimates. The actual costs need to be continuously monitored to ensure the spending coincides with the initial estimate, this can easily be done using data analyzing and computing software. Not just that, but monitoring the ongoing costs allows project leads and finance teams to recognize opportunities to optimize costs and prepare for any ambiguities that might emerge as the project progresses.
Artificial intelligence also reduces manual labor in terms of data management, construction, material management and increases precision, hence reducing the cost of surplus and overflow with a vast range, saving a lot of money during large-scale projects.
Influence on Concept and Expression
Artificial Intelligence has made the process of going from visual to practical, very convenient. For example, The Building Information Modelling (BIM) platform can work along with other programs to provide the architect with a complete picture of the building. That comprises everything from concept design to maintenance and function. Potential demolition and renovation plans are also thought about using Artificial Intelligence.
Virtual reality has changed how architects now present their concepts and designs to the client. Advanced software has helped create photo-realistic renderings that have changed how architects visualize buildings and create ultra-realistic images of buildings that don’t even exist yet. This enables architects to create a more accurate interpretation of their finished product, which makes it possible to capture an idea more precisely and a perfect design before it is even built.
Future of architecture with artificial intelligence
Smart cities
Smart cities will be all over the world soon and during this time a major task of the architect is to understand how a city will emerge and how it will coexist with the ecosystem. Hence, to design the infrastructures and systems of Smart Cities well. It becomes a necessity to have a deep understanding of the environment in which they will exist and the other elements of that environment with which they will interact. The requirement of Artificial Intelligence for the smart city will push architects to further rethink their traditional ways of construction.
Clients have demanded smart and advanced technology in their homes and buildings. Smart technology can increase security, improve comfort, and heighten efficiency. For example, Smart HVAC systems, security systems, and lighting systems make homes more intuitive and more responsive to the environment.
Sustainable, smart cities are going to take over most of the world. Hence, the use of artificial intelligence would be necessary to gain utmost precision for such large-scale planning. As the climate continues to change and might differ from what it is now, smart cities will help to make the world a more sustainable and eco-friendlier place to live. Therefore, the importance of the use of artificial intelligence would increase, as it helps to identify systems that need to be incorporated into the structures to make, even before the construction begins.
A few examples of smart cities,
Singapore
Singapore is a prime candidate in smart city initiatives, wanting to be the world’s first Smart Nation with the use of recent advanced technology. Singapore’s Smart Nation Programme was introduced in 2014. All data is accumulated and fed into their ‘Virtual Singapore’. They put the world’s most extensive efforts to collect data on daily living. They have Deploying systems, Sensors for various activities, etc.
Dubai
Dubai is another great example of smart city initiatives with the use of modern architecture techniques. They have unrolled 50 smart services from 220 government bodies, as a part of the government’s Smart Dubai Initiative. Dubai is making the life of its citizens easier by providing services like finding ATMs, taxis, Track packages, etc.
London
London’s Office of Technology is constantly working on making sure that London is a successful, smart city. They have multiple projects currently in process to support innovation and technology at all levels. A Smart London Board regularly provides updates and proposals for how the city can become a completely smart city. London has a Smart City Plan that includes strategies to implement different technology in the city, which might grow to 10 million people in the next decade, and is currently concentrating on key issues like healthcare, transportation, and energy management.
Further digital exploration
When it comes to architecture and design, artificial intelligence is making a huge difference. The significance will continue to grow with time and as Artificial Intelligence becomes more powerful. This would increase power and autonomy, which will allow construction companies to use it in an even wider range of roles. Artificial Intelligence is being used to plan the routing of electrical, plumbing systems, and smart systems in modern structures. These advanced technologies can be used to track the work as it progresses.
Digitalization in architecture would be the next step towards the future, changing the way we construct, represent, and even believe. Further, the involvement of Artificial intelligence would focus mainly on:
Responsive Architecture
Augmented reality
Digital Fabrication
Source: TECLA House via Wikipedia
Building analysis and simulation architecture
Material Architecture
Conclusion
Artificial Intelligence though for now, demonstrates itself at the surface through research in projects, art, and cross-pollination between different study fields, it might not be long before this body of work reaches a critical mass, thus penetrating and affecting main-stream design workflow architects and changing the entire profession.
What remains is the core proficiency of the architect, which is defined not in terms of what an architect is, but in terms of what Artificial Intelligence can’t do. Artificial Intelligence is good at monitoring and analyzing big chunks of data, but when it comes to generating new ideas, human minds are still outperforming.
Photo Credit: Vincent Callebaut Architecture
Artificial Intelligence is unlikely to replace the human workforce. Instead, it will alter presentation models in the construction industry, reduce expensive errors, nearly remove all worksite injuries, and make building operations more efficient. Although Artificial Intelligence cannot contemplate ideas and still must rely on Human Intelligence for that.
When we start considering Artificial Intelligence, one fear that often surfaces is that Artificial Intelligence can take that very part of the job architects and designers cherish the most: the creative part. But if we take this positively there are rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence in the fields of architecture. Artificial Intelligence can quantify workability, but it is impossible to get computers to think creatively, manage multidisciplinary teams, and do many other everyday tasks. Architects themselves are vital even though computers are assuming many of their menial and repetitive tasks. Artificial Intelligence brings along opportunities that would intensely change the current workflow within the architecture profession and might reshape the entire profession.
