Robots, Cyborgs, and Architecture

This paper seeks to examine the robot cyborg paradigm in relation to architecture and artificial intelligence.It asks, what knowledge might arise from the cross disciplinary study of the historical narrative of the robot and cyborg? Referencing the birth of the robot and cyborg and exploring their significance from past to present, this paper strives to point out how these figures could help us question the status quo or reveal something to us about the world. Through the suggestion of a collective non-human form of intelligence in architecture we can ask, what might the machine have to offer that we haven’t considered or weren’t even capable of considering? How might machines actively collaborate in the design process?How might our relationship with technology enhance our creative capacities? The response to these questions begins with a comparative investigation of approaches to architecture and AI.