Emerging Paradigms in Architecture: A Bibliometric Review of AI, Computational Design, and Smart Built Environments

Abstract

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI), computational design, and robotic technologies into architectural practice and research represents one of the most transformative disciplinary shifts of the contemporary period. Despite rapid growth in scholarly output, the structural intellectual landscape of this field remains inadequately mapped. This study addresses that gap by conducting a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 224 peer-reviewed publications spanning 1997 to 2026, drawn from the Dimensions database and analyzed using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. The analysis reveals an exponential surge in research activity following 2020, an annual growth rate of 9.53%, and a heterogeneous but increasingly convergent knowledge structure distributed across 111 publication venues and 37 countries. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identifies six thematic clusters: AI-assisted computational design; digital fabrication and robotics; human-centered intelligent environments; smart and sustainable built environments; architectural pedagogy and digital literacy; and biomimicry and generative systems. Author collaboration network analysis reveals three distinct scholarly communities, with fragmented cross-cluster integration and the emergence of key bridging scholars. The study identifies critical research gaps and proposes a future research agenda for a more holistic, equitable, and theoretically grounded approach to intelligent architectural systems.