In this week's comments update, readers are discussing Saudi Arabia's plans for a giant cube-shaped supertall skyscraper in downtown Riyadh.

The overwhelming response from commenters to the cube-shaped skyscraper was to draw comparisons with the Star Trek alien group The Borg, whose space ship was known as The Borg Cube due to its shape.

Paul L asked "have The Borg landed?"

"The Borg Cube has landed and Jean-Luc Picard will convince you all to join," answered Wyriwig.

Andyandysh reminded readers The Borg have already warned they would come for us: "'Strength is irrelevant. Resistance is futile. We wish to improve ourselves. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own' – The Borg".

JZ considered it in a different light, commenting "[it] reminds me of a bit of Boullée, which is appealing but the power of that project was the absence of commerce".

Gytis Bickus was upvoted for echoing a similar sentiment with their question: "will they run out of oil or ideas first?"

Meanwhile Justlikemyopinionman just wanted to know if the video contained a dinosaur. "Was that a pterodactyl?" they queried.

Does The Borg mean anything to you? (They're coming) Join the discussion ›

"Killer home for birds"

Belgian practice Studio Okami Architecten's mirror-clad woodland villa in Antwerp, garnered a slew of comments concerned for local birdlife.

"The mirror cladding doesn't make the house disappear, it just makes it look ridiculous," said Alfred Hitchcock. "It will also be covered in dead birds, regardless of what the architect thinks."

HiKoo joked that if the house disappears in reflections of the surrounding forest, "it'll make birds disappear also".

"The vanity of humankind at the expense of nature!" lamented ThinkAgain. "Confusing for poor birds and many unnecessary deaths."

JMT was equally damning: "RIP to thousands of birds that die for this architect's ego. Congrats, you are the problem."

"Just ask the birds hitting this 'invisible' building what they think of this – oh wait, they're dead," added Bunkermentality.

Two pithy comments captured the one-sided reaction. Richard Porteous named the project "a magnet for birdstrike" and Hosta summed up a lot of readers feelings when they said "'architects' really need to stop with this mirrored-cladding nonsense".

Will architects ever consider the birds? Join the discussion ›

"Another amateur designer at a big name house"

American record producer and musician Pharrell Williams has been named creative director of menswear at French fashion house Louis Vuitton, a position previously held by the late Virgil Abloh.

"Another amateur designer at a big name house," said Tom Roberts. "No continuity and no true inspiration."

"Just goes to show you, there is no skill needed to become a fashion designer," agreed Timothy Wang.

Trewus was slightly more perceptive, claiming the appointment is "just a marketing gimmick."

"Is it a job, and is it based on merit? Or is it marketing?" echoed Cet.

The most popular comment under the article was from Clarence Somerset who considered that "the celebrity counts for more than the brand. No doubt Louis Vuitton has an army of the finest technicians to actually translate Pharrell's ideas to actual clothes."

Do you think Pharrell has any cred for the new gig? Join the discussion ›

"We're past the point of believing he wants what's best for everyone"

US-based entrepreneur Elon Musk's Boring Company is developing a 110-home site in Texas for local company workers.

The complex will be developed by homebuilder Lennar, who is already building 100 3D-printed houses outside Austin, Texas, with BIG and ICON. Readers have split opinions on Elon Musk's plans.

Tony365 isn't a fan, calling Musk "an investor, a pure capitalist. I don't care about giant electric cars or ugly 3D-printed houses. I would like a nice walkable urban landscape with vibrant street life, reusing what we already have instead of taking up more land for another community. Such a waste."

"We actually are using all the sustainable materials that we have available by 3D-printing homes, instead of slaughtering forests for lumber," rejoined Juicy.

"You haven't even seen what is proposed… you are simply responding to anti-Musk liberal narrative," said Bill Barker to a handful of downvotes.

Jacopo was despondent, reflecting "I think we're past the point of believing that he actually wants what's best for everyone here".

What do you think of Elon Musk's housing? Join the discussion ›

Comments update

Dezeen is the world's most commented architecture and design magazine, receiving thousands of comments each month from readers. Keep up to date on the latest discussions on our comments page and subscribe to our weekly Debate newsletter, where we feature the best reader comments from stories in the last seven days.