Gibbs College Interior Design professors, Dr. Suchi Bhattacharjee and Dr. Yeji Yi, as well as PhD. Student Abrar Talal Alhamadi, have been awarded the 2025 Irene Winifred Eno Grant from the American Society of Interior Design (ASID) Foundation. The grant will support their project “Artificial Intelligence (AI) Assisted Design for Independent Living.”
The project aims to develop and test an Artificial Intelligence (AI) assisted interior design platform that promotes independent living among individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Interior design is a vital discipline that can promote autonomy, safety, and well-being, and design strategies have been extensively researched and documented to assist independent living. However, applying these strategies through the traditional design processes often requires significant time and effort to explore and assess multiple iterations for each unique case.
Advances in AI offer an opportunity to transform these design processes into an efficient, user-driven approach. The proposed intelligent agent seeks to automatically analyze spatial environments and generate design iterations that maximize both physical and cognitive accessibility. Technologies such as Large Language Models (LLMs) and Deep Q-Network (DQN) algorithms will be employed to interpret user input and produce adaptive, personalized design solutions.
This innovative platform will serve not only individuals and caregivers seeking safe and supportive environments for people with disabilities but also equip interior designers with intelligent tools capable of addressing the functional and cognitive needs of clients with varying neurodevelopmental conditions. Additionally, the platform can be integrated into interior design curricula, enabling students to apply emerging technologies in creating human-centered environments.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to announce the promotion of Ph.D. student Rafael Hernandez to lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Gibbs College of Architecture Assistant Professor Dr. Ladan Mozaffarian, in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design, has co-authored a new book chapter with Josh Newton and Andrew Born, published in De Gruyter Handbook of the Geographies of Race.
Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design (PLAD) alumni Trey Ingram, AICP recently spoke with current PLAD student and graduate media assistant Molly Strobel to share his experiences with the Regional and City Planning program and current work with the Toyota Mobility Foundation.
