Sina Mostafavi

This chapter navigates the confluence of immersive design, critical mapping, urban heritage, and socio-environmental justice. It elucidates the potential of these intersecting domains to engender inclusivity, bolster urban resilience, and challenge prevailing power dynamics within urban spaces. Initially, the chapter illuminates the nuances of critical mapping, emphasizing its pivotal role in understanding and advocating for socio-environmental justice within the tapestry of urban heritage. By taking Amsterdam and Houston as primary case studies, the exploration accentuates the power of immersive art and design in forging embodied experiences. These experiences, intrinsically holistic, seamlessly meld the cognitive and affective realms of design-centered embodiment. The showcased city narratives unravel the myriad ways immersive art interventions can stimulate critical reflections on core issues interlinking urban heritage, socio-environmental justice, and the nuances of public space occupation. Situating itself within the broader discourse of the book on digital interventions in cultural heritage, this chapter carves a distinct narrative niche. It accentuates the transformative potential of immersive art and design in envisaging and actualizing vibrant, inclusive, and adaptive urban transition zones. By interlacing threads of critical mapping and socio-environmental justice, the chapter augments the discourse on urban heritage, offering a profound dive into its manifestations in both North American and European landscapes.

This research delves into the potential of implementing artificial intelligence in architecture. It specifically provides a critical assessment of AI-enabled workflows, encompassing creative ideation, representation, materiality, and critical thinking, facilitated by prompt-based generative processes. In this context, the paper provides an examination of the concept of hybrid human–machine intelligence. In an era characterized by pervasive data bias and engineered injustices, the concept of hybrid intelligence emerges as a critical tool, enabling the transcendence of preconceived stereotypes, clichés, and linguistic prejudices. This paper not only explores the applied and generative capacities of AI-enabled workflows but also suggests fundamental approaches that can enhance the creative process and confront the embedded biases and injustices within data-driven systems.

The adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have exposed the lack of multi-scalar community resilient strategies that catalyze the development of alternative coping mechanisms for future challenges. To address the immediate needs of vulnerable and marginalized groups, especially in times of crisis, as evidenced by the pandemic, micro-networks within communities have mitigated and reduced harm through self-devised ingenuity based on local ways of life. Socio-spatial micro-networks have the potential to empower communities to self-organize, engage, collaborate, co-design, co-build, and connect with other communities to improve their resilience. This paper focuses on the impact of micro-networks of care, participatory action research, community health, solidarity and mutual aid in Nairobi (Kenya), comparing their resilience strategies, pre- and post Covid-19 pandemic era. Through analytical, empirical, and comparative studies, this paper envisions viable ways of augmenting and enhancing self-devised, self-sufficient, and resilient culture in marginalized communities in Africa and worldwide.

The Navajo Nation, spanning 27,000 square miles across the American Southwest, faces pressing challenges linked to water rights and environmental sustainability. Despite holding legal rights to water from Navajo Lake since 1908, as upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, access to clean and reliable drinking water remains a significant hurdle. Approximately 30% of the population depends on water transported from distant sources, underscoring severe scarcity compounded by environmental contamination. Legacy issues from uranium mining during the Cold War era have tainted wells, while unregulated landfills and agricultural chemicals further degrade groundwater, threatening public health and ecosystems. Covering four major river basins — the Colorado, San Juan, Rio Grande, and Little Colorado — the Nation faces unique challenges in each. Twenty aquifers within its territory are increasingly at risk of depletion and heavy metal contamination, limiting their suitability for drinking water and agriculture. Climate change-induced droughts have raised salinity levels in lakes and aquifers, further straining resources for irrigation, wildlife, and agricultural productivity. Although the Nation oversees 212,000 acres of farmland, yielding $92 million annually in agricultural output, the region’s arid conditions pose significant obstacles to sustainable farming. This study employs a mixed-methods approach to analyze water rights and environmental challenges within the Navajo Nation, serving as a pedagogical base for research, education, and policymaking. It begins by exploring historical legal documents, such as Supreme Court rulings and regional water rights agreements, to trace the evolution of the Nation’s entitlements. To assess the human and environmental dimensions of water challenges, the research synthesizes available records and integrates broader contextual analysis to capture the scale and scope of these issues. By incorporating stakeholder perspectives, the study contextualizes the ongoing struggles and identifies key areas for intervention and improvement. Additionally, the research compares adaptive strategies used by other Indigenous communities facing similar challenges. This comparative lens not only informs actionable, context-sensitive solutions but also reinforces the study’s role as a foundational educational resource. By blending legal analysis and socio-environmental evaluation, the research provides a comprehensive view of the multifaceted water issues confronting the Navajo Nation. It underscores the importance of technological innovation, policy reform, and community-driven efforts to safeguard water resources, restore ecological balance, and promote sustainable development. As a pedagogical tool, the study aims to enrich discourse on Indigenous water rights and environmental justice, equipping educators, policymakers, and future researchers with a robust framework to address both historical and contemporary challenges.

This paper discusses the development of integrated design-to-production frameworks for Robotic Concrete 3D Printing (RC3DP) of context-specific urban furniture projects. The study focuses on two main objectives: developing computational methods for continuous toolpath planning of bespoke components and examining integrated frameworks to make design-to-production systems more socio-environmentally inclusive and tailored to specific contexts. Following an introduction to outline the key challenges of continuous robotic concrete 3D printing, the paper is organized into two sets of case studies. The first set explores curved-based continuous 3D printing for surface-based design strategies, and the second set investigates voxel-based approaches for volumetric design 3D printing. Curve-based projects consisted of three case studies. The first case uses an AI-enabled generative system to translate a porous, cellular structure to a continuous toolpath with variable heights. The second case study is based on a workflow using a controlled reaction-diffusion algorithm as a generative strategy to create continuous infill for complex geometries. The third project focuses on growing larger than the size of the production setup by testing the assembly of multiple printed components, all produced with continuous toolpaths. The workflows and projects are developed as an integral part of a graduate-level digital design and fabrication course focusing on inclusive automation and robotic concrete 3D printing. Therefore, in addition to sharing the details of the developed computational design to production methodologies, the paper discusses the research findings from pedagogical lenses. Building on these cases, the investigation advances to the development of a generative system centered on voxels, employing a tetrahedron structure. This volumetric approach simultaneously produces external surface tectonics and internal infill through a seamless toolpath. The paper concludes by presenting sets of guidelines and future directions for both the introduced curve and voxel-based approaches in Robotic Concrete 3D printing, emphasizing the early integration of computational and fabrication intelligence into the design process.

This paper explores interdisciplinary and inclusive methodologies in architectural education, addressing contemporary socio-technical challenges. It highlights the role of collaborative frameworks in fostering dynamic learning environments and innovative pedagogical strategies. By integrating Industry 5.0 methodologies and digital mapping, we examine their impact on design processes, material innovation, and urban discourse. Through co-production and computational design techniques, we showcase the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration in shaping future architects. Additionally, we discuss how these approaches enhance problem-solving, teamwork, and critical thinking skills essential for contemporary architectural practice. This study also investigates how emerging technologies in Industry 5.0 facilitate human-centered design, sustainability, and resilience in built environments. By leveraging digital tools, automation, and adaptive systems, architectural education can better prepare students for evolving industry demands. The paper presents practical case studies from our design studios, demonstrating the transformative potential of these methodologies. This study offers valuable insights for educators seeking to enhance inclusivity, adaptability, and innovation in architectural pedagogy.

This paper explores interdisciplinary and inclusive methodologies in architectural education, addressing contemporary socio-technical challenges. It highlights the role of collaborative frameworks in fostering dynamic learning environments and innovative pedagogical strategies. By integrating Industry 5.0 methodologies and digital mapping, we examine their impact on design processes, material innovation, and urban discourse. Through co-production and computational design techniques, we showcase the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration in shaping future architects. Additionally, we discuss how these approaches enhance problem-solving, teamwork, and critical thinking skills essential for contemporary architectural practice. This study also investigates how emerging technologies in Industry 5.0 facilitate human-centered design, sustainability, and resilience in built environments. By leveraging digital tools, automation, and adaptive systems, architectural education can better prepare students for evolving industry demands. The paper presents practical case studies from our design studios, demonstrating the transformative potential of these methodologies. This study offers valuable insights for educators seeking to enhance inclusivity, adaptability, and innovation in architectural pedagogy.

This chapter explores the intersection between radical humanism and the architectural humanities. It focuses on decolonizing local practices in Indigenous contexts. Radical humanism rooted in equality inclusivity and common well-being challenges the systematic injustices perpetuated by Eurocentric models in urban psychology and education. It focuses on Indigenous knowledge systems and methods of participation. This chapter shows how mapping can be reimagined as a tool for empowering promoting resilience in marginalized communities.

The Navajo Nation faces critical challenges in developing housing that is resilient to climate change while honoring cultural heritage. Socio‐economic disparities, limited infrastructure, and extreme environmental conditions demand innovative solutions that integrate sustainable practices with traditional Navajo values. This study critically examines the potential of smart design‐build technologies to create resilient, culturally appropriate housing tailored to the Navajo Nation’s unique needs, while interrogating the normative assumptions that often accompany Western frameworks of sustainability and innovation. This research combines a multidisciplinary literature review with a graduate‐level design studio’s explorative and applied insight. The literature review synthesizes advancements in sustainable technologies—such as off‐grid power systems, alternative materials, and participatory design methods—through a decolonial lens that challenges dominant planning paradigms. A conceptual framework was constructed to evaluate the intersection of cultural coherence, technological viability, material sustainability, socio‐environmental adaptability, and governance. Off‐grid solutions, including solar panels and wind turbines, offer clean energy alternatives, while locally sourced materials, like earth‐based and carbon‐environmentally informed additive manufacturing solutions, provide cost‐effective, low‐carbon options suitable for the arid climate. The study emphasizes participatory design, engaging local communities in developing housing solutions that align with cultural values and modern needs. By combining traditional Navajo architectural principles—such as circular forms and earthen materials—with smart technologies, the resulting designs are resilient, sustainable, and socially relevant. The design studio component enabled graduate students to explore speculative housing prototypes grounded in this framework, evaluated in dialogue with Navajo cultural liaisons and contextual constraints, thereby centering Indigenous perspectives in both process and output. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on smart, resilient infrastructure, offering insights for policymakers, designers, and funders to support localized, culturally and environmentally informed housing solutions in Indigenous communities.

Adaptive reuse embodies a significant transition in the evolution of urban landscapes, representing a paradigm shift from industrial or obsolete uses to vibrant, sustainable, and community-centric functions. This transformative process, deeply rooted in the principles of sustainable urban development, emphasizes the conservation of architectural heritage, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic revitalization. At the heart of adaptive reuse is the concept of sustainability, which challenges traditional notions of development and conservation by repurposing existing structures, thereby conserving resources, and reducing the carbon footprint associated with new constructions. These initiatives align with broader sustainability goals, such as those outlined in the 2030 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), particularly those related to sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, and climate action.

This paper explores spatial justice in urban environments through immersive art and design, focusing on Amsterdam and Houston. It presents a case study from the Venice Biennale 2023, showcasing art's potential in fostering inclusive urban spaces. The study delves into the socio-political complexities of urban areas, highlighting often-ignored liminal spaces and their tensions and possibilities. Immersive art emerges as a transformative medium, capable of challenging and reshaping perceptions of space, and addressing systemic socio-economic disparities. Adopting a transdisciplinary approach, the research combines insights from various fields to enrich discussions on spatial justice and inspire urban transformations.

The research discussed in this paper centers around the convergence of extended reality (XR) platforms, computational design, digital fabrication, and critical urban study practices. Its aim is to cultivate interdisciplinary and multiscalar approaches within these domains. The research endeavor represents a collaborative effort between two primary disciplines: critical urban studies, which prioritize socio-environmental justice, and integrated digital design to production, which emphasize the realization of volumetric or voxel-based structural systems. Moreover, the exploration encompasses augmented reality to assess its utilization in both the assembly process of the structures and the integration of phygital (physical and digital) data with the physical environment. Within the context of these research scopes, this paper introduces FabriCity-XR as an interactive phygital installation. In addition to presenting an overview of the integrated research driven and performative design to production methodologies, the project showcases the practical implementation of web-based augmented reality trails, eliminating the requirement for external applications for interaction. This approach allows users to seamlessly navigate and engage with phygital content overlaid on physical objects using their personal smart devices. The result is a captivating and immersive user experience that effectively merges the physical and digital realms.

Within the framework of 'Temporalities and the Urban Fabric: Co-Producing Liminal Spaces in Transitional Epochs,' this rigorous examination unravels the multilayered nuances of temporality and its intimate relationship with urban spaces in times of transition. The research delineates the intricate interplay between public exhibitions, urban realms, and socio-political paradigms, particularly within the dynamic settings of the metropolitan entities of Houston and Amsterdam. These cities, as epitomes of temporal urban flux, become fertile grounds for exploring the ephemeral essence of liminal spaces and their transformative manifestations. By weaving together diverse academic domains – from Design Computation and Fabrication to Urban Communities and Spatial Justice – this study underscores the symbiotic fusion of Augmented Reality (AR) and Gamification within the broader canvas of urban temporalities. Crucially, the research accentuates the transformative potential of Extended Reality (XR) in augmenting the theoretical and methodological contours of urban studies within these transitional epochs.

Port Cities are historically the places for paradigm shifts, radical changes, and socio-economic transitions. In particular, the interaction zone between the port infrastructure and urban activities creates liminal spaces at the forefront of many contemporary challenges. In these liminal spaces, the port's flows, form, and function intertwine with urban contexts and conflict with the living conditions. Conceptualizing the portcityscape and harborscape as liminal space and urban thresholds leads to (re)thinking about innovative participatory methods and technologies for building community resilience in port cities. Additionally, inevitable constant development in port cities requires adaptability and resilience from the waterfronts to the hinterlands and city centers. Such confrontation of port infrastructures and urbanization is socio-politically and spatially challenging, specifically in historic port cities. Therefore, as the approach to exploiting energy and human resources changes over time, the physicality of the built environment in port cities and how we (re)use the resources need to be redefined. This research investigates key socio-spatial features and challenges of port cities by examining how the port's proximity to the city requires coordination, collaboration, transparency, and community dialogue. The introduction and background literature discuss three domains and notions of port city studies, building community resiliency through participatory frameworks, and parasitic architecture. By building upon this analytical framework, the paper presents case studies developed within the research-led design studio focusing on building resilient communities in four port cities, including Amsterdam, Constanta, Alexandria, and Rio De Janeiro. This research focus on the community-enabled application of emerging technologies, innovative approaches, and co-designing and co-building participatory methods. The selected case studies introduce an integrative and multi-scalar pedagogical framework for building resilient communities in liminal spaces of port cities.

The application of Augmented Reality (AR) in construction is transforming how non-expert users engage with complex assembly processes, with its potential to foster broader community involvement in urban space production remaining underexplored. This paper presents an integrated framework that incorporates AR-enabled phygital instructions with timber dowel structures, facilitating the active participation of non-experts in the design-to-production process of an urban community food podium. By leveraging AR and computational design, the system bridges the gap between expert and non-expert users, enabling wider participation in the construction process while maintaining precision through robotic fabrication and step-by-step digital guidance. Tested within a graduate-level course and showcased at a public event, the project aims to empower community members to engage in production and assembly, offering insights into participatory urban design and co-production. The results demonstrate the capacity of augmented fabrication to enhance human agency, making complex construction tasks accessible and collaborative, and paving the way for resource-driven, community-enabling urban developments.

This research explores the design-to-production computational framework of a Timber Dowel System, emphasizing an integrated computational workflow informed by fabrication and assembly feedback. This workflow incorporates contextual and fabricability parameters, enabling a parametric framework optimized for performance, adaptability, and scalability. The initial design process utilized a modular plug-and-play approach, employing manually controlled surfaces and poly-surfaces to explore flexible geometries and structural configurations. Two full-scale prototypes were developed using AR-guided assembly and robotic milling, addressing production challenges such as dowel placement precision, material limitations, and assembly feasibility. Feedback from these prototypes informed refinements in the computational framework, translating into practical parameters to improve structural integrity and procedural efficiency. A horizontal orientation was prioritized due to its standalone stability, while multiple extensions of the initial basket prototype were analysed to evaluate and study the system performance under varied geometric configurations. By integrating community-driven requirements and contextual considerations, this research lays the groundwork for a multi-criteria framework that supports informed design variation and facilitates collaborative co-production workflows.

This research project and exhibit, delves into the complex relationship between public exhibition, urban spaces, and socio-political norms in shaping urban thresholds within the two American and European metropolitan cities of Houston and Amsterdam. This study also investigates the transformative power of new media and emerging technologies in the production, circulation, and consumption of design, offering fresh perspectives on the influence of these technologies on urban design studies and digitally augmented physical spaces. By merging interdisciplinary research areas, including Design Computation and Fabrication, Urban Communities, and Spatial Justice, this project provides an immersive exploration into the co-production of liminal spaces, focusing on the participation of diverse publics and the dynamics of inclusion, exclusion, and recognition in two cities of Houston and Amsterdam. The main emphasis of this paper is on the critical urban studies and the role of emerging technologies in advancing the theoretical and methodological frameworks of the presented immersive installation project.

Materialization practices in the architecture and building industry have evolved with the advancement of manufacturing and information technologies. This evolution is evident across various design and production phases, with a pronounced impact on prototyping. Advances in design and fabrication tools have empowered prototypes, integral in any production cycle, to furnish a growing array of information and feedback for designers and manufacturers. In this context, prototypes have transformed from merely showcasing data-driven building solutions to presenting socio-environmentally conscious systems. Innovation in prototyping connects the initial design and construction stages to the operational phase, creating a seamless transition throughout the project lifecycle. This chapter provides a range of definitions and prototypical case studies for smart prototyping by identifying practiced approaches in integrated design to production workflows. This chapter introduces three paradigms for smart prototyping: Digital prototyping focuses on data-driven design for mass customization, phygital prototyping involves mixed-reality-enabled design and assembly, and thirdly collaborative prototyping explores human-machine hybrid intelligence and co-production in architectural and urban contexts. The chosen case studies in this chapter and how they are categorized aim to provide a comprehensive overview of smart prototyping, covering projects conducted in both research and practice. This chapter concludes with potential future trends and the role of emerging and evolving mediums of prototyping for smart design and construction.

In the contemporary era of urban design, the advent of big data and digital technologies has ushered in innovative approaches to exploring urban spaces. This study focuses on the application of Augmented Reality (AR) and Extended Reality (XR) technologies in the metropolitan areas of Houston and Amsterdam. These technologies create immersive 'Phygital Installations' that blend physical and digital elements, effectively capturing people's perceptions and enhancing urban design proposals. By fostering human-centered planning, AR and XR technologies make urban design more interactive and accessible to the public. Houston, with its rapid industrial growth and diverse socio-economic landscape, provides a unique setting to examine the impacts of these technologies on urban form and socio-environmental dynamics. In contrast, Amsterdam, with its rich historical layers and socio-cultural diversity, offers insights into the integration of AR/XR technologies in urban planning, particularly in the realm of historical preservation and contemporary urban development. This research contributes to the emerging field of AR/XR in urban design by highlighting the transformative potential of these technologies in enhancing the understanding and engagement in urban design and spatial planning.

Community resilience entails the community’s ongoing and developing capacity to account for its vulnerabilities and function amid and recover from disturbance. A holistic and systematic approach of the community on how it uses material and energy resources or how a society educates the members' overtime is required to learn from the past and adapt to the present and future opportunities and threads. Community resilience has a long history in the local communities, which is embedded in their culture and history around shared values and local knowledge based on a dedicated and robust collaboration among diverse groups of the community and the various actors from different backgrounds. The innovative partnership between various actors such as stakeholders, research entities, local communities, and third sector parties is required to overcome the complexities of resiliency building. Using local knowledge to understand the local needs better is crucial in developing local, sustainable solutions and building community resilience over time.

The 2023 edition of the Venice Architecture Biennial Time Space Existence will draw attention to the emerging expressions of sustainability in their numerous forms, ranging from a focus on the environment and urban landscape to the unfolding conversations on innovation, reuse, community, and inclusion. In response to climate change, exhibited projects will investigate new technologies and construction methods that reduce energy consumption through circular design and develop innovative, organic, and recycled building materials. Participants will also address social justice by presenting living solutions envisioned for displaced communities and minorities, while others will examine the tensions between the built urban environment and the nature surrounding it, identifying opportunities for coexistence. Time Space Existence not only aims to be a display but also a living workshop where established and emerging practitioners can work together and present their own visions of the status of architecture and the built environment nowadays. By bringing together ideas from across the world, the exhibition presents itself as a platform for exchange and experimentation and strives to stimulate an engaging dialogue that is inclusive of all voices.

Diffusions in Architecture: Artificial Intelligence and Image Generators delves into the impact of Diffusion AI algorithms and generative image models on architecture design and aesthetics. The book presents an in-depth analysis of how these new technologies are revolutionizing the field of architecture. The architects presented in the book focus on the application of specific AI techniques and tools used in generative design, such as Diffusion models, Dall-E2, Stable Diffusion, and MidJourney. It discusses how these techniques can generate synthetic images that are both realistic and imaginative, creating new possibilities for architectural design and aesthetics. This comprehensive overview of the impact of Diffusion AI algorithms and generative image models on the field of architecture shows how they are changing the way architects approach their work. With a foreword by Lev Manovich—artist, writer and one of the world's most influential digital culture theorists. Sharing the work and insights of a team of designers and theorists from a range of backgrounds, offering disciplinary depth, and covering the full impact of these tools and models on architecture, Diffusions in Architecture includes information on: Fresh perspectives on design and aesthetics, with designs, images, and commentary from 22 leading architects, theorists, and designersThe potential of prompt engineering and text-to-image models applicable to a broad interdisciplinary audienceWhether image generators, or AI in general, will be an aid for human design, or potentially displace humans from the market fundamentals of a larger debate in the architectural discourse (and practice) on the use of image generatorsCollecting the different ideas that have emerged in the field, Diffusions in Architecture provides architects, designers, concept artists, and theorists with an overview of this cornucopia of architectural imaginations produced in a common effort between humans and artificial intelligence.