What an architect in Slovenia can teach us about the future of the built world
Last week, architect Tim Fu revealed what he’s calling the world’s first fully AI-driven architectural project: seven luxury villas and the surrounding landscape at Lake Bled in Slovenia. The entire design — from layout to visualizations — was developed using generative AI and algorithmic tools.
For anyone working in design, construction, or capital project planning, it’s a signal. Not of the distant future, but of the present moment.
That’s how Fu put it. At an event with Wallpaper magazine, he said AI has already begun creating better poetry than mediocre poets, better music than mediocre composers, and now — better architectural visuals than mediocre visualisers.
The key word in that quote? Mediocre.
Fu’s not arguing for a future without humans — he’s arguing for higher standards. His perspective is that AI raises the bar, and the people who thrive in this shift will be the ones who bring intention, values, and deep domain knowledge to the table.
Despite the attention-grabbing “fully AI-driven” headline, the Lake Bled project wasn’t just a push-button exercise. It started with hand-drawn sketches and relied on a lot of human decisions — especially in choosing which historical styles to draw from, like the work of Jože Plečnik, the Slovenian architect who worked on the site over a century ago.
The AI didn’t invent the goals. It didn’t define the vision. People did that. The machines just helped bring it to life — fast.
That’s a meaningful distinction, especially as industries like architecture, construction, and capital project management wrestle with what AI will mean for their work. It’s not about removing people from the process. It’s about changing the kind of work people do.
Fu’s project shows how AI can compress timelines, accelerate iteration, and support creative problem-solving. He cut what used to be a three-week rendering process down to a single day. Not by cutting corners — but by working differently.
That kind of shift isn’t limited to architects. Across the built environment, from early-stage planning to delivery, the same transformation is beginning. Whether it’s concept modeling, estimate generation, or schedule optimization, AI is starting to act as a real-time collaborator — not just a calculator.
And like Fu, a lot of people are feeling both excited and uneasy about that.
Fu is quick to acknowledge the concern. He’s not ignoring the risks. But he’s choosing to lean in anyway — because he sees this change as inevitable.
And that’s really the takeaway: AI isn’t something to wait and see on. It’s something that’s already shaping how people design and deliver the spaces we live, learn, heal, and gather in.
The roles will change. The workflows will shift. And the questions we ask — about creativity, responsibility, and value — will get more complicated.
But pretending AI doesn’t apply to your world? That might be the biggest risk of all.
Source: https://emilywrights.substack.com/p/take-a-look-at-the-worlds-first-fully?r=2k25mm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&triedRedirect=true