Research

AI Image Competition: Adam Schueler explores styling and urban uses in post-Olympic Paris

PLP’s AI Image Generation Competition has entered its third round, with our colleagues exploring innovative ways to integrate AI tools like Midjourney into design.

In Round 3, participants were tasked with exploring different uses for a hypothetical site in post-Olympic Paris’ La Défense. Using masking tools within Midjourney, they had to generate a suitable background and then produce a range of different architectural and urban expressions within that same context.

Architectural Assistant Adam Schueler talks us through his explorations into different styles of representation and Paris’ Olympic legacy.

Round 3 Brief

Our client is redeveloping a prime-location site in Paris’ La Défense following the 2024 Olympics, but they don’t quite know what they want to build on it.

In this round, you are tasked with generating a series of 20 options that explore different architectural styles, massing, materiality and use types. All of these must use the same background image.

Refining the Vision and Creating the Background
After reviewing the brief for this round, my process began with extensive prompt generation and refinement. I wanted to achieve what felt like a harmonious balance between my envisioned style and the context of La Défense in Paris. Given the city’s rich architectural heritage, I aimed for a visual style that resonated with its artistic legacy. While visiting Paris in the past, I was particularly drawn to the art nouveau, oil paintings, and impressionist aesthetics. These styles are not typically used in contemporary architectural representation, but add an additional layer of depth to an image.

This first phase of the challenge was iterative and required fine tuning between artistic expression and architectural legibility. Another consideration included the creation of an appropriate area in the image which would accommodate the following series of interventions. One key task was to ensure that the generated images were not only visually striking, but also practical and relevant to recreational needs of a city post-Olympics.

Diverse Architectural Typologies
Once I landed on a background I was content with (or at least as content as an architect ever can be), I explored typologies spanning both building and urban scales that might coexist within the La Défense site. One particularly enjoyable aspect during this process was creating scenes reminiscent of Olympic venues. This not only pays homage to the city’s current role as host to the games, but also allowed for creative play with forms and functions that might not typically be associated with such a location. I explored a variety of use types, from commercial to public and recreational spaces. As a part of my own assessment, each image generated needed to be easily recognizable as an ex-Olympic venue, but not appear as though that was it’s only use anymore. This could be achieved by showing how the surrounding infrastructure related with the space, how the people were interacting with it, or installations that may not have existed had the Olympics been ongoing. By envisioning a mix of buildings, open public spaces, and structures inspired by Olympic venues, I aimed to create a dynamic and playful series of images.

A Traditional Take on Modern Representation
While some in the architecture community might view this style of representation as outdated, I see it differently. These AI-generated images are not just visual artifacts; they are emotive and expressive, allowing viewers to engage with them on a more intuitive level. The abstraction inherent in the AI’s (in this case Midjourney) interpretation invites the viewer to fill in the certain details themselves. This strategy of abstraction is also innate to Impressionist imagery which fills the halls of museums throughout Paris. Due to the setting of the brief, this rendering technique felt like the natural decision. I see this tactic as a way to spark imagination and dialogue about what these spaces could become. This approach shifts the focus of ubiquitous photorealistic architectural representation to more evocative and interpretive imagery.

An interesting point to also mention is Midjourney’s interpretation of a signature appearing in the bottom right corner of the images. Due to my prompt including phrases like ‘oil painting’, ‘art nouveau’, and even ‘Monet’ sometimes, the AI has decided to add its own form of an autograph. While this starts to delve into a controversial topic of ownership in relation to AI, we will save this discussion for another time.

Reflecting on the Process
This competition series has helped to reaffirm the potential of AI as a tool for architectural exploration. By embracing this technology, we as designers can explore a vast array of possibilities quickly and efficiently. And as explored through this submission, a viable option for testing various techniques. The speculative nature of the brief allowed me to push creative boundaries, generating unique options that each tell a different story about what La Défense could become in its post-Olympic era. The process was not without its challenges, especially when creating the various options which had to fit within the given context and style of the generated background, but rewarding nonetheless. My goal was to test the viability of this quickly-evolving, modern tool for the purpose of recreating a more traditional technique, and I think Midjourney has made a convincing case for the revival of architectural illustration