Repackaged: How Paper, Casting, and AI Visualization Expand Architectural Possibility
Extending material experimentation through AI-enhanced visual storytelling
Exploring Material Fatigue as Form
Subin Yun’s project Repackaged sits at the intersection of casting, mould-making, and material-driven experimentation. Developed as part of her research at The Bartlett, the work reframes paper as an architectural agent rather than a disposable substrate.
As Subin writes, the project examines:
how paper, typically viewed as fragile and disposable, can take on a formative and architectural role in casting.
Her process centres on repeatedly reusing cardboard moulds. With each cycle:
Creases, folds and tears imprint themselves onto plaster and slip, accumulating traces of use, erosion and time.
The mould becomes a record of its own decay. Eventually, the mould collapses, producing singular forms shaped by material fatigue and memory.
This method positions paper not as a temporary scaffold but:
an active collaborator whose breakdown defines the identity of the work.
The result is both materially rigorous and conceptually direct: a system where deterioration generates form, and cardboard waste becomes architectural potential.
Extending the Work with Gendo
Subin integrated Gendo into multiple stages of her design workflow, from early conceptual iteration to final image refinement. She describes the experience as
a remarkably efficient and intuitive extension to the design process.
Gendo provided leverage across three areas:
⚡️ Fast iteration during early concept development
🔍 Detail and material refinement that remained faithful to the physical qualities of the project
✨ Colour, tone, and atmospheric enhancement to strengthen narrative clarity
According to Subin:
Gendo’s detail refinement and enhancement tools made it possible to elevate existing project imagery while preserving the material qualities and atmosphere of the original work. The images produced extend the visual depth of the project, improving clarity, tone and narrative expression.
For research grounded in tactility and casting logic, this blend of physical experimentation and AI-driven visualization created a tighter, more expressive feedback loop.
About the Designer
Subin Yun is an architectural designer completing her MArch Architectural Design at The Bartlett, UCL. Her research focuses on imperfection, tactility, and construction logic through hands-on prototyping and full-scale casting experiments using plaster, ceramics, and concrete.
Across academic and professional settings, her aim is to “bridge digital modelling and material craft, exploring how fabrication processes can inform expressive architectural outcomes.”
