University interior spaces are influential environments that shape user experience and reinforce cultural identity, with interior design playing a key role in embodying Palestinian cultural heritage by highlighting its semiotic meanings within the educational setting. However, many university spaces suffer from a weak representation of cultural identity due to reliance on neutral, standardized design solutions that lack connection to local cultural heritage.

This study explores the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to reactivate the semiotic meanings of Palestinian cultural heritage in the interior design of university spaces, as a contemporary design approach that can contribute to strengthening cultural identity and deepening users’ sense of belonging. The research gap lies in the scarcity of studies that address this utilization within an explicit semiotic framework, as well as the absence of a systematic link between the cultural dimensions of Palestinian heritage and AI‑supported interior design applications in academic environments.

A mixed‑methods approach was adopted by analyzing the semiotic meanings of selected elements of Palestinian cultural heritage—such as colors, motifs, and materials—and then re‑deploying them, with the assistance of generative AI models, in design applications tailored to university spaces, using Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie (Ramallah Branch) as a case study. The procedure involved deconstructing visual heritage symbols into their geometric and chromatic components, translating them into structured textual prompts for AI systems, and evaluating the resulting design proposals in terms of their capacity to express cultural identity while meeting contemporary functional and aesthetic requirements.

The findings indicate that using AI to reactivate the semiotic meanings of Palestinian cultural heritage can strengthen cultural identity in university interiors, enhance users’ attachment to place, and contribute to creating learning environments that are more closely aligned with the local cultural context, while maintaining a balance between historical authenticity and contemporary design needs.

 The study concludes that Palestinian universities should adopt AI‑based design strategies that thoughtfully integrate semiotic meanings rooted in Palestinian cultural heritage into interior design, ensuring that such integration preserves cultural depth and avoids superficial or purely decorative use of heritage symbols.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence, semiotic meanings, Palestinian cultural heritage, interior design, university spaces.

Title

مجلة التراث والتصميم

Publisher

مجلة التراث والتصميم

Publisher Country

Egypt

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

6

Year

2026

Pages

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