From text to image via LLM

Text and writing are important components in creating architecture. To put it more strongly: text is deeply intertwined with the production of architecture, serving as more than a mere communication tool. Text impacts design thinking, theory, history, and the way the built environment is constructed — materially.

As in my previous posts, I’m seeding this post with responses from Google’s NotebookLM, a large language model platform, into which I have uploaded several thousand pages of my own writing, including the content of this blog. In a way, I am interrogating my own textual production to see what arguments I have mustered in the past to support a semiotic position about the importance of text. If we need any convincing of the centrality of text, here is a summary of how text and architecture interact. (The sources from which this summary is derived include references. These references are not included here.)

First is the obvious observation that throughout history, architects have codified their ideas and theories in written treatises. These texts shape architectural discourse and influence subsequent generations of architects.

Architecture and form

As further historical evidence, elements such as classical facades are evaluated for correctness and adherence to a visual “grammar,” similar to spoken and written language. Concepts of style, grammar, and formal arrangements within a design parallel linguistic elements. Architectural treatises often discuss the relationships between parts and the whole, emphasising precision and rigour in design, further suggesting an architectural “language.” (That’s actually an idea that I critique, but the notion that grammar plays a role in architecture is in the discourse.)

An idea I find more interesting: technologies of writing also reinforce the linkages between text and architecture. The invention of the printing press and movable type had a profound impact on architectural thinking. Alberti, an influential architect and theorist, was fascinated by the arrangement and reproducibility enabled by movable type. This is reflected in his own writings and design approaches, where architectural elements are treated as components to be selected and arranged. The concept of “blocks” used in text layout mirrors architectural design processes, where elements are often conceptualised and manipulated as discrete units.

We can extend the concept of text and writing to encompass the urban environment. The built environment is permeated with textual information, from street signs and building names to planning regulations and legal documents. These texts shape the experience and use of urban space. Think of cities as repositories of textual information, with language shaping human cognition and urban development. The act of “writing” a city metaphorically connects urban design with creative processes akin to writing a book or a song. This highlights the generative potential of language and text in shaping the built environment.

Interpretation in architecture

Architects frequently discuss their work through the lens of interpretation, suggesting a discursive (text-based) element to the profession. The act of design often mirrors interpretive processes.

Philosophies of interpretation have reinforced connections between architecture and text. The philosopher Jacques Derrida’s focus on the materiality of writing as a foundational system of signs and difference that can be applied to architecture to privilege materiality over theoretical concepts such as meaning, truth, origins, essence, and expression. (That reference to the materiality of writing seems to be an interesting inference from what I have written previously.) Although Derrida’s work focuses on language, he wrote explicitly about architecture and engaged with architects. The architectural theorist Mark Wigley has even argued that Derrida’s writing was always “haunted” by architecture.

Computer codes are particular textual expressions. Contemporary digital tools, while often visual, rely heavily on underlying textual code and algorithms. The language of code shapes the possibilities and limitations of digital architectural design.

Text and writing are therefore integral not only to how architects communicate but also to how they think, design, and theorize. Their impact extends beyond the individual building to encompass the urban fabric and the history of architectural production.

As Alberti features in this account relating text to architecture, I thought I would take a text about Alberti’s work that contains substantial segments from his writing, and see if ChatGPT could describe a building designed in accordance with Alberti’s texts, and generate images.

Alberti Illustrated

The book The Mathematical Works of Leon Battista Alberti, edited by Kim Williams, Lionel March, and Stephen R. Wassell, presents translations and commentary on four key mathematical treatises by Leon Battista Alberti. The treatises cover diverse topics that illustrate Alberti’s application of mathematical principles to practical and theoretical challenges in the visual arts and architecture.

The editors provide historical context, comparisons with Alberti’s other works, and insights into his methods and intellectual legacy. The book highlights Alberti’s role as a bridge between medieval and Renaissance thought, demonstrating how his mathematical expertise informed his contributions to art, architecture, and science.

The book is available as a single PDF through our university library. I uploaded it to ChatGPT, which I prompted to generate related images. NotebookLM seems to limit its responses to the uploaded texts, but the current version doesn’t generate images. On the other hand ChatGPT generates images. You can upload texts to ChatGPT and ask questions about them, but the platform seems to deliver responses reflecting its entire base of relevant training data. So I am not sure whether these images reflect the book on Alberti I uploaded, or its more general “knowledge base.” Anyway, here are some prompts and responses.

An Alberti design session

Me: I want to design a building inspired by Alberti’s works as interpreted in this book. Please describe what it would be like to experience such a building.

ChatGPT: Designing a building inspired by Leon Battista Alberti’s mathematical works, as interpreted in this book, could result in a structure that harmoniously blends mathematical rigor, artistic elegance, and humanist principles. The experience of such a building would reflect Alberti’s Renaissance ideals, where geometry, proportion, and spatial perception are central to creating a meaningful and immersive environment. [Then followed a detailed description that included: symmetry and proportion, perspective and visual geometry, integration with nature, mathematical symbolism, educational spaces, reflective elements, and towering views.] It concluded with the overall atmosphere: Visitors would feel a profound sense of order, clarity, and intellectual stimulation. The building would not merely be a physical space but an embodiment of Alberti’s belief in the unifying power of art, science, and human ingenuity. Every detail, from its smallest decorative feature to its grandest structural element, would invite contemplation of the beauty of mathematics and its role in shaping our world.

Me: Can you create a photorealistic rendering of such a building.

ChatGPT: Here is a rendering of the building inspired by Leon Battista Alberti’s mathematical and Renaissance ideals. The design integrates symmetry, geometric harmony, and classical elements to reflect his architectural philosophy. [See 1 below]

Me: please provide a more modern interpretation of Alberti’s ideas.

ChatGPT: Here is a modern architectural interpretation inspired by Leon Battista Alberti’s principles, blending sleek, minimalist design with symmetry and geometric precision.[See 2.]

Me: Please provide a more modest domestic scale building.

ChatGPT: Here is a rendering of a modest domestic building inspired by Leon Battista Alberti’s mathematical principles, scaled for residential use while maintaining harmony and balance in its design. [See 3.]

Me: please provide an image of a classical Alberti building in ruins.

ChatGPT: Here is an image of a classical building inspired by Leon Battista Alberti’s architectural style, portrayed in a state of picturesque ruin. It captures the timeless beauty and serenity of a structure weathered by time. [See 4.]

Me: provide a variation of this image in the manner of a drawing by Giovanni Battista Piranesi.

ChatGPT: Here is an artistic rendering of a classical building inspired by Leon Battista Alberti, depicted in the style of Giovanni Battista Piranesi. The intricate details and dramatic shading evoke the grandeur and decay characteristic of Piranesi’s etchings. [See 5.]

Me: Could you please adjust the design requirements for a building inspired by Alberti’s works as interpreted in this book — not a building but a 3D setting for a puzzle-style video game. Please generate a screenshot to show a scene from the game.

ChatGPT: Here is a visual representation of a 3D video game setting inspired by Leon Battista Alberti’s works. The scene is designed as a puzzle-style environment, featuring a symmetrical courtyard with classical elements, mysterious mechanisms, and an atmosphere of intrigue. [See 6.]

Me: Please show a close-up of one of the puzzles.

ChatGPT: Here is a close-up of a puzzle mechanism inspired by Leon Battista Alberti’s architectural and mathematical principles. It features intricate gears, rotating rings, and glowing geometric symbols, all designed to challenge and immerse players in a Renaissance-inspired, puzzle-solving experience. Let me know if you’d like additional details or another variation! [See 7.]

Bereft of the needs of social, functional and material context, the game scenography seems more satisfying to me than the speculative architectural renderings!

References

• Tschumi, B. (1994), Architecture and Disjunction, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
• Williams, K., L. March and S. R. Wassell. (2010), The Mathematical Works of Leon Battista Alberti, Basel: Springer Basel.