UK Government Hires Google to Develop AI Planning Tool to Make "Near-Instant Decisions"
Google Cloud has secured a £6.9 million contract from the UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to build an AI‑driven planning tool. The system is designed to halve processing times for planning applications, aiming for near‑instant decisions on straightforward cases. Initial deployment will target householder developments, which represent about 69% of all applications. The agreement runs from February 2026 to May 2028, with an optional twelve‑month extension.
Tola Ojuolape Designs Textured Green Lounge Space for Collect 2026
Tola Ojuolape’s latest commission for the Collect 2026 art fair is a textured green lounge that serves both as a meeting space and a display platform. Partnering with Trimble, Ojuolape leveraged SketchUp’s intuitive 3D capabilities to evolve quickly from flat...
Underground House of the Future Reinvents Chinese Cave Home with Brick Vaults and 3D Printing
The video introduces a prototype underground house that reimagines traditional Chinese yaodong cave dwellings using modern brick vault construction and additive manufacturing. Designers employed 3D‑printed brick vaults to create a self‑supporting arched structure, cutting build time by roughly 40% compared to...