Typically two critical concerns are voiced regarding the research presented by SAI. The first concern relates to the manufacturing and assembly costs of buildings made from parts that are all different in dimension. However by and large it is now accepted that feasible production is possible owing to contemporary computer-aided manufacturing techniques. Because of the financial crisis of 2008-9, however, this concern has been repositioned now, highly differentiated architectures are more often that not seen to stand for an exuberant capitalism out of control that does not consider expenditure or the lack of resources. Yet, the approach presented here may well be accomplished in a context of sparse material or technological resources, except those that drive the design process. SAI  programme has embarked on research to investigate this issue.
The second criticism, which is frequently voiced, is that the approach introduced by :SOHO Architects  relies heavily on very specific knowledge, skills and tools. True as this may be, it needs to be seen within the context of the insufficiency of current answers to the problem of local, and eventually global, climate change. The question is whether architectural education and practice needs serious rethinking and repositioning. With this also comes the necessity of re-skilling and re-tooling. When seen in this context it may become more evident why first-principle knowledge in physics, computation and engineering is indispensable as a first step, and that more knowledge in this field may be required. In any case it is easy to imagine that this way of working may well soon become as ubiquitous as it is necessary.