AI x Surreal Symbiotic Architecture

• Location:  California, United States of America (USA)
• Year:  2022
• Work Type:  Professional
• Institute / Firm:   Manas Bhatia
• Status:  Conceptual

AI generated symbiotic architecture that breathes and grow:

The project began as an investigation into the interactions we have all had with nature, such as appreciating a tree's shade on a hot day, reading a newspaper in a courtyard under a tree, or simply hanging out in a park to take in the changing hues of the leaves. Building on these observations, came the idea of a "utopian future" in which buildings are not machines made of steel or concrete is presented. Instead, the structure is alive and has the ability to grow and breathe. Imagine a Hyperion tree (coast redwood tree in California that is considered the world's tallest known living tree, measuring 115.92 m) that has been hollowed out, with apartments facing inward and natural light flooding in to create an enchanting bio-atrium. Magical and yet, in a natural way, so pragmatist. Is it possible to design symbiotic architecture? Can structures grow? Can the envelope in which we live breathe as creatures do instead of us dwelling in air-conditioned concrete and glass boxes we call apartments?"

The design is achieved by using AI tools like Midjourney to imagine a surreal future that has ‘symbiotic’ architectural apartment towers that look like giant hollow redwood trees. Inspired by the Hyperion tree, the Indian architect seeks to go beyond the realm of physical architectural design to present a series of AI-generated images, and drawings of the apartments that really makes one question the idea of such symbiotic buildings

Building on the deep relationship with nature Manas has been exploring the ideas of how patterns occur in nature, how networks are formed in the dwellings of micro creatures, and how plants behave according to the natural stimuli and such theories.
"I have always been fascinated by how small insects and creatures create their dwellings in nature. Ants for example create their dwellings with intricate networks in the soil. If humans could create buildings that grow and breathe like plants do, what an amazing world would that be to live in!", quotes Bhatia

Aiding his conceptual research imaginations Manas utilizes the AI program Midjourney, a tool that uses a series of words/phrases termed “prompt” to generate an array of images based on the prompt. For this project a combination of words like “giant”,”hollowed”,”tree”,”stairs”,”facade”and ”plants” were used as the prompt. Then multiple iterations were run and the prompt was altered with the iterations to achieve the desired results. Bhatia comments, "The key aspect of such AI tools is the choice of words. Sometimes one may not achieve the expected result. However, the generated output gives way to an alternative vision that even the user may have not thought of and that is the beauty of it!"

The new age technology and tools available will aid architects and designers to create their visions with more convenience, directly translating their thoughts into drawings, renderings, and 3D models making the industry faster and more efficient. Using technology combined with the knowledge of natural systems, architects may be able to create more biologically integrated designs.