Between Measure and Machine

Palladian Methodologies in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping how buildings are conceived, represented, analyzed and construct ed. This paper argues that Andrea Palladio’s I quattro libri dell’architettura (1570) offers a methodological frame work for addressing this challenge, reading his drawings not as stylistic precedents but as structured architectural knowledge that can be reinterpreted through digital technologies. The argument is tested on Casa Andelani in San Juan, Puerto Rico, through an AI-assisted analytical method combining hand sketching, measured drawing, BIM, multimodal AI, environmental simulation and human judgment. ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Claude were introduced only after the design was complete, as interpretive instruments rather than form generators; every AI-generated proposition was checked against sketches, dimensioned drawings, BIM geometry and Palladian sources. Airflow and sea sonal solar simulations provide a separate layer for testing environmental hypotheses in a tropical climate. Palladian methodology remains relevant as an interpretive system of relationships rather than a historical style. AI’s future value in architecture may lie not in replacing human authorship but in expanding the architect’s capacity to interpret, evaluate and adapt architectural knowledge.