Tim Fu, an architectural designer at Zaha Hadid Architects who is transforming the industry with his visionary use of artificial intelligence to design buildings, spaces, and products.
He specializes in algorithmic design and A.I. research at the computational research group ZHACODE. He is researching the use of A.I. in architecture and has worked with brand names on A.I. furniture and product design. In addition, he has hosted computational design workshops in various institutions including Harvard GSD, ACADIA, PA Academy and others. His AI explorations has been featured worldwide, including Bloomberg, AD, the GenAI Summit and the Venice Biennale.
What programs are used for your works?
Diffusion A.I. models, mostly Midjourney, and some Dalle2 and Stable diffusion. Post-processing is done with Photoshop and Stable Diffusion.
Can you walk us through the entire design process?
Conception of idea, exploration through A.I. text prompting, evolving design, curating the chosen results, localized fine tuning through A.I., and post-processing through photoshop.
How long does this process take?
Some projects are merely lucky results from random 5min explorations, while some projects are preconceived ideas, with very targeted goals, which can take a few days.
What are your goals with A.I. technology?
My focus is seeing where to apply this technology into the design industry. Currently I’m heavily exploring A.I. as a tool for designing, but I’m also exploring the methods of rationalizing the results and potential application into real-life construction.
What types of work have you done with A.I.?
Most of my collaborations are for architectural design, from masterplanning, architectural, to interior design. I also worked on product design, from vehicles, furnitures, fashion to film set design and websites. The advent of A.I. really allowed me to expand my design skillsets to a broader field.
Where do you see A.I. technology going?
I can only speculate, but this technology seems it will become very disruptive and the industry of design will need to adapt around it. A.I. has been revolutionizing many industries throughout the years and now it’s really starting to enter the domain of design.
What inspires your works?
The first that comes to mind is Zaha Hadid and her passion for design and the exploration of technology. Here at ZHA we always aim to push the boundaries of what is possible in design and construction, and this spirit of constant innovation is quite inspiring to every person involved. Beyond that, I’m also quite inspired by looking at nature, organic morphologies, geological formations... endless array of patterns in nature that inspires design.
