Tivon Rice

Dr. Tivon Rice


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

2Years (2025-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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25 September 2025 in Heritage
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
SMSilivan Valentin Moldovan
Silivan Valentin Moldovan
IMIoana Moldovan
Ioana Moldovan
TRTivon Rice
Tivon Rice
McMahon Hall, an iconic Brutalist dormitory at the University of Washington, has become the site of an interdisciplinary experiment in cultural memory and machine-assisted storytelling. This article presents a method that combines remote sensing with AI-generated voices to produce a polyvocal narrative of architecture through the perspective of the building itself, its material (concrete), an architect, a journalist, and a bird. Drone photogrammetry and generated 3D models were combined with generative AI (text, image, and voice) to reconstruct the site digitally and imaginatively (AI-driven speculative narratives). Through speculative storytelling, the article and the project explore how cultural memory and perception of built heritage can be augmented by machines, offering plural perspectives that challenge singular historical narratives. The Introduction situates the work at the intersection of digital heritage documentation, AI storytelling, epistemology in machine learning, and spatial computing, emphasizing the perception of heritage through different actors. The Theoretical Framework draws on literature in photogrammetry for heritage preservation, polyvocal narrative, and knowledge frameworks of AI. The Materials and Methods detail the workflow: capturing McMahon Hall via UAV photogrammetry, producing a 3D model, and generating character-driven narratives with large language models and voice synthesis. The resulting multi-voiced narrative and its thematic insights are described. In the Discussion, the implications of this approach for architectural heritage interpretation are considered, including its capacity to amplify diverse voices and the risks of bias or hyperreality in AI-generated narratives. The study argues that this polyvocal, machine-augmented storytelling expands the toolkit of remote sensing and digital heritage by not only documenting the tangible form of the built environment but also speculating on its intangible cultural memory. The Conclusions reflect on how merging spatial computing techniques with AI narratives can support new modes of engagement with architecture, positioning this work as a building block toward richer human-machine co-created heritage experiences.

1 January 2026 in Architecture and Urban Planning
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
IMIoana Moldovan
Ioana Moldovan
TRTivon Rice
Tivon Rice
SMSilivan Valentin Moldovan
Silivan Valentin Moldovan
ICIoana Cecalasan
Ioana Cecalasan
Mid-century Brutalist buildings are frequently documented as objects of form, yet their contested reception and lived memory are less often addressed in architectural education. This article analyses the results of an interdisciplinary experiment centred on McMahon Hall during the summer school Rhetorical Machine + the Hyperlocal at the University of Washington. The method pairs UAV and close-range photogrammetry with a retrieval-augmented, persona-based generative AI workflow to produce a polyvocal narrative grounded in curated site-specific sources. The article argues that this combined method offers a transferable pedagogical model through which students can document both the measurable and intangible dimensions of the built environment while developing technical, interpretive, and ethical competencies.