Get Building: AI for Architects — Starts September 12

Hey Friend 👋

Adam, talking to you from the top of a giant skyscraper (at least in my mind) as I begin writing about one of the most exciting courses we’ve ever run at Lighthouse AI Academy: 

AI for Architects, led by June Chow.

This is about more than building structures; it’s about building our minds to imagine them in new, beautiful ways. For more detailed course information, keep reading!

June’s work is proof that AI can transform how architects move from the initial idea to the final presentation: 

Faster, richer, and with more room for creative expression.

Today, I’ll walk you through two of her real workflows:

1. Sketch to City → a rapid ideation pipeline that turns hand sketches into cinematic masterplans in minutes.
   

2. sumiarch LoRA → a custom-trained style model that lets you embed your own visual language into any architectural output.

Put together, they’re exactly the kind of “concept to visualization” pipeline you’ll master in AI for Architects.

Resources for AI Architects 📚

1. Sketch to City – June’s short video showing her process
   

2. Kontext Pro Model – the tool powering her sketch-to-render transformations.
   

3. LoRA Basics – what style models are, and why they’re essential for architects.

🏗️ From Sketch to Signature: A Two-Part Pipeline for Architects

“You’re not just feeding data into the machine. You’re teaching the AI how you think.”
— AR. June Chow

Act 1: From Sketch to City in Minutes, Not Months ✏️

This is more than a flashy demo; it’s a rapid ideation workflow that gets you from paper to presentation before CAD or Revit even opens.

Step 1: Start with a Simple 2D Sketch

• Hand-drawn or digital
  

• Layout, massing, or site concept
  

• Keep it abstract — it’s your seed idea

Step 2: Convert into a 3D Masterplan with FLUX Kontext Pro

• Upload your sketch to Kontext Pro
  

• Use an LLM to describe aerial views, site shots, and precedent references
  

• Generate a conceptual 3D masterplan with color, lighting, mood, and form composition

Step 3: Add Zoom Prompts to Animate

• Simulate movement through your 3D masterplan
  

• Zoom in, zoom out, or pan
  

• Create cinematic depth instantly

Step 4: Build a Walkthrough Sequence

• Arrange frames to form a spatial story
  

• Explore multiple viewpoints
  

• Optionally enhance with Midjourney, Runway, or Luma

Step 5: Screenshot & Retexture Any Frame

• Capture a frame and re-render in photorealistic style
  

• Apply Sketch-to-Render, Retexture, or Restyle tools

The result? Sketch → Visualization → Animation → Cinematic Storyboard → Rendered Frame — all in one smooth flow.

Act 2 — Adding Your Signature with Sumiarch LoRA ✒️

If Sketch to City is the engine, this is the paintbrush.

The sumiarch LoRA is June’s custom-trained style model, capturing the bold, minimal elegance of sumi-e ink painting, applied to architecture.

Step 1: Define the Concept

• Keywords: monochrome elegance, bold brushstrokes, negative space, paper texture, architectural abstraction

Step 2: Curate the Dataset

• 35 target-style images (ink aesthetics in architecture)
  

• 29 regular images for balance (regularization)
  

• Sources: Midjourney renders, hand sketches, stylized architecture photography

Step 3: Organize the Folders

• Training folder with target style images
  

• Regularization folder with default architecture images
  

• Manual captions with LLM assistance

Step 4: Train the LoRA

• 5 epochs, 512px resolution, low learning rate, batch size 2–4
  

• Best results: epochs 2 or 3

Step 5: Test & Refine

• Prompt examples:
  “sumiarch (black ink) style, parametric flow museum in forest, brutalist architecture, line art, light and shadow, different architectural styles for experimentation”
  

• Behavior: switches between expressive ink illustration and occasional photorealism
  

• Enhancement tip: add “black ink style” to push the aesthetic further

This unique behavior opens creative opportunities — from moody realism to abstract spatial expression — all controlled by your prompt choices.

🧠 Homework: Jumpstart Your Design with June’s Process

1. Try a simple sketch-to-render workflow using any AI image tool.
   

2. Experiment with a style model or preset filter — compare “before and after” results.
   

3. Note where you’d want more control or a custom look — that’s where custom LoRA training comes in.

👷‍♂️ AI for Architects: Book Your Spot Now 👷‍♀️

If you’re an architect, designer, or creative technologist looking to lead in the AI era, this is the course for you.

Led by former student-turned-mentor June Chow, AI for Architects teaches you to:

• Build a complete AI-powered design pipeline from concept to visualization
  

• Master workflows like Kontext Pro sketch-to-render, ComfyUI, advanced pipelines, and custom LoRA training
  

• Join a global network of forward-thinking architects
  

• Create a portfolio-ready architectural project

September 19 – December 12, 2025

Format: Live masterclasses, Q&A, self-paced modules, community support

For: Practicing architects, architectural visualization specialists, urban planners, architecture students, design firm partners, computational design specialists, innovators and creative technologists, agency founders and studio owners, senior creatives and marketing leaders.

👉 Apply for AI for Architects

📣Further Upcoming Courses at Lighthouse Academy

• Advanced ComfyUI (Cohort 2) — Starts Aug 28
  
  👉 Apply to join now

• AI for Creative Leaders (Cohort 3) — Starts September 9
  
  👉 Apply to join now

And if you have any questions, we are always happy to help. 

You can message us directly at: [email protected]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That’s it for now: Thanks for reading and building this new era with us.

If you’re ready to be part of this new generation of creators who build with clarity, not chaos, we’re ready for you… Just follow the light.

Step by step, node by node — and away we go!

Keep creating and always remember to have fun.

— Adam & the Lighthouse AI Academy Team ☀️