Generative AI-ML-assisted SynBio, Climate Design Tools, Concept, Workflows, Protocols and Explorations (Projects 1985-2100)

My thesis, titled " Generative AI-ML-assisted SynBio Climate Design Tools, Concepts, Workflows, Protocols, and Explorations ," embodies a forensic examination of my multidisciplinary training and practice of Spiegelhalter Studio, spanning the years 1974 to 2023. Throughout this work, I explore how analog-digital tools and design research has been a pivotal force, propelling novel trajectories in my practice, research, and teaching, while also observing the reciprocal influence of these domains. This critical exploration delves deep into the transformative evolution of tool sets—a journey I, Thomas Spiegelhalter, have personally experienced as an individual and collectively as an active participant in an industry undergoing profound metamorphosis. The narrative intricately weaves my personal trajectory with the seismic shifts reshaping the design landscape. At the core, this thesis endeavours to unfurl the magnitude of influence exerted by Synthetic Biology (SynBio), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) on the evolution of design practices. It chronicles a timeline beginning in the 1980’s, a seminal period characterised by the nascent stages of these ground-breaking technologies. Yet, it does not stop at the present. It ventures boldly and thoughtfully into the future, attempting to sketch the trajectories of development we may witness by 2100. I begin my journey with my roots in analog sculpture and design that date back to the 70s. The first chapters delve into my formative years, the time when I was learning professional workflows with traditional, analog tools and techniques in art and design. As I sketch out these recollections of the first sculptor training, followed with large-scale Gravel Pit Architecture and Mediatecture projects, the narrative transitions into the late 80s, marking the radical change from analog to digital tools and algorithms. This period brought my love for multisensory art and pragmatic discipline of architectural engineering into an intricate dance, leading to a unique multidisciplinary design approach I enthusiastically learned and adopted in the 90s. The crux of my thesis lies in the exploration of my German-French-Swiss "Dreilaendereck'' and Italian roots, and the extensive adoption of cutting-edge tools, protocols, and methodologies throughout my career, spanning from 1985 to 2020. This period of my work and research reflects my deep fascination with nature, both living and nonliving. The efficiency and resilience of these natural systems significantly influenced my multi sensory architectural designs, research, and project realisations. One of my focal points during this time was bionics research workflows, where my objective was to understand, learn from, and emulate nature's principles in design. In a comprehensive account of the period from 1982 to 1989, I paint a vivid picture of my experiences during the Cold War in West Berlin, where I lived, worked, explored, and studied. These experiences were entwined with my innovative experiments, design hacker night shifts with UdK Berlin peers and friends, and questioning methods, leading to what I later term well documented billion-dollar code syndrome. My thesis further unpacks the evolution of digital technology in architecture, highlighting the transition from Computer-Aided Design (CAD) to Building Information Modelling (BIM) from 1990 to 2009. This part of the narrative delineates my deep-dive explorations into disruptive mediatectures and autopoietic wetware design theories, philosophies, and experimental designs. One of the sections in my thesis focuses on an in-depth analysis of my works, offering insights into selected first generation, generative AI-ML assisted architecture projects, tools, and adaptable technologies. It includes a thorough overview of various projects, such as solar-powered mixed-use buildings and solar decathlon competitions. Here, I articulate my commitment to performance-based sustainability and carbon-positive holistic planning, and the desire to bridge the divide between community design, ubiquitous and adaptable technologies. As I journey into the later chapters, the narrative deepens with the influence of advancing AI and ML tools on architecture and design practices from 2009 to 2023. It was during this time that I extensively worked on sustainable building design, environmental design optimization, and carbon-positive architecture. By integrating advanced tools, I focused on creating more efficient and sustainable structures. One of the key themes of my thesis is the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in achieving carbon-positive design. I argue that by bringing together experts from fields such as AI, ML, SynBio, biology, bionics, architecture, and engineering, it is possible to develop innovative solutions to complex problems. This approach is exemplified in my discussion of generative BIM designed and built case studies in Costa Rica, the US, Japan, Africa, and Europe. Peering into the future, the thesis underscores the anticipated influence of generative AI and ML-assisted design/build processes on redefining the evolutionary boundaries of architectural design. This part of the narrative encompasses various global projects, including carbon-neutral high-rises and smart city designs, as I put these advanced technologies to use for a sustainable and carbon-positive future. Venturing into the future landscape of design and architecture, my thesis explores the disruptions and evolutions introduced by the convergence of SynBio and AI technologies. It peers into autopoietic wetware coding, quantum realities, the intrinsic nature of mathematics in the natural world and cosmos, and the exploration of the vast universe and our planet's depths through advanced tools. The thesis concludes with my speculative yet hopeful manifesto and vision for the future. This vision is for a design and architecture world that thrives in the Natural and Synthetic Biology landscape, powered by continuous learning and innovative thinking. It is the culmination of my experiences, learnings, and hopeful aspirations as I navigate through this evolving landscape of biology inspired design and architecture.