Form Forge: Latent Space Exploration of Architectural Forms via Explicit Latent Variable Manipulation

Abstract: This paper presents 'Form Forge,' a prototype of a creative system for interactively exploring the latent space of architectural forms, inspired by Franois Blanciak's SITELESS: 1001 Building Forms via direct manipulation of latent variables. Utilizing a fine-tuned StyleGAN2-ADA model, the system allows users to navigate an array of possible building forms derived from Blanciak's sketches. Distinct from common latent space exploration tools that often rely on projected navigation landmarks, Form Forge provides direct access to manipulate each latent variable, aiming to offer a more granular exploration of the model's capabilities. Form Forge's design is intended to simplify the interaction with a complex, high-dimensional space and to serve as a preliminary investigation into how such tools might support creative processes in architectural design.