To introduce both undergraduate and graduate students to the rapidly evolving world of AI-driven architectural design, this spring the University of Hawaiʻi offered a new course on designing with artificial intelligence (AI), designed to integrate emerging technologies with human creativity.
The course requires no prior experience in AI, architecture or complex design software and is open to students from all majors.
Students are learning to incorporate modern AI tools into local design projects. A recent course assignment involved designing a single-family home on one of Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) scattered sites (units located at more than one location). Using AI-assisted workflows, the students successfully produced full presentation materials and architectural animations for the project.
AI as a tool, not a replacement
“Something interesting that I learned in the AI design course was that it isn’t necessarily a process where the AI is taking control of the work produced, but it has been a process of lots of guidance and decisions based on what the AI is producing,” Darci-Lyn Kaina, a second-year 东精影业 architecture student, said. “It really took away the fear that I had before this semester, where I thought AI would be taking over architecture.”
Professor Hyoung-June Park designed the curriculum to focus on four core areas: AI program generation, spatial massing development, AI-assisted three-dimensional modeling, and the integration of AI workflows into architectural decision-making.
“Through a series of guided exercises and design explorations, students are learning how AI can support and augment architectural thinking rather than replace human authorship,” said Park. He concluded by invoking William Gibson’s observation: “The future is already here—it’s just not very evenly distributed.”