EDRA57 Workshop

This workshop explores how architects can use generative AI not as a replacement for design thinking, but as a material for building custom computational tools. Rather than accepting off-the-shelf software, we prototype instruments tailored to specific design problems.

Workshop Format

Participants work through a series of hands-on exercises that demonstrate the workflow from problem identification to working prototype. The emphasis is on agency—giving architects the ability to shape their own computational environment.

Key Themes

• Generative AI as construction material, not magic
• Rapid prototyping of discipline-specific tools
• The architect as toolmaker (historical and contemporary)
• Ethical considerations in AI-augmented practice

Outcomes

Several tools on this site—including the HVAC Calculator and EchoTrace—originated as demonstrations for this workshop, illustrating how targeted tools can emerge from practice-specific needs.