AYE, AYE, AI

5 Countries Just 3D-Printed Homes in Under a Week: The Future Is Here

https://www.yankodesign.com/2026/01/24/5-countries-just-3d-printed-homes-in-under-a-week-the-future-is-here/

Perhaps it is the sheer excitement of the printing process that generates such misleading headlines. Ignoring the logic of the concept of the 'future is here,' meaning that it is ‘now,’ not the ‘future,’ we are told clearly that 'five homes were printed in under a week.'

Reading the texts, we discover that these words are referring to the actual printing times for the walls of these homes, periods that varied from five to sixteen days, with total completion times, when reported, being periods from four weeks to two months. Only one project suggested that the walls can be printed in just five days:

 . . . the second home was completed in just 16 days of active printing time.

. . . with printed concrete walls completed in about a week and the full build finalised within four weeks.

Once printing was complete, traditional construction methods were used to install the roof, windows, doors, and interior fittings, bringing the total construction timeline to under two months.

Its walls can be printed in just five days.

One does not know whether this ‘completion time’ refers only to the period after all of the walls have been printed, or whether this period includes the time required to prepare the site and footings prior to the printing. Either way, we are deceiving ourselves with silly hype about the so-called marvel of technology, generically labelled ‘AI,’ with headlines like: 5 Countries Just 3D-Printed Homes in Under a Week: The Future Is Here. All homes were not printed ‘in under a week,’ and ‘the future is there,’ somewhere, rather than ‘here.’

This enthusiastic exaggeration seems to be a common problem with technology: see - https://voussoirs.blogspot.com/2026/01/robot-house.html and https://voussoirs.blogspot.com/2026/01/ai-relentless-genius.html.

We are already concerned about AI taking over; the madness is that, with headlines like this, we can't seem to wait for this substitution to become a reality. Might AI have written the headline?

Is the future here?:

The Silent Takeover: How AI Is Quietly Seizing Control of Our Lives

https://share.google/FTtlAidoTffEc5v6M;

ai is learning to escape human control

https://share.google/umvxa2kFLsoeUOt4S;

Loss Of Human Control

https://share.google/j7hHAcjc9l3r88UIj.

AI - THE RELENTLESS 'GENIUS'

Artificial intelligence just solved one of the biggest mysteries in archaeology

https://www.futura-sciences.com/en/artificial-intelligence-just-solved-one-of-the-biggest-mysteries-in-archaeology_23382/

The headlines were straightforward and  clear: Artificial intelligence just solved one of the biggest mysteries in archaeology.

Surely one cannot misread this unequivocal statement? 'Just solved' mysteries must mean new, informative answers, solutions to the puzzles, but a reading of the text reveals that this so-called ‘AI’ used by the researchers involved the use of ‘AI’ algorithms, (why not just ‘algorithms’?), and aerial instrumentation that revealed markings that the eye could not see: the mystery remains unsolved.

By processing terabytes of high-resolution satellite and drone images, AI flagged potential new figures in record time.

. . .

Sakai’s team believes that many of the newly uncovered figures formed ceremonial paths

. . .

The direction, scale, and placement of these new geoglyphs support the idea that they were not random art.

Just why these remarkable figures were drawn is still not known in spite of the certainty of the headline, with even the figures themselves remaining unclear, being described as potential new geoglyphs - perhaps; and apparently researchers merely ‘believe’ their ideas about ‘many,’ apparently not all, of the figures. The message really seems to be that previously unknown 'perhaps' smudges and markings have been discovered by the new technology that suggests that the  images are not merely ad hoc illustrations. It is not at all remarkable that these markings have been interpreted as being not random art, because it is the traditional role of art to hold meaning. Only our era sees art as ad hoc, personal expression or interesting, bespoke, decorative whimsy.

Is this great, uncritical enthusiasm for AI leading us into a world of exaggerated fantasies? Some people are already concerned with the power of AI to mislead with images. We are not helping by allowing such nonsense, delusive headlines to exist without comment. We might now have more possible images of these markings to ponder, a situation that could help clarify their purpose with a broader testing of various hypotheses, but the function of these patterns remains the puzzle it has always been, even with the marvel of AI.

This 'talk up' is not science; it looks like crude hype that encourages the reader to be exposed to the advertisements that come interspersed with these promotional texts these days, a change that we see as 'progress,' 'moving forward,' with researchers always seeking publicity for funding and promotions, and funding for promotional publicity.

If we are ever going to understand these images, we need much more honest rigour that is prepared to question and test everything we and AI do with a doubting, challenging humility rather than this exclamatory, misleading indulgence.

The other serious concern in this era is that headlines are sometimes the only information that is read, with texts frequently being too long for these busy times - TL:DR: too long: didn't read - being considered too tedious for the easily-distracted mind with its limited concentration span.

Accurate headlines are the least that anyone can expect, because the other habit of our era is the ease with which opinions are formed and passed on, creating the muddled situation like that in the child's story of the teddy bear’s shopping list that gets passed on verbally only to finally be transformed into an incomprehensible piece of puzzling nonsense.

Using headlines as the source of our information, we now call the outcomes of this progressive shambles ‘fake news.’ We'll get nowhere if we start with a fantasy, even if researchers are excited about their remarkable discovery.

Even the sub-heading is wrong:

Artificial intelligence has unearthed hundreds of massive ancient designs hidden for centuries beneath Peru’s desert sands, revealing patterns and purposes that had long been overlooked.

More patterns have apparently been revealed, but not their purposes. We are still left guessing.

The blind ambition of the researchers is shown in the concluding statement that claims that this work gives a sharper view of the beliefs, rituals, and art of a culture that thrived more than 1,500 years ago as a matter of course - with AI.

One might suggest that this opinion is, at best, hopeful.

THE ARTICLE

Artificial intelligence just solved one of the biggest mysteries in archaeology

January 22, 2026 by Futura Team

Artificial intelligence has unearthed hundreds of massive ancient designs hidden for centuries beneath Peru’s desert sands, revealing patterns and purposes that had long been overlooked.

In just six months, a joint team from Yamagata University’s Nazca Institute and IBM doubled the known number of Nazca lines, identifying 303 new geoglyphs scattered across Peru’s coastal desert. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and confirmed by lead archaeologist Professor Masato Sakai, this discovery represents one of the fastest leaps in archaeological knowledge ever achieved at this UNESCO World Heritage site.

These vast designs – etched into the desert floor between 200 B.C. and A.D. 650 – depict stylized animals, plants, and geometric patterns, some stretching hundreds of meters across. Many of these intricate shapes had gone unnoticed until now due to the desert’s sheer scale and the limitations of traditional survey methods.

How AI changed the game

For over a century, archaeologists studied the Nazca lines using aerial photography, field surveys, and painstaking hand-drawn maps. The latest approach used AI algorithms trained on thousands of aerial images, enabling the system to detect faint lines and subtle geometries invisible to the human eye.

By processing terabytes of high-resolution satellite and drone images, AI flagged potential new figures in record time. “The ability to carry out the survey so quickly was thanks to AI,” explained Sakai. Once identified, each site was confirmed by archaeologists on the ground to ensure accuracy and proper context.

Among the new figures are cats, birds, fish, and abstract shapes – designs likely tied to ceremonial, astronomical, or territorial purposes. The precision of these images, many of which maintain flawless symmetry despite their immense size, highlights the Nazca people’s deep understanding of geometry and landscape planning.

Evidence of ritual paths and sacred journeys

Although theories about the Nazca lines have ranged from astronomical calendars to alien messages, new findings point to a more grounded explanation. Sakai’s team believes that many of the newly uncovered figures formed ceremonial paths – routes walked during sacred processions meant to connect with deities and the surrounding environment.

This interpretation echoes the work of Maria Reiche, the German mathematician and astronomer who spent decades charting the lines and documenting their geometric precision. The direction, scale, and placement of these new geoglyphs support the idea that they were not random art, but elements of a broader spiritual landscape.

The expanding role of AI in exploring ancient worlds

The Nazca project is part of a growing movement in modern archaeology. AI is now helping locate ancient burial mounds across Europe, map hidden settlements beneath dense forests, and even identify long-lost shipwrecks on the ocean floor. At the Saruq Al Hadid site in the United Arab Emirates, AI analyzed satellite data to uncover artifact distribution patterns, allowing researchers to focus their excavations more efficiently.

Dr. João Fonte of ERA Arqueologia calls this technological evolution a “giant leap in efficiency,” noting that surveys once requiring years can now be finished in days. When paired with photogrammetry and remote sensing, AI gives scientists unprecedented insights into ancient landscapes, helping them reconstruct lost worlds with stunning precision.

Technology as a partner, not a replacement

Despite AI’s speed and scale, archaeologists stress the continued need for human judgment. Dr. Alexandra Karamitrou of the University of Southampton, who designs AI tools for archaeology, warns that “AI is not perfect, especially in this field.” Every discovery flagged by the algorithm must be verified in person – and false positives still pose challenges.

Still, progress is accelerating. As algorithms improve, the chance to protect endangered sites before they vanish grows dramatically. For Nazca, this means an ever-expanding map of one of humanity’s most mysterious civilizations – and a sharper view of the beliefs, rituals, and art of a culture that thrived more than 1,500 years ago.

THE LOUIS VUITTON 'HOUSE'

The image immediately reminds one of Mies’s Barcelona Pavilion and the Farnsworth House, and Johnson’s Glass House: yet, in spite of this similarity to these classic houses constructed over seventy five years ago, (Farnsworth 1945-51 and Glass House 1949, with the pavilion being built in 1928!), the text tells us that this is a minimalist prefabricated timber house . . . envisioned as a timeless space for future living situated within a luxuriant garden.

Barcelona Pavilion.

Farnsworth House.

Glass House.

Glass House.

Farnsworth House.

The home, called Drophaus, was prefabricated in collaboration with Japanese architecture studio Not a Hotel and formed the centrepiece of the runway . . . the set for Louis Vuitton’s Autumn Winter 2026 menswear show during Paris Fashion Week.

Glass House.

Barcelona Pavilion.

The surprise here is the description of this very glassy box as a timber house, as if the glass never existed, or played any significant role in the concept. Yet this Drophaus is described by Louis Vuitton as being . . . designed to mimic a droplet of water. Why? To create a 'splash'?

This puzzling, enigmatic reference seems to relate more to the blurb than to any particular form other than perhaps the transparent curved corners of the glass walls, because the text continues, noting that the house is inspired by the shape of a droplet, which strangely becomes the idea of which ripples through the collection itself. How? Maybe only the word ‘rippling’ is the water analogy here; or did the collection include a range of raincoats or umbrellas? Why was it necessary to even suggest that this timber house might be inspired by a water droplet? How might a rectangular form mimic a droplet? Might one suppose that the pyramidal roof is the pointy end of the drop? – but . . .

A droplet house?  . . . Drophaus!

Louis Vuitton umbrella.

The Drophaus glass doesn't 'ripple' like that of The Glasshouse Theatre by Snøhetta.

A shop window display?

In spite of boasting about the ambition for this prefabricated house as being a timeless space for future living situated within a luxuriant garden, a notion that implies something like an affordable, ‘green’ dwelling for the masses, ‘the brand’ brashly and unashamedly suggests that the home offers a glimpse into the imminent-future life of the Louis Vuitton dandy, as if this might be an everyday matter that one might design for, or something everyone might be interested in. Why prefabricate such a specialist item?

Drophaus.

Glass House.

There seems to be a messy muddle of ideas and intentions here; a bit of everything. The place is more retro than futuristic, but is cunningly described as exhibiting retro futuristic elegance, and is a classic example of the preferred isolation of Modernism, forming the centrepiece of the runway . . . atop a grassy mound surrounded by a large expanse of lawn, interrupted only by carefully placed plants, shrubbery and flowers. One thinks of Harry Seidler’s deliberate imagery here. Everything seems to have been planned and styled to suit the role of the set for Louis Vuitton’s Autumn Winter 2026 menswear show. While the blurb blubbers around apparently trying to include everything that comes to mind, what really has been designed is a stage setting for a menswear show during Paris Fashion Week, nothing more. The Drophaus only has theatre black as its context - it has no outlook.

. . . a homage to the human hand.

Red Hand Chair.

Rose Seidler house.

We need to be careful here, as the house pretends to be an exemplar, a timeless space for future living, that reminds one of the Rose Seidler house built in 1948-1950, that was seen as a new way of living (Sydney Living Museums) – a building that is also a completely isolated structure – see: https://voussoirs.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-rose-seidler-house-private-visions.html. Instead of being an exemplar, one should emphasise that the Drophaus is, like the Rose Seidler house, a building that exhibits everything that should NOT be copied. It is an exhibition piece; a stage set designed for the seated visitors -

Boardwalk-style terraces were arranged around the perimeter of the house and provided seating for guests during the show.

. . . boardwalk-style terraces.

The men modelling the clothing apparently use the house to parade in, to be seen as living mannequins. The glass is there to allow all of the guests to see, not for any other architectural reason. Drophaus is a 360 degree shop window display made to look like a house. It is truly a show piece, designed for the spectacle to promote branded sales rather than for any future habitation, other than, perhaps, that of the LV dandy, whoever that might be.

The context is darkness; there is no outlook.

This LV house needs to be remembered for what it truly is rather than pretending to be a house that might suit everyone, in spite of being said to be prefabricated, (efficiently repeatable), and timeless. Who would want to build this; where? Someone like Johnson comes to mind. It offers a truly bespoke vision of architecture as a fashion accessory. It is precisely what architecture needs NOT to be; but presentations like this do have their impacts. Hopefully it will fade away and be demolished in the not too distant future, just like the Monsanto and Disney Plastic House of the Future (1957 – 1967) did; and have as little impact as this fantasy had on architecture.

Monsanto and Disney Plastic House of the Future.

A shop window display.

Structures like this are merely stage sets built for display: true display homes, not as living prototypes, but for fashion displays: to make the LV goods and chattels for dandies look impressive.

. . . not even a droplet of water.

This is NOT architecture; it has no future other than being a centrepiece of runway - positioned in the centre of the runway - something like the grand centrepiece of the dining table in the mansions of old - as fantastic a structure as the house in Mon Oncle: a mockery of Modernism as flippant as fashion itself.

Dining table centrepiece.

Mon Oncle house.

Mon Oncle house - spaces for performance.

The Drophaus needs to be forgotten because of its pretence, and remembered only for this.

'Not just a set, Not just a house'?

What am I?

. . .  a shop window display.

Is the 'splash' the most important issue?

THE ARTICLE

https://www.dezeen.com/2026/01/22/pharrel-williams-prefabricated-home-set-louis-vuitton-menswear-show/ 

             Pharrell Williams designs prefabricated home as centrepiece for Louis Vuitton menswear show.

A minimalist prefabricated timber house formed the set for Louis Vuitton’s Autumn Winter 2026 menswear show during Paris Fashion Week, designed by the brand's men's creative director Pharrell Williams.

The show took place on Tuesday evening within a specially constructed venue in the Jardin d'Acclimatation, next to the city's Frank Gehry-designed Foundation Louis Vuitton.

Pharrell Williams designed a prefabricated home for the Louis Vuitton menswear show.

The home, called Drophaus, was prefabricated in collaboration with Japanese architecture studio Not a Hotel and formed the centrepiece of the runway.

It was composed of a large pyramidal roof protruding over a curved glass wall, which encircles the whole house and was designed to mimic a droplet of water.

The structure was positioned atop a grassy mound.

The structure was positioned in the centre of the runway atop a grassy mound surrounded by a large expanse of lawn, interrupted only by carefully placed plants, shrubbery and flowers.

"The house concept is envisioned as a timeless space for future living situated within a luxuriant garden," said Louis Vuitton.

 It was surrounded by a manicured lawn.

Boardwalk-style terraces were arranged around the perimeter of the house and provided seating for guests during the show.

Inside the home, timber was also used for the interior, which included a bedroom and a living-dining space, a bathroom and a dedicated listening room with Louis Vuitton-branded vinyl.

Each space was furnished with pieces from William’s Homework furniture collection, created bespoke for the show.

Among the furniture was a playful, octagonal green lounger in the listening room, characterised by craggy lines that, according to the fashion house, "serve as an homage to the human hand".

Each space was furnished with pieces from Williams's Homework furniture collection.

Dressed in a range of looks from the Autumn Winter 2026 collection, models paraded through the house and across the lawn throughout the presentation.

The collection brought together houndstooth, herringbone and check patterns with technical yarns to play on the concept of "retro futuristic elegance" and the modern dandy, a term for a well-dressed man.

"Inspired by the shape of a droplet, the idea of which ripples through the collection itself, the home offers a glimpse into the imminent-future life of the Louis Vuitton dandy," said the brand.

Williams was appointed creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear in 2023 following the passing of his predecessor, Virgil Abloh.

Last year, the French fashion house created a giant snakes and ladders board for the brand's Spring Summer 2026 menswear show in Paris.

The photography is courtesy of Louis Vuitton.