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Into the Contour

AI in Design · CU Boulder · Fall 2025 · xFigura.AI

Inspired by how bees negotiate the landscape when building a hive, this project proposes a home shaped by the land it inhabits, earth-sheltered, biophilically driven, and built to absorb the pressures of climate change rather than resist them. Developed through an author-directed AI rendering process in xFigura.ai, the work documents both the design vision and the deliberate creative decisions behind every image.

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Workflow Diagram

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Concept Sketches

The concept is rooted in mimicry, specifically, how bees locate and adapt to new hives by working with the landscape rather than against it. In response to intensifying climate conditions, this design proposes a home that merges with the land’s natural profile: earth-sheltered, biophilically integrated, and shaped by the forces it must endure. Form follows ecology.

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Core Prompt Template

Context: (Relevant materials, lighting, location, weather, etc)

Scale: (Make sure all sketches are drawn to scale to ensure scale is accurate)

Content: (Specify materials, mood, building type, etc)

Quality: 

  • "High-resolution/8K"

  • "Photorealistic details"

  • "Architectural documentation quality"

Negative Prompt: (No changing scale, no cartoonish style renders, no___)

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Quality Control Checkpoints:​​​

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  1. After Ideogram: Select only concepts with clear spatial logic

  2. After FLUX Pro: Verify all sketch elements are preserved

  3. After SD3: Confirm architectural accuracy

  4. After SD3 Large: Check print resolution (300 DPI)

  5. After Magnific: Final color calibration

Prompt:

Organic spiral dwelling grown from a giant modified tree, hollow interior with breathing walls showing visible mycelial networks as glowing cyan veins, countertop gardens with edible plants, large bio-glass windows filtering morning light, two dogs wearing elegant collar translators, cozy organic furniture that molds to inhabitants, bioluminescent ambient lighting, Pacific Northwest forest setting, architectural photography, Zaha Hadid organic architecture style

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Refinement

Refine the prompt for more detailed renders, including prompting it to render different perspective views.

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Iteration

Using concept sketches as precedents, then prompt it to render the design.

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Final Render

This image has been further edited using Adobe Photoshop.

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