The Architect’s Mind: Evolution, algorithms and creativity

A brief (evolutionary) history of how we became prodigious builders.

‘A powerful explanation and a deep understanding of design’
- Michael Batty, CASA, University College London

This book contains one of the most fascinating stories ever told: how and why our species became a lineage of great builders. What distinguishes us from the rest of the architect animals? Are we really special? To find out, we will have to follow the most significant – and exciting! – episodes of our evolution. But as our steps dust off the path we will discover that, hidden by proper names and cultural movements, there is an evolutionary continuum that guides the development of our architecture. It turns out not; the history of architecture is not a fragmentary succession of characters and events. There is a coherent, although unpredictable, advance marked by singularities: when a new cognitive technology transforms and enhances the performance of our brains, it expands the design space and broadens the horizon of innovation.
As a result of the unstoppable creativity that drives our development, we are currently on the threshold of a new singularity: artificial intelligence. Knowing the mind of the architect from a historical and ecological perspective is the only way to decisively face this challenge.