Nano Banana: Is It a Conceptual Exploration Tool?

Insights from Professional Practice

Visual artificial intelligence tools are redefining efficiency in architectural practice, particularly during the early stages of a project. The ability to prototype visual ideas almost instantly has changed the way design studios explore, compare, and communicate proposals.

Within this context, Nano Banana emerges as a visual AI tool based on Google Gemini models, focused on precise image editing and rapid iteration without the need to develop a complete 3D model. Its image-to-image editing approach makes it especially relevant for architectural workflows where time, conceptual clarity, and visual consistency are critical.

Why Visual AI Tools Are Transforming Architecture

Traditionally, validating an architectural idea required hours—or even days—of modeling, rendering, and iterative adjustments. Visual AI drastically reduces this cycle, allowing designers to move from hours to minutes when performing massing studies, material tests, or atmospheric explorations.

For studios handling multiple proposals simultaneously, these tools:

• Enable rapid visual comparison

• Improve communication with non-technical clients

• Integrate into hybrid workflows, where AI supports—but does not replace—architectural design

The key lies in using these tools as instruments of exploration, not as automatic project generators.

What Is Nano Banana and How Does It Work?

Nano Banana is an image generation and editing tool built on Google Gemini APIs, accessible through independent platforms such as nano-banana.ai. Its operation is based on three main approaches:

• Image-to-image: contextual editing of uploaded images using natural language prompts

• Prompt-based generation: image creation directly from text descriptions

• Generative editing: blending multiple images while preserving spatial and visual consistency

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Its multimodal architecture allows it to interpret spatial relationships, materials, and architectural atmospheres, producing high-resolution outputs (up to 4K) with contextual reasoning—an especially valuable capability in architectural design.

Real Applications in Architecture

During the concept design phase, Nano Banana enables the transformation of sketches into coherent architectural images within minutes—for example, converting a residential sketch into a three-dimensional isometric view while maintaining proportions and textures.

When transforming renders into hand-drawn styles, prompts such as:“convert this render into a blueprint-style technical drawing with fine lines”can generate stylized elevations or sections suitable for conceptual presentation boards.

Façade variations may include changes in materiality (such as replacing concrete with vertical greenery), lighting conditions, or atmospheric scenarios without altering the base geometry.

For competitions and presentations, Nano Banana can generate complete presentation boards from a single base image, reducing production time from days to hours.

AI and Architectural Judgment

The role of the architect does not disappear—it becomes more critical. The professional acts as a curator, selecting and refining outputs that align with urban context, regulations, and sustainability considerations.

Nano Banana accelerates decision-making, but it does not replace architectural judgment regarding proportion, functionality, or technical responsibility.

How to Structure High-Quality Prompts in Nano Banana

One of the key factors in achieving consistent and controlled results with tools like Nano Banana is not the technology itself, but how prompts are formulated. In architecture, a well-written prompt functions like a clear design note: it defines intent, boundaries, and criteria.

The Five-Step Formula for Effective Prompts

Architectural Prompt = Intent + Scope + Control + Style + Realism

1. Intent

Clearly define what you want to achieve.What change are you evaluating, or what idea are you exploring?

2. Scope

Specify what is modified and what remains unchanged.This step is critical in Nano Banana.

3. Control

Establish which elements must remain intact to avoid inconsistent results.

4. Architectural Style

Describe the architectural language, not generic adjectives.

5. Level of Realism

Define whether the output should be conceptual or photorealistic.

Base Prompt Template

Using the provided image, [define intention].

Change only [specific elements].

Keep everything else exactly the same, preserving geometry, proportions, scale, lighting, and camera angle.

Describe the architectural style and material language.

Define the level of realism or conceptual representation.

How Coronel Associates Integrates These Tools into Its Design Process

At Coronel Associates, the adoption of tools such as Nano Banana is not driven by technological trends, but by a deliberate strategy of continuous improvement in the design process.

In kitchen renovation projects, visual AI is incorporated as an early-stage exploration tool that allows the team to:

• Rapidly explore material and finish options

• Evaluate levels of realism and spatial perception

• Compare alternatives without rebuilding 3D models or re-rendering

This approach enables clients to see, compare, and decide earlier, reducing late-stage revisions and optimizing project development.

During conceptualization and massing phases, the tool is used to test specific architectural languages. One example is formal exploration inspired by the architectural language of Tadao Ando, where volumes, proportions, and solid–void relationships are studied prior to technical development.

AI does not define the project—it amplifies the team’s ability to think, compare, and make better-informed decisions.

This approach ensures that Coronel Associates:

• Remains current with emerging technologies

• Integrates AI as a professional design tool, not as a replacement for architectural judgment

• Maintains architectural and technical control at every stage of the process

  
  

The experiences described throughout this article demonstrate that tools like Nano Banana no longer belong to a hypothetical future, but to the daily practice of studios that understand design as a dynamic and evolving process.

As visual AI becomes more directly integrated with BIM environments and native 3D workflows, the true value will not lie in image generation, but in the ability to think faster, compare more clearly, and make better-informed decisions from the earliest stages of a project.

Architecture will continue to be a discipline rooted in human judgment, where technical knowledge, experience, and professional responsibility remain irreplaceable. The difference will lie in how studios incorporate these tools to expand their capacity for exploration, optimize processes, and deliver more robust, coherent, and efficient solutions.