As 21st-century urban planning becomes increasingly complex and unsolicited, and data more widely accessible, qualitative urban design is progressively supported by quantitative and digital methods. The value of Digital Twins as an AI support tool for decision-making processes, and for sustainable, evidence-based city planning is rapidly growing. As a response, we created an experimental learning environment, the Hack Archthon, where future urban planners cultivate new knowledge, enhance their digital literacy, and are informed about the latest techniques used in digital urban planning.
Implementation of the Project/Course
“Hack Archthon – Visualizing Digital Urban Planning» is an innovative learning format developed within an Innovedum Focal Point Project called “Visualisation Techniques of Digital Twins Simulations in Digital Urban Planning” carried out at the Chair of Architecture and Urban Design between 2022 and 2024. In the context of the Innovedum Project, we explored new methods of teaching and learning in urban planning, experimenting with a collaborative, hackathon-style seminar week that offered architecture students an innovative and intensive learning environment focused on data-driven and AI-based 4D Digital Twins, agent-based simulations, geo-referenced data and novel visualization methodologies, while testing these approaches in the real city.
During the Hack Archthon, students engaged with a real-world urban planning project (the «Urban Transformation Project Sarajevo», UTPS). Within a strongly project-based learning context, students learned the principles and the potential of quantitative digital models, while researching, developing and applying visualization techniques for Digital Twins in urban design. Through the extension of the pedagogical methodology to other classical modules at D-ARCH, the project has so far empowered more than 300 ETH Zurich and University of Sarajevo students to actively engage with complex and unsolicited urban challenges in visual, data-driven, and interdisciplinary ways.
In the preparation and development phase of the Hack Archthon, we first engaged in active teaching by conducting workshops on digital tools within the Design Studios, electives and workshops of the Chair of Architecture and Urban Design. This phase aimed to equip students with the necessary skills to proficiently utilize digital tools in their design and research projects. Together with the students, we identified their need and desire to include digital tools in the curriculum through more in-depth standard workflows as well as the teaching of innovative and experimental digital methodologies.
Hence, in a second phase, the project was taken to Sarajevo where we offered a week-long hackathon for architects: the “Hack Archthon”. During the week, ETH Zurich and University of Sarajevo students collaborated in groups in a hybrid setting with long coding and working sessions in the ETH Sarajevo Urban Lab and “Studio Mobil” measurement campaigns in the City under study. During the Hack Archthon, feedback and support were continuously given by the on-site teaching team, leveraging the 24-hour, intense learning environment for continuous exchange, group work, self-learning workflows and desk crits. While guidance and technical support were provided, the focus was on facilitating the student´s independent application of digital tools and urban planning concepts in the context of the UTPS, aiming at the development of simple full-stack projects – from data preparation to visualization and communication. The teaching team aimed to create an atmosphere where students not only learned new skills, software and invented their own workflows, but also one where they developed their capacity to be resourceful and resilient by creating their own solutions to challenges.
Communication primarily took place between individual students or groups of students and lecturers, facilitated through in-person consultations during the semester. While the assessment of the Design Studios generally occurred during final crits, for the Hack Archthon, in the spirit of the 40th anniversary of the Olympic Games in Sarajevo, medals were awarded to the most innovative design solutions (instead of grades).
Motivation, Project Mission, Vision Statement
To fill the gap between the quantitative and qualitative realities of urban planning, students of architecture were introduced to various digital tools, such as AI and data-driven 4D Digital Twins, agent-based simulations, geo-referenced data, and novel visualisation methodologies. As a learning environment, an alternative teaching format was tested: a «hackathon» for architecture students («Hack Archthon»). Through this format, digital tools were presented to architecture students in an intensive learning platform, providing a dynamic environment for collaborative, problem-based, real-life urban planning.
Students were particularly encouraged to develop and experiment with innovative methodologies and aesthetics for effectively visualising quantitative data and strategically integrating these findings into their own qualitative design projects. The overarching aim was to facilitate the decision-making process within the context of a real multi-stakeholder urban planning project.
Innovative Elements
Introduction of GIS data and software (e.g. QGIS) and the concept of AI-based Digital Twins into the D-ARCH design studio curriculum.
Use of novel visualization methods and data for sharing scientific findings outside the academia, including drone-mapped point-clouds of Sarajevo, cutting-edge tools such as game engines and WebGL, as well as advanced graphic and design software.
Development of a custom API for students to access Digital Twin results, enabling them to support their designs with quantitative data.
Design and experiment innovative learning formats such as the “Hack Archthon,” fostering peer to peer collaboration (between ETH and University of Sarajevo students), project-based and stakeholder involvement in the ETH Sarajevo Urban Lab with exhibitions, presentations, and workshops.
Organizing the Hack Archthon in an “unfamiliar” city for ETH Zurich students, complemented by site visits that link digital models with urban realities.
Integrating the “Studio Mobil”, a decentralized data-collection vehicle and outdoor discussion platform, immersing students in the cityscape and enabling point-cloud drone mapping, LIDAR climate data, and other calibration tools for Digital Twin validation.
Effects on Student Learning
The following outcomes were achieved:
- Streamlined mapping exercises: Students effectively integrated GIS data and software into their workflow, allowing for more effective mapping exercises and enhancing their ability to spatially analyse urban contexts. Students learned how to access and retrieve GIS data from governmental and open sources.
- Urban design projects supported with quantitative elements: By incorporating Digital Twin simulations, students were able to enrich their projects with large-scale data-driven insights. This allowed for a more informed approach to urban planning proposals, balancing qualitative design decisions with quantitative evidence, as required in unsolicited urban planning.
- Data-driven visualization techniques: Hands-on work during the Hack Archthon enabled students to explore data-driven visualization aesthetics, making their proposals more suitable for real world scenarios and multi-stakeholder engagement.
- Increased digital literacy: The project improved the digital literacy of a total of 270 students from D-ARCH by familiarizing them with GIS, agentic-AI-based Digital Twins, and various digital visualization tools. This enhanced their technical skill set, preparing them for the increasingly digital landscape of urban planning. The methodology is now part of the continuous ongoing teaching activities.
- Cross-institutional collaboration: Students could collaborate in one collective Digital Twin through the proposed methodology. The hybrid digital/physical collaboration between ETHZ students and UNSA students during the Hack Archthon fostered meaningful peer-to-peer exchanges. This cross-institutional collaboration enriched the learning experience, exposing students to diverse cultures, perspectives, and approaches.
ETH Competence Framework
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Competencies
Our project advances Techniques and Technologies by introducing GIS, Digital Twins, AI-based Simulations, drone mapping, and the “Studio Mobil” mobile data collection vehicle, equipping students with cutting-edge digital tools.
It enhances Decision-making by providing innovative tools for the students to visualize data and research findings, and to be able to integrate quantitative data into student projects through GIS databases and simulation results, allowing students to make informed design choices.
Through the SECO Urban Transformation Project Sarajevo, students practice Problem-solving in real contexts, tackling challenges with real Stakeholders.
Communication is fostered via interdisciplinary teamwork, presentations, exhibitions, and dialogue between ETH and Sarajevo students.
Finally, Creative Thinking is stimulated by combining digital modeling with experiential site visits, encouraging innovative approaches that bridge data-driven analysis with qualitative urban understanding.
Which Elements of Your Project Would You Recommend to Others?
Among the various elements of the project, we recommend the hackathon, as an intensive learning platform. Organizing hackathons, such as the Hack Archthon, provides students with a unique opportunity to apply their knowledge in real-world settings and collaborate on innovative solutions. We recommend this format as it fosters creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.
