Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Professional Architectural Practice

The research and application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in various processes within the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry have been present for decades. This practice continues with contemporary advancements in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially through software designed for widespread adoption and consumption by architects and other professionals in the AEC industry. The process of creating “digital twins” of buildings – computable models that simulate design, construction, building performance, and maintenance – requires very strict parametrization of different elements and procedures that constitute the composition of an architectural project as a whole. The concrete parametrization of building elements, in return, requires strict theoretical classifications, categorizations, structuring, and the composition of design methodology as a programmable, computable algorithm. Questions arise, such as: What is the logic behind automated decision-making? How much can we trust an automated computational model? What kind of tendencies or ideologies are embedded in the process of identifying parameters, their connections, and their relation to an architectural project? What is the underlying design methodology or design philosophy upon which an algorithm is created? The purpose of this paper is to question the integration of AI and ICT in the actual process of architectural design and to explore realistic possibilities for implementing emerging technologies in the architect’s workflow that extend beyond research and experimentation into the domain of architectural practice.