Ruxin Xie

Ruxin (pronounced as Ru-shin) is a researcher, designer, and lifelong maker. Her work lies at the intersection of art, architecture, mechanics, and robotics.  
She lives with a tabby cat named TT — Tiny Tiger. ᓚᘏᗢ

Curriculum vitae
Publications
Contact

2025
XXXBuildfest 2024Bethel, NY, USAXXIXRobotic SetupsPrinceton, NJ, USA
2023
XXVIIIThe ObservatoryCupertino, CA, USA XXVIITree House[Concept]XXVIGoogle StoreSanta Monica, CA, USAXXVCat LampCupertino, CA, USA
2022
XXIVSystems EngagementAnn Arbor, MI, USA
2021
XXIIICocoonAnn Arbor, MI, USAXXIISocial EquilibriaVenice, ItalyXXITopology Optimized Building Envelope Ann Arbor, MI, USAXXPoly-Fractal PackingAnn Arbor, MI, USAXIXPneumatic Origami Self FoldingAnn Arbor, MI, USA
2020
XVIIIDesign Ecologies of Glass[Concept]XVIIArchitecture {AI}[Concept]XVIVolumetric KnittingAnn Arbor, MI, USAXVShelf - Generative DeisignAnn Arbor, MI, USAXIVLight LeakAnn Arbor, MI, USAXIIITriByteAnn Arbor, MI, USAXIIMantaAnn Arbor, MI, USAXIHoursteelAnn Arbor, MI, USA
2019
XContext. Community. Co-op. Core[Concept]IXPlayscapeAnn Arbor, MI, USAVIIIExquisite LampAnn Arbor, MI, USAVIIKnitted InflatablesAnn Arbor, MI, USA
2018
VIEngageAnn Arbor, MI, USAVFantastic Beasts And Here They Are[Concept]IVAnimation and Architecture[Concept]
2017 and Earlier
IIISponge at Crossroad[Concept]IIBridge Church[Concept]IBirdwatching Pavilion[Concept]
Life

Drawings
Photography
Cooking




© 2017–2025 Ruxin Xie
Architecture{AI}
Year
2018
Location
Bethel, NY USA
Instructors
Matias del Campo, Sandra Manninger
Students
Roberto Corpus , Tianci Liang, Ruxin Xie
Status
Concept
Affiliation
Taubman College, University of Michigan
Course
Arch 662 Thesis
Program
Community Center
Role
Tool Box
Rhino, Grasshopper,  in-house programming,  ABB IRB 4600

This thesis project explores the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the architectural profession under the guidance of Matias del Campo and Sandra Manninger. It examines how AI challenges traditional architectural practices and whether it can foster unique creative sensibilities.




Drawing on Leon Battista Alberti’s paradigm, which positions the architect as the sole author through standard orthographic drawings, this project critiques the notion of architectural agency in light of emerging digital technologies. By integrating AI applications, it seeks to redefine how architects convey their intentions through visual abstraction and prototype reconstruction.





The selected AI technique, neural style transfer, merges content and style images to create new 2D outputs that maintain the original content while adopting artistic styles. This process allows for a collaboration between the designer's sensibilities and the AI's capabilities. The project uses a painting by Croatian artist Ivan Generalić to explore volumetric geometry and branching patterns, reflecting architectural influences throughout history.

The main software tools include ZBrush and its ShadowBox feature, which reconstructs 3D forms based on shadow projections. Users can create complex branching patterns through a masking technique, where black areas represent voids and white areas remain solid. This approach enables the generation of a new style-transferred 3D building while preserving original design intentions. After testing various styles, a specific branching pattern was chosen for its application to the building development in Xiong'an City, utilizing diagrammatic building drawings as the final input.