Architectures of Mortal Computation

Combining the organic and the digital is one of the current profound challenges ranging from computer science and artificial intelligence (AI), neuro- and cognitive science to philosophy and architecture, design and art. Yet it is presented with a contradiction in terms of its computational implementation: computation in silicone operates independently of its hardware, however no such universality exists in nature. Living systems are coupled to their environment as embodied forms of cognition, indeed as world-enacting agents. Here, I develop an approach to computational architecture as a uniquely instantiated system of structure and operation that combines diverse intelligences. I first introduce a theoretical framework for approaching embodied computation and I then proceed to discuss examples of its instantiation in the field of architecture and design. I argue specifically that the future of AI and architecture are coupled: life, learning and intelligence are tied to a specific substrate and a specific environment.