(Re)creating genius loci: AI-generated design trends as architectural concepts and methods
Jovana Tošić
https://doi.org/10.60152/9ubln97v
Abstract: The concept of genius loci, or the ‘spirit of place’, mainly refers to the concept of the ‘character’ of a place, and it is complex and multi-layered. The primary interpretation of the concept of genius loci, translated into architecture, is a theory of the architect and phenomenologist Christian Norberg-Schulz. A human’s identity depends on a place’s identity, which refers to recognizing and revealing a place’s genius loci. Architectural designers tend to invoke and activate it to create a unique character for a space. They often use AI platforms – text-to-image generators, mostly Midjourney- to develop their architectural ideas and concepts and make them more original and unique. However, these AI-generated architectural design concepts are becoming too similar. In which cases do AI-generated architectural design concepts and ideas help evoke a particular character of a place, and when does it seem to make a genius loci more invisible? The paper critically analyses AI-generated architectural design examples about genius loci. The parallel is made with Alison and Peter Smithson’s “House of the Future” (1956), as it is an important example of an experimental, visionary project in architectural theory and has many similar references to new media trends and consumerism in design.
Keywords: genius loci; spirit of a place; AI-generated design; House of the Future
How to cite this Paper (Harvard referencing style):
Tošić, J. (2024) ‘(Re)creating genius loci: AI-generated design trends as architectural concepts and methods’, in R. Bogdanović (ed.) On Architecture — Shaping the City through Architecture, Proceedings. Belgrade, Serbia: STRAND, pp. 229-234.
