DigitalFUTURES 2025 

DF·YoungForum

AI in Architecture: Freedom to Create, or Pressure to Compete?

Forum Time

 06 / 10 / 2025  20:00-22:00 (GMT+8)

Zoom Link

849 7790 5442

Password: 837603

DigitalFUTURES 2025 

Forum Panelist

Qi Yi is an associate professor, PhD supervisor, and deputy dean at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shenzhen University (SZU). His primary research areas include architectural design and theory, digital architectural design and fabrication, and healthcare architecture. In recent years, his focus has extended to future architecture and urbanism, exploring the integration of AI, big data, and robotics in speculative future scenarios.

As a member of the UIA Public Health Group, he actively participates in various professional organizations and maintains close collaborations with numerous international universities and industry partners. He has led over 30 research projects, including those funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), published more than 30 academic papers, and received over 40 professional awards.

Xavier Travert is a French architect and researcher, and the co-founder of AIRI Lab—an innovative platform at the forefront of integrating AIGC technologies into architectural workflows. With over a decade of international experience, he began his career in Europe and worked at OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) before relocating to China, where he has led several large-scale design projects.

His research sits at the intersection of speculative urbanism, computational design, and narrative exploration, focusing on how generative technologies are redefining the architect’s role—from form-maker to curator of information and vision. At AIRI Lab, he spearheads both creative and technical initiatives that push the boundaries of architectural representation through AI-driven image and video reconstruction.

Yanpeng Li is currently the Director of the Institute of Intelligent Design Research at East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI). After joining ECADI, he initially focused on the design of long-span and complex structures. In 2022, he transitioned to digital innovation and founded the Institute of Intelligent Design Research. He now leads the development of digital products, AIGC applications, and domain-specific fine-tuning of GPT models for architecture. He also serves as a committee member of the Digitalization Division of the Shanghai Architectural Society, and as an external advisor for Tongji University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Chang Lu is a PhD student at the School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, and Co-founder of Emerging AI. He has received multiple national honors, including the National Scholarship and the prestigious Lei Jun Excellence Scholarship. As a serial entrepreneur, he won First Prize in the EVOLO International Design Competition and the National Gold Award in the Higher Education Track of the 8th China International “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.

Emerging AI has secured several funding rounds totaling tens of millions of RMB and has established partnerships with clients across China and internationally. The company operates in Beijing, Shenzhen, San Francisco, and Singapore. In 2024, Emerging AI was named an “Enterprise of Distinction” by NVIDIA, featured on the official NVIDIA website, and received the award directly from Jensen Huang. The company has won more than 40 innovation and entrepreneurship awards, including a Top 3 placement in the Tsinghua University President’s Cup and the highest honor in the Tsinghua Alumni Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.

Experimental Lecturer at the School of Architecture and Arts, Hefei University of Technology, and Head of the Computational Art&Architeture Laboratory (CAAL). Holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from Tongji University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Resource and Environmental Engineering at Tianjin University. She serves as a committee member of the Computational Design Academic Committee of the Architectural Society of China, Deputy Director of the Digital Folklore Inheritance and Creation Special Committee of the Anhui Folklore Society, and the member of the DigitalFUTURES organizing committee. Research interests include interaction-based digital complex morphologies, generative design methods and technologies, and digital architectural heritage.