Beyond Artificiality: Synergistic Design Intelligence (SynDI) in Digital and Discrete Architecture
Beyond Artificiality

Synergistic Design Intelligence (SynDI) in Digital and Discrete Architecture

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DOI:

10.31182/cubic.2025.8.87

Keywords:

digital design, discrete architecture, synergistic design intelligence, hyperspace, human–computer interactions

Abstract

Architecture is undergoing a new digital turn prompted by the use of artificial intelligence, which has sparked both enthusiasm and concern—particularly regarding the notion that computers may replace architects. However, the repositioning of architects provides an opportunity to incorporate a new modus operandi with new forms of production. This paper proposes an alternative approach for human–computer interaction within the framework of discrete architecture – a topical production model for building components. The study relies on a collaborative and forward-thinking approach rather than artificiality, which often distances actors in the architecture field from emerging concepts, terminologies, and methods. It introduces the concept of synergistic design intelligence based on an improvised approach applied to a design studio experiment. The results signify a transition to a hyperspatial paradigm while demonstrating how heterogeneous computational strategies can enhance designers’ engagement with new concepts of computational thinking in architecture.

How to Cite

Aydin, S., & Balaban, B. Z. (2026). Beyond Artificiality: Synergistic Design Intelligence (SynDI) in Digital and Discrete Architecture. Cubic Journal, 8(8), 173–194. https://doi.org/10.31182/cubic.2025.8.87

Published

2026-04-04

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 8 (2025): Searching for Innocence Through the Synergies of Interactions — Scripting · Sensing · Interacting

Section

Articles

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Serdar Aydin, Mardin Artuklu University

Serdar Aydin is an architect, researcher and designer whose work navigates between digital culture, design intelligence and participatory systems. His cross-continental trajectory—spanning Turkey, China, the UK, and Aotearoa New Zealand—informs a pluralistic and critical approach to computational design. His research engages parametric and algorithmic methods, virtual reality, smart city and interaction design, centering on the co-evolution of human and machine agency rather than detached digitalism. He holds a master’s from the University of Liverpool and a PhD on gamified, hybrid environments shaped by user-generated content. Aydin received the Design Research Society Award (2014), the YoungCAADRIA Award (2015), was honored Second Prize in Turkey’s Natural Stone Design Competition (2021), and worked with Zaha Hadid Architects on the parametric articulation of Changsha Meixihu International Culture and Arts Centre. He is currently Associate Professor at Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Mardin Artuklu University, where he directs Mimfab Centre of Research on Architectural Technology and serves as editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Mardin Studies.

Beryar Zübeyde Balaban, Istanbul Technical University

Beryar Zübeyde Balaban graduated from Mardin Artuklu University, Department of Architecture in 2021. Her research interest is on computational design, digital fabrication, and the digitalisation of cultural heritage, particularly in the context of interactive virtual environments. To deepen this academically, she started to study a masters’ degree of Architectural Design Computing program at Istanbul Technical University. Currently, she is conducting research on the digital interpretation and virtual experiences of the ancient city of Dara, utilizing augmented reality technologies to create immersive, educational experiences for visitors.

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