Mattias Hollwich: AI & Architecture
10/09/24 • 52 min
If, like us, you’ve been tinkering with the plethora of AI tools that have emerged recently, chances are it’s changing your workflow and creative process. AI is a great thought partner for writing, illustration, and even user research, but we’ve been wondering how people in other creative disciplines are using it.
Matthias Hollwich, principal and founder of New York architecture firm HWKN Architecture, has discovered AI is a powerful addition to architectural design. He and his team are using it to imagine how buildings might fit into the existing design of a city, and take cues from local history and culture. It’s yet another way AI is unexpectedly expanding creative horizons.
Find the transcript, bonus content, and more, on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/matthias-hollwich
Bio
Matthias Hollwich is the founder of HWKN, a NY-based collective of architects, sculptors, social strategists and innovators dedicated to use architecture to shape a better world. Matthias was born and raised in Germany where he studied architecture and brings a dual perspective to all the firm’s designs, combining German precision with American aspiration.
Matthias was honored in Fast Company’s ranking of the world’s Top 10 Most Innovative Architects and in Business Insider’s list of Top Business Visionaries. He published his first book UmBauhaus- Updating Modernism in collaboration with Rainer Weisbach and the Bauhaus Foundation in 2006. His latest book, New Aging: Live Smarter Now to Live Better Forever, suggests a new way to think about aging that could fundamentally change the way we design for it.
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Stay tuned after the interview for a special look at Wix Studio, the intuitive way for agencies and enterprises to design exceptional sites, with full-stack business solutions, multi-site management and built-in AI.]
We chat with Brad Hussey, Founder of Creative Crew—a free community for web agencies with Wix Studio—about how he uses the platform to efficiently build and refine websites by seamlessly transferring designs from Figma, saving time through its dynamic content management, customizable features, and support for custom CSS.
To learn more about Wix Studio, visit dbtr.co/wixstudio.
***
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***
Visiting the links below is one of the best ways to support our show:
LinkedIn: Design Better is supported by our pals at LinkedIn—our favorite social network. It’s hard to get your B2B marketing to land with the right audience. Let’s face it, the web can be a very noisy place! If your message isn’t targeted to the right audience—it just disappears into the noise.
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Methodical Coffee: Roasted, blended, brewed, served and perfected by verified coffee nerds 🤓 : https://methodicalcoffee.com (use code "designbetter" for 10% off of your order).
If you're interested in sponsoring the show, please contact us at: [email protected]
If you'd like to submit a guest idea, please contact us at: [email protected]
If, like us, you’ve been tinkering with the plethora of AI tools that have emerged recently, chances are it’s changing your workflow and creative process. AI is a great thought partner for writing, illustration, and even user research, but we’ve been wondering how people in other creative disciplines are using it.
Matthias Hollwich, principal and founder of New York architecture firm HWKN Architecture, has discovered AI is a powerful addition to architectural design. He and his team are using it to imagine how buildings might fit into the existing design of a city, and take cues from local history and culture. It’s yet another way AI is unexpectedly expanding creative horizons.
Find the transcript, bonus content, and more, on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/matthias-hollwich
Bio
Matthias Hollwich is the founder of HWKN, a NY-based collective of architects, sculptors, social strategists and innovators dedicated to use architecture to shape a better world. Matthias was born and raised in Germany where he studied architecture and brings a dual perspective to all the firm’s designs, combining German precision with American aspiration.
Matthias was honored in Fast Company’s ranking of the world’s Top 10 Most Innovative Architects and in Business Insider’s list of Top Business Visionaries. He published his first book UmBauhaus- Updating Modernism in collaboration with Rainer Weisbach and the Bauhaus Foundation in 2006. His latest book, New Aging: Live Smarter Now to Live Better Forever, suggests a new way to think about aging that could fundamentally change the way we design for it.
***
Stay tuned after the interview for a special look at Wix Studio, the intuitive way for agencies and enterprises to design exceptional sites, with full-stack business solutions, multi-site management and built-in AI.]
We chat with Brad Hussey, Founder of Creative Crew—a free community for web agencies with Wix Studio—about how he uses the platform to efficiently build and refine websites by seamlessly transferring designs from Figma, saving time through its dynamic content management, customizable features, and support for custom CSS.
To learn more about Wix Studio, visit dbtr.co/wixstudio.
***
Premium Episodes on Design Better
This ad-supported episode is available to everyone. If you’d like to hear it ad-free, upgrade to our premium subscription, where you’ll get an additional 2 ad-free episodes per month (4 total). Premium subscribers also get access to our monthly AMAs with former guests, ad-free episodes, early and discounted access to workshops, and our new enhanced newsletter The Brief that compiles salient insights, quotes, readings, and creative processes uncovered in the show.
***
Visiting the links below is one of the best ways to support our show:
LinkedIn: Design Better is supported by our pals at LinkedIn—our favorite social network. It’s hard to get your B2B marketing to land with the right audience. Let’s face it, the web can be a very noisy place! If your message isn’t targeted to the right audience—it just disappears into the noise.
With LinkedIn Ads, you can precisely reach the professionals who are more likely to find your ad relevant. With LinkedIn's targeting capabilities, you can reach people by job title, industry, company, and more. Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. To get a $100 credit on your next campaign go to LinkedIn/designbetter to claim your credit.
Methodical Coffee: Roasted, blended, brewed, served and perfected by verified coffee nerds 🤓 : https://methodicalcoffee.com (use code "designbetter" for 10% off of your order).
If you're interested in sponsoring the show, please contact us at: [email protected]
If you'd like to submit a guest idea, please contact us at: [email protected]
Previous Episode
Skye Waterson: Creative work and ADHD
We’ve talked with people across many creative disciplines on Design Better, and there’s a red thread that keeps popping up—many are neurodivergent in some way. A diagnosis of ADHD in childhood can seem like a disadvantage, but it can actually become a superpower that enables hyper-focus and deep learning. We wanted to learn more about ADHD so we called in an expert—Skye Waterson.
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For full show notes, bonus content, and more, visit our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/skye-waterson
Bio
Skye Waterson is an academic with over seven years of experience working in adult education. She has studied in various fields, including Psychology, Sociology, and Public Health, and is now a Doctoral Candidate in Population Health.
Skye was diagnosed with ADHD at the start of her doctorate. Since then, she has dedicated time to researching and disseminating ADHD studies, focusing on supporting others with strengths-based, neurodiverse-friendly tools and systems.
***
Premium Episodes on Design Better
This is a premium episode on Design Better. We release two premium episodes per month, along with two free episodes for everyone. Premium subscribers also get access to our monthly AMAs with former guests, ad-free episodes, discounts and early access to workshops, access to our (small but growing!) library of books and participation in book giveaways, and our new enhanced newsletter The Brief that compiles salient insights, quotes, readings, and creative processes uncovered in the show.
***
Visiting the links below is one of the best ways to support our show:
On Set With: The HGTV and Max On Set With podcast explores the sets and world building of beloved films and TV shows produced by Warner Bros. Discovery through conversations with art directors and set designers. Each episode highlights a different iconic set from film or television. Through a constellation of voices (set decorators, production designers, directors, and showrunners) our audience gets a first-hand account of the creation of the environments that became a part of our collective, global iconography — and actionable tips to bring the power of scenic design into our listeners’ own spaces.
Next Episode
Jason Chatfield: New Yorker cartoonist on his creative process
The New Yorker has great writing, but Aarron and I are pretty sure we’re not the only ones who flip through the magazine before reading any articles to find all the great cartoons from legends like Roz Chast or Saul Steinberg.
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Get bonus content and more on our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/jason-chatfield
Bio
Jason Chatfield is an award-winning Cartoonist, Author & Comedian based in New York City. For 16 years, he has been an internationally syndicated comic strip cartoonist, writing and drawing the iconic 102-year-old strip, Ginger Meggs, published daily through Andrews McMeel Syndication.
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***
Premium Episodes on Design Better
This is a premium episode on Design Better. We release two premium episodes per month, along with two free episodes for everyone. Premium subscribers also get access to our monthly AMAs with former guests, ad-free episodes, discounts and early access to workshops, access to our (small but growing!) library of books and participation in book giveaways, and our new enhanced newsletter The Brief that compiles salient insights, quotes, readings, and creative processes uncovered in the show.
Visiting the links below is one of the best ways to support our show:
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Methodical Coffee: Join us for a coffee break with our friends at Methodical Coffee. In this segment, Methodical Coffee co-founder Will Shurtz teaches us how to select the right roast for our preferred flavor profile. Select your own preferred roast at methodicalcoffee.com, and use code "designbetter" for 10% off of your order.
LinkedIn: Design Better is supported by our pals at LinkedIn—our favorite social network. It’s hard to get your B2B marketing to land with the right audience. Let’s face it, the web can be a very noisy place! If your message isn’t targeted to the right audience—it just disappears into the noise.
With LinkedIn Ads, you can precisely reach the professionals who are more likely to find your ad relevant. With LinkedIn's targeting capabilities, you can reach people by job title, industry, company, and more. Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. To get a $100 credit on your next campaign go to LinkedIn/designbetter to claim your credit.
***
If you're interested in sponsoring the show, please contact us at: [email protected]
If you'd like to submit a guest idea, please contact us at: [email protected]
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