Throughout architectural history, different tools of design have affected the culture of architectural production. While drawings and visual imagery often act as a primary form of contemporary representation, architecture cannot be reduced to a single mode. The cyclical tension between the conceptual and material relies on a multimodal process originating from semantics. Whether built form or text, both can be seen as a form of material architecture that relies on a necessary descriptive and conceptual dimension. This thesis revisits the relationship between language and architecture and how this often-secondary medium of design will play an integral role within design practices in the coming years through the use of machine-learning algorithms.

With the recent developments of machine learning, in particular text-to-image and generative 3D models, this reserach critically repositions language as a central mode of representation and apprehension of architecture. Through the creation of a cyclical design methodology originating from the brief, architects and ‘the machine’ are in constant dialogue within a new collaborative and multimodal process. Ultimately, these new human-machine interactions augment rather than limit the agency and creativity of the architect.