Social and environmental problems of high-rise construction are increasingly discussed in the context

of the growing number of high-rise buildings and the expansion of their functional purpose and
urban presence. In different countries there are different approaches how to develop new high-rise
typologies. Current typologies tend to be limited to pencil tower-like constructs. Often the
materiality determines the form and the form follows the function. According to the recurring motto
"Form Fellows Function". It is not only materiality that limits the possibilities, but also the
conventional use of tools for 3-D creation. With today's abundance of possibilities and technologies,
time-honored means are still being used without an eye to the future.

The technologies and digital methods that are already available are not yet fully exploited.

The integration of machine learning and AI in buildings in an urban context has long been possible
and in demand. The question of the future in this context is how buildings/offices can respond to
changing requirements and react intelligently to them.

Especially in design processes, the integration of AI and machine learning is creating new paths and
creative possibilities. The contemporary design process is currently undergoing a great deal of
change and can therefore be viewed critically and anew, as can the representation of future-oriented
designs. In this context, innovation with a focus on sustainability and resource conservation plays an
increasingly important role. The many new design tools offer a wide range of possibilities, with focus
and determined application playing the main role. The façade in particular is an important design
point that can not only fulfill visual characteristics, but also intervene in people's lives on a socio-
cultural level. Therefore, in the design process it is important to create a well thought-out envelope
and to use contemporary technologies intelligently, as well as supportively.

Today, one could argue that architecture has traditionally been a discipline in which rigorous data
analysis has been almost entirely absent. However, data has increasingly become an interactive
design parameter. It can be compiled from the environment, analyzed, manipulated, and evaluated
in the design process.

In recent years, research efforts have produced a wealth of computational tools for data-driven
design that are useful for a variety of applications. Our overall goal is to contribute to the
optimization of design discovery for architecture in terms of functionality, sustainability, and quality
of life. To explore new and unexpected design opportunities, we rely on advanced methods and
automation processes, using modern technologies such as machine learning and artificial
intelligence.

“Today, however, we are fully immersed in and consumed by digitised

images of objects (and of other images), which are not simply
uprooted from their origin or context, but actively engaged in a
deliriously rapid production of their own. The sheer number of
endless versions and alterations, caused by digital transfer or
deliberate human interaction, render impossible any attempt to tie
these images to a singular context or determine their originality.
But this fact, ironically, sets the stage for the copy to be
reverted into a new original of sorts. By lacking a clear reference
to a distinct point of origin, the image-object gains enough
autonomy to engage in unexpected and novel combinations and
collaborations.”
- Genuine Hybrids - Towards an Architecture with No Origin, Ferda
Kolatan

The collection of a larger number of photos of built facades was used to train a neural network based
on the sketchy stylization. Organic structures from areas like plants, corals, bacteria etc., which are
implemented as test images, form a strong contrast to the mostly very precisely formed facades of
the training dataset. Unlike human thinking, these algorithms are based on pure mathematical logic
and thus generate images that would be difficult or impossible to produce by the designer himself.
The task of the architect/designer is to evaluate and select from the theoretically infinite possibilities.

Currently we are overwhelmed by digital representations and live in a world where images cannot
necessarily be assigned to their origin. Also, changes caused by digital methods or conscious human
interactions can generate a theoretically infinite number of versions, making it impossible to tie them
to a singular context. This is precisely where the idea of using methods such as machine, learning,
and AI to generate a myriad of images that can be re-contextualized through the loss of a clear
reference to their origin, giving rise to unexpected, novel combinations. These technologies and the
images they generate feed directly into the design process on multiple levels.

In the age of digital design processes, the human being as the centerpiece of architectural design can
be revolutionized. Today, it is possible to increasingly use digital processes as a generator for
architectural diversity. Changes through digital new methods and human interactions can generate a
theoretically infinite number of versions, making it impossible to tie them to a singular context.

The idea of using methods such as machine learning and AI to generate them could help create a
multitude of images that can be recontextualized and, by losing a unique reference to their origin,
give rise to unexpected and novel combinations.

These technologies and the images they generate can be fed directly into the design process at
multiple levels to create new designs that cannot be generated by traditional methods.