Monday, 23.03.2026, 15:15 via Zoom

Designing for a Post-AI Discipline: Agency, Orchestration, and Performative AI in Architecture

This lecture advances a repositioning of artificial intelligence in architecture, reframing AI not as a representational instrument but as a co-creative epistemic partner capable of mediating between human intention, performance, and spatial design intelligence. Within the emerging paradigm of agentic AI and design intelligence, the presentation demonstrates Dr. Yousif’s recent work, in which networks of fine-tuned diffusion models, LLM systems, and performance-driven models are integrated to operate as distributed agents embedded within the architectural design workflow, challenging conventional notions of authorship, agency, and disciplinary knowledge in architectural practice.

Shermeen Yousif, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor, a 100-RISE hire, and Director of the Performative AI Lab at the University of Texas at Arlington. Her research advances artificial intelligence (AI) in architecture through the development of methods and design frameworks that address the multimodality, multiplicity, and interconnectivity of AI models. She investigates design agency, orchestration, and authorship within distributed AI systems, positioning AI as a co-creative partner that augments design exploration through performative and ecological intelligence.
Previously, she directed the EDNM Lab at Florida Atlantic University, and she has founded the Deep-Ecology Design Studio. Her work is at the forefront of AI-driven design and has been recognized with awards including the AIA Florida Award for Research, the AIA Fort Lauderdale Award for Research, and the Educator of the Year Award, among other distinctions. She serves on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Architectural Computing (IJAC) and has been a member of the ACADIA Board of Directors. Dr. Yousif is an international speaker, contributing to major conferences, symposia, and global forums on AI and architecture.