Topic: Architecture Reimagined: FORMAS.AI + CARTESIAN 3D
Date: November 15, 2026
Time: 15:00 – 20:00 GMT
Format: Online on Zoom
Duration: 1 Session (5 Hours)
Registration Deadline: November 14th, 2026
Total Seats: 50 seats
Difficulty: Beginner
Language: English
Certificate: Yes
General Registration: Join with Free Membership
Organized By: PAACADEMY
Tutor: Carlos Bañón
Recordings: Recordings will be available for all participants indefinitely afterward.
Introduction to Architecture Reimagined: FORMAS.AI + CARTESIAN 3D
“Architecture is never finished by one generation. It is inherited, altered and passed on.”
Carlos Banon, Co-Founder & Chief Design and AI Officer, FORMAS.AI
The process is the project.
Architecture rarely develops in a straight line. Ideas begin as questions, sketches, references and fragments, then evolve through testing, visualisation, modelling and iteration.
This workshop introduces participants to FORMAS.AI and Cartesian by FORMAS as the shared design and AI environment for the CartesianForms competition.
Participants will explore how to start from almost anything: a photograph, drawing, sketch, existing model or architectural condition, and use AI across different stages of design development.
FORMAS supports the process from ideation and visual exploration through iteration, visualisation, video and communication, while Cartesian extends this into agentic, precise and editable 3D modelling.
The workshop is not about prescribing one way to design. It provides a shared environment and practical methods for participants to develop their own architectural process and competition proposal.
Methodology:
The workshop focuses on architectural design development within a chosen site. An existing building, structure or site condition can provide the starting point. Participants will examine the context, establish a design question and begin testing possible interventions.
The competition’s generational framework spans 2030, 2055 and 2080. During the exercises, participants will consider how their decisions connect the site’s inherited qualities with its potential for further change.gn intent, and direct AI to build reliable parametric workflows. While ChatGPT-6 Astra is used throughout the workshop, the methodology can be adapted to future generations of AI models.
The proposed teaching format combines live demonstrations, guided exercises and independent project development. Participants will apply each workflow to their own material, compare results and discuss selected explorations during the review.
The emphasis is on making and evaluating design decisions. Participants will record useful references, alternatives and key iterations as they work, building material they can develop further after the session.
Key Learning Topics:
01 · DEFINE
Start from an existing architecture, structure or site and establish the question you want to investigate.
02 · IDEATE
Use sketches, drawings, photographs, references and AI to explore early ideas and alternative directions.
03 · ITERATE
Develop and compare interventions through an iterative design process.
04 · VISUALISE
Explore space, atmosphere, materiality and architectural intent through images and video.
05 · MODEL
Move from images, sketches and drawings into structured, editable 3D with Cartesian by FORMAS.
06 · DEVELOP
Move between FORMAS, Cartesian and existing design tools as the proposal becomes more resolved.
07 · COMMUNICATE
Build a clear visual and spatial narrative showing how the project evolved, not only where it ended.
By the end of the workshop, participants should be able to:
- Frame an architectural design question using site information and references.
- Use FORMAS.AI to explore, compare and refine visual design directions.
- Begin translating selected design material into editable 3D with Cartesian by FORMAS.
- Organise key iterations and explain the reasoning behind design decisions.
- Identify the next steps for developing their competition proposal.
The session provides a starting point and a workflow for continued development. Participants should expect to leave with initial explorations and a clearer project direction.
Program
Competition Brief: Introduction to CartesianForms: Architecture Reimagined, the design challenge, competition framework and the idea that the process itself forms part of the submission.
From Intent to Ideas: Start with an existing architecture or condition. Develop a question, work from sketches and references, and explore different directions through human + AI interaction.
Design Through FORMAS: Work through ideation, iteration and visualisation in FORMAS. Explore how drawings, images, references and existing design material can develop into a coherent architectural investigation.
Anything to 3D: Introduction to Cartesian by FORMAS, moving from images, sketches and drawings into agentic, precise and editable 3D geometry.
Hands-On Project Development: Begin developing your own CartesianForms proposal. Participants can work from their selected architecture, site or structure and move between ideation, visualization, iteration and 3D development.
Review + Q&A: Review selected explorations, discuss workflows and questions, and look at how the design process can continue toward the final competition submission.
Software:
Workshop Notes:
- Come with an existing building, structure or site that you may want to reimagine.
- Bring anything that can help you begin: Sketches · Drawings · Photographs · Plans · CAD · 3D Models · Renders · Diagrams · Physical Model Images · AI Imagery · Video
Instructors:
Carlos Bañón
Carlos is the Chief Design and AI Officer (CDAIO) and Associate Professor of Architecture and Sustainable Design at SUTD Singapore, where he founded AirLab, pioneering the integration of AI, computational design, and digital fabrication in architecture. A recipient of the Singapore President’s Design Award and the London Design Museum’s Design of the Year Prize, and a Mies van der Rohe Award nominee, his work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, the London Design Museum, and the Triennale di Milano. He has held visiting professorships at MIT and EPFL and is an influential voice on AI-driven design innovation across the global AEC industry.
Important Notes:
- The “Architecture Reimagined: FORMAS.AI + CARTESIAN 3D” workshop by PAACADEMY will start at 15:00 (GMT) on Saturday, November 15th, 2026.
- Total sessions: 1 Session (5 Hours).
- The teaching duration per session will be 5 hours.
- Students will have time for a break between teaching hours.
- The workshop will be recorded, and videos will be available for participants just a day after the class for an unlimited time.
- PAACADEMY will provide a certificate of attendance.
Topic: Architecture Reimagined: FORMAS.AI + CARTESIAN 3D
Date: November 15, 2026
Time: 15:00 – 20:00 GMT
Format: Online on Zoom
Duration: 1 Session (5 Hours)
Registration Deadline: November 14th, 2026
Total Seats: 50 seats
Difficulty: Beginner
Language: English
Certificate: Yes
General Registration: Join with Free Membership
Organized By: PAACADEMY
Tutor: Carlos Bañón
Recordings: Recordings will be available for all participants afterward indefinitely.
