Facade Style Mixing using Artificial Intelligence for Urban Infill

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence and especially machine learning have noticed rapid advancement on image processing operations. However, its involvement in the architectural design is still in its initial stages compared to other disciplines. Therefore, this paper addresses the issues of developing an integrated bottom up digital design approach and details a research framework for the incorporation of Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) for early stage design exploration and generation of intricate and complex alternative facade designs for urban infill. This paper proposes a novel building facade design by merging two neighboring building’s architecture style, size, scale, openings, as reference to create a new building design in the same neighborhood for urban infill. This newly produced building contains the outline, style and shape of the parent buildings. A 2D urban infill building design is generated as a picture where 1) neighboring buildings are imported as a reference using mobile phone and 2)iFACADE decode their spatial adjacency. It is depicted the iFACADE will be useful for designers in the early design stage to generate new façades depending on existing buildings in a short time that will save time and energy. Besides, building owners can use iFACADE to show their architects their preferred architecture facade by mixing two building styles and generating a new building. Therefore, it is depicted that iFACADE can become a communication platform in the early design stages between architects and owners. Initial results properly define a heuristic function for generating abstract design facade elements and sufficiently illustrate the desired functionality of our developed prototype.

Urban Cultural Inheritance: Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) Assisted Street Facade Design in Virtual Reality (VR) Environments Based on Hakka Settlements in Hong Kong

“…For example, Sun et al (2022) worked on fine-tuning the algorithms and optimising the dataset in CycleGAN-assisted facade generation in Renaissance, Baroque-style buildings, which has successfully been tested and applied to other urban blocks. Also, CycleGAN has been used to mix two types of facade styles that has its own characteristics for urban infill (Khairadeen Ali & Lee, 2021). In design practices, David Ruy at SciArc explored the GAN-assisted style transfer of how architectural form and design are reproduced in the digital world in mixed approaches, where the machine learning tool is acting as a speculative designer that provides design options beyond human intelligence.…”

Proceedings of the 28th Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA) [Volume 1]

“…For example, worked on fine-tuning the algorithms and optimising the dataset in CycleGAN-assisted facade generation in Renaissance, Baroque-style buildings, which has successfully been tested and applied to other urban blocks. Also, CycleGAN has been used to mix two types of facade styles that has its own characteristics for urban infill (Khairadeen Ali & Lee, 2021). In design practices, David Ruy at SciArc explored the GAN-assisted style transfer of how architectural form and design are reproduced in the digital world in mixed approaches, where the machine learning tool is acting as a speculative designer that provides design options beyond human intelligence.…”

CAADRIA 2023: HUMAN-CENTRIC - Volume 1

“…For example, worked on fine-tuning the algorithms and optimising the dataset in CycleGAN-assisted facade generation in Renaissance, Baroque-style buildings, which has successfully been tested and applied to other urban blocks. Also, CycleGAN has been used to mix two types of facade styles that has its own characteristics for urban infill (Khairadeen Ali & Lee, 2021). In design practices, David Ruy at SciArc explored the GAN-assisted style transfer of how architectural form and design are reproduced in the digital world in mixed approaches, where the machine learning tool is acting as a speculative designer that provides design options beyond human intelligence.…”