TT5: Build Your Own
June 25, 2026
This weekly email is my curated selection of interesting and useful topics related to BIM, design, and technology. I aim to provide you with some good information and a few laughs along the way. So, what did I find interesting this week? Read down to find out!
Most of this week's links cover the same idea from different angles: AI is less about replacing the work and more about changing what the work is. You build your own tools, you rethink how the firm runs, and you get deliberate about which model does which job. Then, because it is summer and the World Cup just kicked off, I closed things out with a tour of the tournament stadiums. Alright, here are 5 things to check out this week:
#1: I Open-Sourced My AI Revit Family Generator
Back in March, I showed a proof of concept that turned a photo into a Revit family. It is now a real open-source add-in called Family Fabricator, free on GitHub, that you can install and use today. The post breaks down how the three-stage pipeline works, why each stage produces something you can inspect before it ever touches Revit, and why I had you bring your own API key rather than charge a subscription fee.
Click here to read the full article at ArchSmarter
#2: AI Might Transform Your Job, Not Take It
Cal Newport argues that the factory-automation metaphor for AI is the wrong one, and the better comparison is to an intern. He came to this realization while interviewing small business owners who were using AI to vibe code quick, scrappy tools that smooth out the annoying parts of their work. Good stuff!
Click here to read the full article at The New Yorker
#3: Buy or Build? A Practical Guide to LLMs
If you have wondered whether your firm should pay per token to Anthropic or OpenAI, rent a GPU, or stick a server under a desk, this is the clearest breakdown I have seen. The short version: for about 87% of real use cases, the managed API wins on cost, and self-hosting only pays off for sensitive data that cannot leave your control or for very high, steady volume. It also untangles the four different kinds of models an AEC firm has to deal with, which is where most AI budgets get wasted.
Click here to read the full article at e-verse
#4: Building an AI-Native Practice
In the Season 12 finale of Practice Disrupted, Evelyn Lee turns the mic on herself to talk about running a diversified, AI-native practice. The framing is the interesting part: moving past marginal innovation toward real business transformation, and prioritizing attention over raw productivity. Worth a listen if you are thinking about what an AI-first firm looks like in practice, not just in theory.
Click here to listen to the episode at Practice of Architecture
#5: Archinect's FIFA World Cup 2026 Stadium Guide
With the World Cup now underway across the US, Canada, and Mexico, Archinect put together a tour of all 16 tournament venues. It is a fun read on stadium architecture, from Estadio Azteca becoming the first venue to host games in three different World Cups to SoFi's enormous ETFE canopy and the roof retrofits keeping older concrete bowls alive. A good reminder that some of the most ambitious engineering and design work happens in the places most people are just watching the game.
Click here to read the full article at Archinect
That's all from me. I hope you're having a great week.
Michael
