Construction technology company Icon, the Texas-based startup behind the world’s largest 3D printed neighborhood in Austin, last month announced the beta version of an AI architecture bot that can provide floor plans for a dream home.
The AI, named after a Roman architect Vitruvius, took 18 months to develop and works just like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini – except the bot doesn’t help users converse answers to questions, but rather helps them plan theirs At home helps.
Entrepreneur tested the bot, which is currently in beta and is available for free, on Thursday – and was impressed with its performance.
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Getting started with Vitruvius does not require any background knowledge of architecture, just a written request.
The Vitruvius AI chatbot suggests prompts and allows users to enter their own input. Photo credit: Entrepreneur
I wrote: “I want to build a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom townhouse in New York with a classic Victorian style garden with lots of plants and a cool roof terrace.”
Vitruvius immediately replied: “That sounds like a beautiful and lively living space! For the interior design, do you envision a more open floor plan or separate, separate rooms for specific functions, such as a formal dining room, library, or home office?” Two additional clarifying questions were also asked about my vision for the space.
The chatbot developed three designs from the answers:
Photo credit: Vitruvius AI
The bot is currently limited to floor plans and exterior and interior renderings. Prices and 3D models will follow soon, construction documentation and watermark-free images are expected in the future.
On the positive side, the floor plans included all of my specifications and included ideas for what the interior and exterior of the home could look like. The downside was that the AI placed the house on one floor of a townhouse, while I wanted to spread the bedrooms and bathrooms across multiple floors.
You can find a sample floor plan for one of the designs here. When I created a free account, Vitruvius warned that even though the AI has “sophisticated modeling capabilities,” I should always speak to an engineer about the “structural soundness” of the AI-generated designs.
“In addition, it is your responsibility to ensure that all plans comply with applicable building regulations and zoning laws,” the disclaimer states. “Professional verification is crucial to ensure the safety and legality of your project.”
Related: OpenAI reportedly used more than a million hours of YouTube videos to train its latest AI model
The next step with AI, according to NBC News, is to add electrical, structural, plumbing and mechanical details to the plans – making the new home design process cheaper and faster for buyers, but also potentially undercutting human architects.
“The grand vision of Vitruvius is to go all the way from human desire to delivery,” Icon co-founder and CEO Jason Ballard told NBC News, explaining that one day it will include documents, schedules and even robotic designs could.
According to Forbes, architects currently charge between 5 and 15% of the total cost of a new home for new construction, which could cost buyers tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars.
The concept behind Vitruvius appears to be new as AI industry leaders like OpenAI and Google are yet to offer AI that can do exactly the same thing.