Title Image

NEWS

SEMINAR KICKOFF: 2024 | February | 29th Thursday @ 9.00 am. S. Teresa, room 205

– CLASS IS EVERY THURSDAY @ 9.00 am. S. Teresa, room 205
– 11 April FINAL EVALUATION (see assignments section)
– 14 March CREDITs 01 & 02 Discussion & Evaluation

THE SECOND MODULE OF THE SEMINAR STARTS: 2024 | April | 24th Wednesday  @ 9.00 am. S. Verdiana , room 15 (see the Class Schedule section below)

To register for the seminar it is not necessary to have attended the first module

 

 

 

INFO & RESOURCES

 

ENROLLMENT

For iCAD students the first module of the seminar represents a compulsory assignment of the Environmental Class 2023-24 and, as a matter of fact, no application is required.

All other students are required to submit a short CV mainly related to the topic of the seminar explaining how many modules they like to follow.

The CV, in .pdf format, must be sent  as soon as possible  to this LINK  

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ds_7tOd9bTpz6D9kBc_KVN4_bLOQE7kg?usp=sharing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLASS SYLLABUS

Exploring AI Environmental Design

An architectural investigation upon eco-disaster & digital dreams

 

Language

English

Teachers

Proff. Giuseppe Ridolfi, Laura Andreini, Giulio Giovanoni.

Assistants and Adjunct Lecturers: arch PhD Arman Saberi, dott. Arber Marra

Contents

The thematic seminar investigates the relationship between environmental conditions and design perspectives opened by the advent of artificial intelligence through radical research methodologies based on speculative fabulation applied to architectural figurations capable of acting as experiential objects for a critical reflection beyond the dualism man/environment and techne /nature .

Articulation and Credits  The seminar takes place in two teaching modules with the assignment of corresponding training credits as listed below:

First Module: Critical Research, Story Telling & Design Visioning (4 CFU)

Second Module: Design Development, Project Communication & Exhibition (6 CFU)

The contents of each module is specified in the CLASS CALENDAR.

Admission

This seminar is open to students regularly enrolled in the third year of the degree courses of the University of Florence. The enrollment is based on a preliminary students’ curriculum evaluation. The activation requires a minimum of 8 students.

Enrollment is also allowed for single modules in order to get the relative credits.

 Results

The seminar includes general training aimed at:

-learning the main themes of the environmental debate

-knowledge of the theoretical foundations of visual generation technologies based on artificial intelligence with particular reference to architectural and visual design

and in relation to the two teaching modules the following skills: 

first module:

-narrative writing and use of text generation tools based on artificial intelligence algorithms

-generation of images and architectural concepts based on artificial intelligence algorithms

-editorial graphics

-development of theoretical essays

second module

-video generation and architectural animations based on artificial intelligence algorithms

-three-dimensional modeling and rendering

-computer graphics animation

-non-linear video editing

-editorial graphics

-installation setup 

Methods of verification and expected

The verification takes place through intermediate evaluations aimed at evaluating the following results achieved in the different teaching modules:

-individual skills in research, critical analysis, and theoretical elaboration

-collaborative attitudes and public presentation

-skills in data and concepts graphical presentation

-originality and effectiveness of narrative communication

-skills in artificial generation of textual and visual contents

-ability in architectural sites and artifacts 3D digital modeling

-mastery of video animation and non-linear editing technologies

-mastery of image post-production technologies

-advanced digital manufacturing capabilities

-curatorial skills and aesthetic maturity

-collaborative attitudes

The evaluation of the final profit takes place in a synthetic way through a grade expressed out of thirty for each single teaching module.

Theme

The design theme of the seminar is The Great Vortex Exodus for the colonization of the largest oceanic island produced by the mass of plastic waste called The Great Pacific Garbage Patch or otherwise known as The Pacific Trash Vortex located between California and the Hawaiian archipelago.

Activities

The seminar includes the following activities:

– critical-theoretical readings

– qualitative-quantitative analyzes with info-graphic and ideogrammatic representations

– collective workshops and thematic discussion tables

– narrative writing

– artificial intelligence generation of architectural images

– three-dimensional modeling and rendering

– computer graphic animations and/or digital fabrication

– non-linear video editing

– elaboration of theoretical essays

– editorial graphics

-exhibition installation

Collaborations

The seminar is held in collaboration with the exhibition space Rifugio Digitale which will host the final installation and communications from experts. The computational activities will be carried out with the support of the resources of the University Laboratory MAILAB | Multimedia Architecture Interaction.

CLASS SCHEDULE

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bibliografia
Agamben G. 2008, Che cos’è il contemporaneo?, Nottetempo, Roma. Baumgarten A. G., 2002, Estetica, Aesthetica, Palermo (orig. ed. 1750).
Auge M. 2007, Un mondo mobile e illeggibile, in Augé M., Tra i confini, Bruno Mondadori, Milano.
Austin J., 2017, Senso e sensibilia, Casa Editrice Marietti, 2017, Bologna (orig. ed.  1962).
Badiou A. 2011, Il concetto di modello. Introduzione ad una epistemologia materialista della matematica, Asterios Editore, Trieste, (orig. ed. 1969).
Barad K. 2007, Meeting the Universe Halfway.Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning,Duke University Press, Durham & London.
Baumgarten, A. G., 2002, Estetica, Aesthetica, Palermo (orig. ed. 1750).
Berger A. 2006, ‘Drosscape’, in Waldheim C. (editor), The Landscape Urbanism Reader, Princeton Univ. Press, pgg. 197-217.
Bernestein P. 2022, Machine Learning Architecture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Riba, London
Brady E. 2013, The Sublime in the Modern Philosophy. Aesthetics, Etichs, and Nature, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Burke E. 1990, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beauty, , Oxford University Press, Oxford (1st ed. 1757).
Burtynsky E., Baichwal J., De Pencier N., 2019, Anthropocene, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
Calvino I. 1974, Le città invisibili, Giulio Einaudi, Torino.
Chaillou . (2019), AI+Arhitecture. Towards a New Appoach, Harvard, Cambridge Massachusetts
Clark R. H., Pause M. 1996, Precedents in Architecture. Analytic Diagrams, Formative Ideas, and Parts, John Wiley & Sons.Inc, 2012 Hoboken, New Jersey. (1st ed.1985).
Dardot P. 2016, Senso comune e senso «del» comune. Le pratiche istituenti dell’Aisthetesis. <https://operavivamagazine org/senso-comune-e-senso-del-comune/>.
Dehaene M., De Cauter L. 2008, Heterotopia and the City. Public Space in a postcivil society, Routledge, Oxon-NYC.
de Solà-Morales I. 1995, ‘Terrain Vague’, in Davidson, C. (editor), Anyplace, MIT Press, Cambridge, pp. 118-123.
Eisenmann P. 2010, ‘Diagram. An original Scene of Writing’. in Garcia M., (editor) The Diagrams of Architecture, John Wiley & Sns Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex, pp. 92-103.
Fargione D. 2016, Oltre l’antropocentrismo. Il sublime ecologico nel contesto anglo-americano <https://iris.unito.it/retrieve/handle/2318/1556908/161501/FARGIONE.Sublime.pdf>.
Finn E. 2018, Cosa vogliono gli algoritmi. L’immaginazione nell’era dei computer, Giulio Einaudi Editore, Torino (orig. ed. 2017)
Foucault M.2016, Le parole e le cose, Rizzoli, Milano, (orig. ed. 1966).
Foucault M. 2011, Spazi Altri, Mimesis Edizioni, Milano (orig.ed. 1967).
Frazer, J. 1995, An Evolutionary Architecture, Architectural Association Press, London.
Garcia M. 2010, ‘Introduction: History and Theory of the Diagrams of Architecture’, in Garcia M., (editor) The Diagrams of Architecture, John Wiley & Sns Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex, pp. 18-45.
Gero, J.S. 1990, ‘Design Prototypes: A Knowledge Representation Schema for Design’,in AI Magazine 11 (4), pp. 26-36.
Guala F. 2002, ‘Models-Based Reasoning’, in Magnani L., Nersessian N.J.(editors), Model-Based Reasoning, Springer , Cham, pp.59-74.
Harman G. 2017, Object Oriented Ontology: A New Theory of Everything, Pelican Books, London.
Hartmann S. 1996, ‘The world as a process: simulations in the natural and social sciences’, in R. Hegselmann, U. Mueller, and K. Troitzsch (editors), Modelling and Simulation in the Social Sciences from the Philosophy of Science Point of View, Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp.77-100.
Heidegger M. 1971, ‘Building Dwelling Thinking’ in Heidegger M. Poetry, Language, Thought, Harper Colophon Books, New York, (ed. orig. 1957). < http://faculty.arch.utah.edu/miller/4270heidegger.pdf>
Hitt C. 1999, ‘Toward an Ecological Sublime’. In New Literary History 30/3: 603-23 <http://www.jstor.org/stable/20057557>
Heterington K. 1997, The Badlands of Modernity: Heterotopia and Social Ordering, Routledge, London.
Johnston,W. A. 2005, ‘Third Nature: The co-Evolution of Human Behaviour, Culture, and Technology’, in Non linear Dynamics, Psychology, and Life Science, vol. 9 n°3, July, 2005, Society for Chaos Theory in Psychology &Life Sciences, pp. 235-280.
Kaplan, J.2018  Intelligenza artificiale. Guida al futuro prossimo, Luiss University Press, Roma (1st ed. 2017)
Kipling R. J. 2015, ‘The bridge-builders’ in Kipling R. J., Stories and Poems, OUP, Oxford (1st ed. 1893).
Koohlaas R. 2006, Junkspace, Quolibet, Macerata (orig.ed. 1995).
Lana S., 2016, Ipotesi per una comunità estetica. Di alcuni motivi dentro e oltre la Critica del Giudizio di Kant. <http://www.eticapubblica.it/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1_2016_Lana.pdf>
Latour B. 1993, We Have Never Been Modern, Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
Latour B. 2017, Il culto moderno dei fattici, Meltemi editore, Milano (orig. ed. 1996).
Latour B. 2017, Facing Gaia. Eight Lectures on the New Climatic Regime, Polity Press, Cambridge (orig. ed. 2015).
Leach N. 2022, Architecture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. An Introduction to AI for Architects, Bllomsbury, London-New York
Lovelock, J. 2000, Gaia – A new look at the life on Earth, Oxford University Press, Oxford (1st ed. 1979).
Lyotard J. F. 1994, Lessons on the Analytic of the Sublime, Stanford University Press, Stanford (CA) (orig. ed. 1991).
Lyotard, J. F. 1995, Anima Minima. Sul bello e il sublime, Pratiche Editrice (1st ed. 2011).
Meadows, D. et alii (1972), The Limits to Growth, Universe Book, New York.
Montani P. 2010, L’immaginazione intermediale. Perlustrare, rifigurare, testimoniare il mondo visibile, Edizioni Laterza,Bari.
Morton T. 2016, Dark ecology: for a logic of future coexistence, Columbia University Press, New York.
Morton T. 2018, Being Ecological, Pelican Random House, London.
Morton T. 2019, Come un’ombra dal futuro, Aboca, Sansepolcro. (ed. orig. 2010)
Muir R. 1999, Approaches to Landscape, Mac Millian Press Ltd, London.
Naabarro, R., Richards, D., Chapman, H. 1980, ‘Foreword’, in Wasteland: A Thames Television Report, London, Thames Television, London.
Naess, A. (1989), Ecology, community and lifestyle, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. (ed. orig. 1976).
Olwig, K. 2002, Landscape, Nature and the Body Politic, University of Wisconsin Press, Madison
Oppenlaender, J. 2022, The Creativity of Text-to-Image Generation <https://arxiv.org/abs/2206.02904>
Patriarca S. 2018, Il digitale quotidiano. Così si traforma l’essere umano, Castelvecchi,Roma
Ridolfi G. 2018, ‘Rethorical figures of an Alpine hut’. in Kane R. , A landscape of contradiction, Didapress, Firenze.
Ridolfi G. 2019 , ‘La condizione contemporanea del progetto. Rapporto sul Matema Digitale’, in Mussinelli E., Lauria M., Tucci F.(editors) , La PROduzione del PROgetto, Maggioli Editore, Santarcangelo di Romagna
Ridolfi G, Traumnovelle 2019, Isolation and Reconnection. Ten Bridges at La Maddalena, Didapress, Firenze.
Ridolfi G. 2022, ‘Landscape and ecological practice when the flood has drowned everything’, in: Gensini V.. Progetto RIVA. Suoni, immagini Racconti sul fiume, pp. 44-51, Cinesello Balsamo: Silvana Editoriale.
Serres M. 1995, The Natural Contract, , The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbors (orig. ed. 1992).
Severino E.1992, Oltre il linguaggio, Adelphi, Milano
Soja E. 1989, Postmodern Geographies: the reassertion of space in critical social theory, Verso, London.
Sonvilla-Weiss S. 2008, (IN)VISIBLE Learning to Act in the Metaverse, Springer, Wien-New York
Steiner F.2008, The Living Landscape, Island Press, Washington (1st ed. 2000).
Tsing A. L.2015, The Mushroom at the End of the World. On the Possibility of Life in Capitalism Ruins,.Princeton University Press, Princeton & Oxford.
Vaihinger H. 1935, The Philosophy of ‘As if’. A System of the Theoretical, Practical and Religious Fictions of Mankind, Harcourt, Brace &Company, New York. (1 ed. 1911).
Wallis B et alii 2006, Ecotopia: The Second ICP Triennal of Photography and Video, Steidl, Gottinga.
Wisenberg E.B. 2010, Science in the Age of Computer Simulation, University of Chicago Press, Chicago-London
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Zuboff, S.(2019), Il capitalismo della sorveglianza. Il futuro dell’umanità nell’era dei nuovi poteri digitali, Luiss University Press, Roma (orig. ed. 2019)
MANDATORY READINGS

> Ridolfi G. 2022, ‘Landscape and ecological practice when the flood has drowned everything’, in: Gensini V.. Progetto RIVA. Suoni, immagini Racconti sul fiume, pp. 44-51, Cinesello Balsamo: Silvana Editoriale. LINK

> Ridolfi G. 2023, ‘The impact of Artificial Intelligence on Architectural Design and Human Condition’ a lecture from the Inarch Toscana Conference, Architettura verso nuovi orizzonti. La progettazione generativa, February the 7th 2023. LINK

> Ridolfi G. 2019 , ‘The Contemporary Condition of Design . A Report on Digital Mathema ’, in Mussinelli E., Lauria M., Tucci F.(editors) , La PROduzione del PROgetto, Maggioli Editore, Santarcangelo di Romagna LINK

> Ridolfi G., Traumnovelle 2019, Isolation and Reconnection. Ten Bridges at La Maddalena, Didapress, Firenze. LINK

> Koolhaas R.  G. 2001, ‘How to build a City. Roman Operating System’, in AA.VV. Mutations, Actar, Barcelona. LINK

> Ridolfi G., Lecture How to build a City on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. LINK

ASSIGNMENTS

FIRST MODULE (4 CF) (Compulsory for iCAD Students)

The first teaching module requires the creation of a Booklet and 5 Postcards in the formats that will be specified later (in any case within an A4).
BOOKLET
The Booklet will be organized into the following chapters:
1) The Great Pacific Garbage Patch containing research on the contemporary debate relating to the environmental emergency with particular reference to plastic islands.
2) The Creode, containing the identification of the chosen settlement part (building, neighbourhood, infrastructure,…) with assignment of the name, functions, identifying elements and its characteristics, relations with the rest of the settlement.
3) The Story, containing, first of all, the description of the character or characters acting in the chosen environment, their habits, and any element useful for the development of a subsequent narrative.
4) The Illustration, containing images generated with the use of artificial intelligence devices on the basis of a text together with the description of the software used for the generation and possible post-production, the texts used for the generation, critical issues and solutions adopted for the final achievement. The images must accompany and be consistent with a short text extracted from the story developed in the previous point.
POSTERS
Two poster in A3 vertical to be printed in a rigid support to be hang containing 1 frame where to collect images that describe the character of the story and other 11 frames containing, each one,  one picture  selected and ordered in a sequence useful to support the narrative. The images can be complemented by short text comments which can be a description of the scene, narrations, or direct speeches of the characters.
IMPORTANT: For the two Posters students are required to follow the instruction contained in the file ‘Pagination Guide. jpg’ and to use the format ‘FORMAT TO USE.psd’ downloadable at this LINK
All the files of the Booklet, the two Posters and a folder containing all the generated images must be uploaded in the ‘Students Work Folder’ (see the link to access the folder below in the liks section)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LINK to get the booklet master


LINK to students’ work folder
This is the folder where students are required to upload their final files of the booklet, photo panels, and work in progress generations. Please, order files in appropriate subfolders starting from creating students’ personal folder.


LINK  to Final Poster Guide & Format to Use

From this link is possible to download a .rar folder containing  the guide and the format to use to realize the two final posters.

 

 

VIDEOS, TUTORIALS & MANUALS

AI  IN ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN OVERVIEW

TUTORIALS

HOW TO INSTALL & USE DEFORUM STABLE DIFFFUSION ONLINE

Settlment Dreams on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

CREODE ISLAND on THE GREAT PACIFIC PATCH 

A Research about the colonization of the The Pacific Trash Vortex

by: Luciano Ligorio, Elvira Magherini, Marta Rosati, Anna Chiara Zei

THE FINAL EXHIBITION WILL BE HOSTED AT RIFUGIO DIGITALE GALLERY

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