ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Artificial Architecture

Artificial architecture, also known as computer-generated architecture or virtual architecture, is a way of creating buildings and structures using computers. It's like building with blocks, but instead of using physical bricks, we use virtual ones on a computer.

Imagine you have a big box of different shaped and colored blocks, and you want to build a house. You start by picking the blocks you need for the walls, the roof, the windows, and the doors. You decide how big the house should be, what it should look like, and where everything will go.

Usually, when people build real houses, they make a drawing called a blueprint, which shows how everything will fit together. With artificial architecture, we can do something similar, but we do it on a computer. We use special computer programs to create a virtual blueprint of the house.

The computer program has a bunch of tools that help us design the house. We can choose the shape and size of the walls, the height of the roof, and even the materials we want to use. We can also change the colors of the walls and add different types of windows and doors.

Once we finish designing the house on the computer, we can take a virtual tour inside the house to see how it looks from every angle. We can even go in and out of the rooms and see what it would be like to move around in the house. It's like playing a game where you get to explore a house you built yourself!

But virtual houses aren't just for fun. Architects and designers use artificial architecture to plan real buildings too. They can create virtual models of skyscrapers, museums, or even entire cities. This helps them see how everything will fit together and make any changes before they start building in real life.

Artificial architecture can also be used to simulate things like lighting and how different materials will look. For example, if we want to see how sunlight will come through the windows of a building at different times of the day, we can program the computer to show us. Or if we want to know how a building will look with different colors and textures, we can change them easily on the computer to see the effects.

In summary, artificial architecture is a way of designing and creating buildings using computers. It's like playing with virtual blocks to build houses, but much more advanced. It helps architects and designers plan and visualize buildings before they are built, and it can simulate things like lighting and materials to make the designs even better.