Exploring the Future of Architectural Design: AI Creativity Workshop at LSA
The Liverpool School of Architecture (LSA) recently hosted an exciting three-day AI-driven design workshop, bringing together undergraduate, master's, and PhD students to explore the creative potential of generative AI tools. Using Midjourney and Adobe Firefly, participants engaged in a structured competition designed to challenge traditional design thinking while developing technical proficiency with AI-assisted workflows. The workshop was led by Carlos Medel-Vera and Sandy Britton, with special guest William Gates, Adjunct Professor at the Boston Architectural College and a leading expert in architecture and AI. The project was funded by the University of Liverpool's Centre for Innovation in Education (CIE) through the CIE Innovation Fund (CIEF2024-8).
A Hands-On Approach to AI in Design
The workshop combined skill-building sessions with real-world architectural challenges, allowing students to experiment with AI-generated visuals and critically assess the role of AI in architectural creativity. Over the three days, students tackled progressively complex challenges that pushed them to think beyond conventional design approaches, exploring rapid iteration, materiality, and spatial relationships with AI-generated outputs.
Student Engagement and Key Insights
The event saw high levels of student engagement, with participants eager to test AI’s capabilities. Interestingly, 100% of students chose Midjourney over Adobe Firefly, citing its greater flexibility and output quality. Throughout the challenges, students reflected on the balance between AI-generated content and their own creative input, a crucial discussion as AI continues to shape architectural education.
Images above created via Midjourney
TL: created by Tamunotaribo Jack
TR: created by Guyu Bao
BL: created by Natt Kukiela
BR: created by Jaqueline Yeoh
Looking Ahead: AI in Architectural Pedagogy
The success of the workshop highlights the growing role of AI in architectural education, emphasising its potential as a supplementary tool rather than a replacement for human creativity. Ongoing research by the organisers will analyse text prompt complexity and AI’s effectiveness in fostering creativity, further integrating AI methodologies into architectural curricula.
Left images: seed image. Right created via Midjourney
Top L and R: Livee
Middle L and R: Ahmad Mansuri
Bottom L and R: Zehra Nur Disci
You can read more about the schools approach to Generative AI at the Practice and Pedagogy Cluster web site.