Sara Bensalem Skills
PHYSICAL DESIGN SUITE FOR AGENTIC AI

Turn Agentic AI into Agentic Design.

Sara Bensalem Skills equips your agents with publication-grade spatial knowledge: Swiss monograph spreads, 1:20 constructive wall sections, PMR universal accessibility, and the Socratic Grill My Design jury.

1-Click Local-First Setup

Plug into Claude, Cursor, or Antigravity


          
✓ Open source • Local-first • Zero cloud telemetry • Strasbourg Atelier View source on GitHub →
The Modular Skills Matrix

A suite of specialized physical design skills.

Each skill equips your AI model with verified architectural math, drafting conventions, constructive proof, and critical evaluation.

portfolio-monograph

SKILL

Synthesizes publication-grade multi-spread architectural monographs across 16:9, Double-A3, or A4 formats with Swiss 8/12/16-column grids and Project Passports.

Command: /portfolio-design generate spread

constructive-detail

SKILL

Draws buildable 1:20 wall sections with thermal break callouts, vapor barriers, rainscreen sub-framing, and dimension chains to eliminate the 3D render trap.

Plate IV Standard: Anti-Render-Trap Proof

grill-my-design

SKILL

Unforgiving Socratic critique jury simulating Harvard GSD crits and Foster + Partners hiring reviews. Cross-examines thermal bridges, egress, and recruiter trust.

Command: /grill-my-design [statement]

spatial-anatomy

SKILL

Generates uncropped 1:100 plans with programmatic circulation vectors, egress clearance corridors, and verified 1500mm PMR/ADA wheelchair turning circles.

Code Compliant: Universal Accessibility & Egress

bioclimatic-flows

SKILL

Draws solar radiation vectors, stack cross-ventilation loops, and diurnal thermal mass exchange diagrams grounded in building physics.

Physics Grounded: Solar Vectors & Stack Flow

interior-joinery

SKILL

Details 1:5 custom cabinetry reveals, concealed hardware clearances (Blum/Hettich), shadow reveals, and tactile material triptych boards.

Fabrication Proof: 1:5 Millwork & Shadow Reveals
INTERACTIVE TECTONIC INSPECTOR • PLATE IV

Interactive 1:20 Wall Section Explorer

Click or hover material assemblies to inspect real-time hygrothermal performance, acoustic damping, and constructive detailing.

Tectonic Assembly Spec

01 Breton Granite Ashlar

Thickness: 180 mm
Thermal Conductivity (λ): 2.10 W/m·K
Calculated System U-Value: 0.18 W/m²K (Passivhaus)
Acoustic Damping (Rw): 54 dB (Flanking Protected)
Embodied Carbon: -32 kgCO₂e/m² (Net Carbon Sink)
Hygrothermal Vapor State: Vapor Open (μ = 5-10)
Strasbourg Atelier • Eurocode 5 & RT2020 Compliant
EMPIRICAL ARCHITECTURAL PORTFOLIO LIBRARY

Portfolio Design Library: Looks, Fonts & Colors

Distilled from our empirical analysis of over a dozen premier international architectural and interior portfolios. Explore publication-grade typographic pairings, curated materiality swatches, and layout archetypes.

The Swiss International Style (Lars Müller / El Croquis)

01. The Swiss Editorial Monograph

Junior to Senior Architects targeting European Design Consultancies & Competitions

Architectural Swatches:
Typographic Pairing Hierarchy:
Display Titles:
Space Grotesk (700)
Body Copy & Narrative:
Inter / Plus Jakarta Sans (400, 500)
Technical Cotations & Scales:
JetBrains Mono (600)
Layout Blueprint & Proof:
Spread Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Landscape / Double-A3
Modular Grid System: 12-Column Modular Grid w/ 8pt Baseline Rhythm
Anti-Render-Trap Proof: Uncropped 1:20 constructive sections, 20% opacity folio numbering ('01'-'06'), Project Passports.
TECTONIC THEORY & DISCOURSE

Fluent in Architectural Theory & Movements

Sara Bensalem Skills speaks like master architects—articulating portfolios through authentic spatial concepts, stereotomic massing, tectonic truth to materials, and phenomenological light.

MOVEMENT 01 Reyner Banham, 1955

Brutalism & Béton Brut

Tectonic honesty, unadorned stereotomic massing, board-marked shuttering seams, and valuation of materials "as found" (Alison & Peter Smithson, Le Corbusier, Louis Kahn).

CONCEPTS:
• Stereotomic Volumetric Weight
• Truth to Materials (As-Found)
• Board-Formed Shuttering Ties
MOVEMENT 02 Ticino School

Tectonic Rationalism

Geometric discipline, strict 12/16-column Swiss modular grids, and clear articulation of stereotomic base vs tectonic frame (Livio Vacchini, Luigi Snozzi, Mario Botta).

CONCEPTS:
• Stereotomic Base vs Tectonic Frame
• Le Corbusier Modulor & Golden Ratio
• Calibrated Hairline Drafting (0.13mm)
MOVEMENT 03 Peter Zumthor & Pallasmaa

Phenomenological Minimalism

Multi-sensory tactile engagement, spatial compression and release (*enfilade*), shadow reveals (*joint creux*), and raking chiaroscuro daylight.

CONCEPTS:
• Compression & Release (Thresholds)
• 1:5 Shadow Reveals (Joint Creux)
• Tactile Stone & Timber Triptychs
MOVEMENT 04 Kenneth Frampton

Critical Regionalism

Rejection of placeless global architecture in favor of local geological provenance, Breton granite ashlar, breathable lime-hemp biotamping, and site memory.

CONCEPTS:
• Geological Provenance (Local Quarries)
• Monolithic Breathable Bio-Composites
• Net-Negative Embodied Carbon (RE2020)
MOVEMENT 05 Piano, Rogers & Rice

Structural Expressionism

Absolute legibility of structural load transfers, exposed cast-steel nodes, tension tie-rods, and Louis Kahn's clear separation of Serviced vs Servant spaces.

CONCEPTS:
• Legibility of Structural Load Paths
• Kahnian Serviced vs Servant Hierarchy
• Cast Steel Nodes & Pin Connections
MOVEMENT 06 Lars Müller & El Croquis

Swiss Monograph Rigor

The gold standard of architectural monograph publishing. 8, 12, and 16-column modular layouts, archival bone paper (#F8F8F5), and uncropped technical plates.

CONCEPTS:
• 8/12/16-Column Modular Layouts
• Baseline Grid Precision (8pt Ratios)
• Standardized Project Passports
MOVEMENT 07 Palladio & Schinkel

Neoclassicism

Axial symmetry, tripartite elevation hierarchy (rusticated base, piano nobile, attic), canonical Doric/Ionic orders, and Vitruvian proportional balance.

CONCEPTS:
• Vitruvian Triad (Firmitas, Utilitas, Venustas)
• Monumental Axial Porticos & Colonnades
• Stereotomic Rusticated Stone Base
MOVEMENT 08 École des Beaux-Arts

Beaux-Arts

The foundational *Parti Pris*, choreographed spatial *Marche* through monumental rotundas and grand ceremonial staircases, and expressive sectional poché.

CONCEPTS:
• The Parti Pris (Founding Concept Diagram)
• The Marche (Choreographed Spatial Promenade)
• Monumental Rotundas & Ceremonial Axis
MOVEMENT 09 Horta, Guimard & Gaudí

Art Nouveau

Whiplash curves (*coup de fouet*), biomorphic wrought-iron structural integration, asymmetric organic elevations, and total work of art (*Gesamtkunstwerk*).

CONCEPTS:
• Whiplash Curve (Coup de Fouet) Tectonics
• Gesamtkunstwerk (Total Work of Art)
• Biomorphic Wrought Iron Structural Stems
MOVEMENT 10 1925 Paris Exposition

Art Deco

Stepped ziggurat skyscraper setbacks, chevron and sunburst metalwork, polished black marble, and streamlined verticality paired with exotic wood veneers.

CONCEPTS:
• Stepped Ziggurat Massing & Setbacks
• Geometric Chevrons & Sunburst Reliefs
• Luxurious Macassar Ebony & Satin Brass Inlays
MOVEMENT 11 Al-’Ula / Atelier Adeline

Ephemeral Scenography

Designing for the invisible: air, memory, mist, and the dialectic between monumental desert rock and temporary petrol-blue fabric and mirrored steel.

CONCEPTS:
• Raw Stone vs Soft Fabric Dialectic
• Specular Desert Reflection & Dissolution
• Negative Space Restraint (Knowing When to Stop)
MOVEMENT 12 Doshi, Correa & Aayojan

Indic Spatial Systems

Cosmic geometry, perceptual continuum, and climate-responsive courtyard morphology rooted in ancient treatises and 100-year institutional models.

CONCEPTS:
• 9-Square Vāstu-Purusha Mandala Matrix
• Perception Continuum (Space ↔ Mind ↔ Form)
• Passive Courtyard Microclimates & Jalis
MOVEMENT 13 Zaha Hadid & Libeskind

Deconstructivism

Fractured planes, non-rectilinear volumes, skewed structural axes, and kinetic cantilevers defying traditional Cartesian floor-wall boundaries.

CONCEPTS:
• Skewed Axes & Non-Euclidean Folds
• Moment-Frame Structural Cantilevers
• Dynamic Asymmetric Kinetic Tension
MOVEMENT 14 Kuma, Ando & Vervoordt

Japandi & Wabi-Sabi

Tactile imperfection, acoustic stillness, charred timber (*shou sugi ban*), hinoki cypress joinery, and the celebration of negative space (*Ma*).

CONCEPTS:
• Shou Sugi Ban & Hinoki Wood Joinery
• Acoustic Washi Paper & Lime Plaster
• Negative Space (Ma) as Spatial Element
MOVEMENT 15 Haussmann, Labrouste & Liaigre

Haussmannian & Boiserie

Grand *piano nobile* proportions, Point de Hongrie chevron parquet, carved marble fireplaces, and concealed flush boiserie pivot doors.

CONCEPTS:
• Point de Hongrie Chevron French Oak
• Concealed Boiserie Pivot Doors
• High-Contrast Tactile Stone Triptychs
SOCRATIC CRITIQUE ENGINE • /GRILL-MY-DESIGN

Grill My Design Tribunal

Simulate an unsparing architectural jury simulating Harvard GSD crits and Foster + Partners hiring reviews.

Presets:
Jury Persona: