WikiHouse is anopen-source project for designing and buildinghouses.[1][2] It endeavours to democratise and simplify the construction of sustainable, resource-light dwellings.[1][2][3][4][5] The project was initiated in the summer of 2011 byAlastair Parvin and Nick Ierodiaconou of 00, a London-based strategy and design practice, in collaboration with Tav of Espians, James Arthur now with 00 and Steve Fisher of Momentum Engineering.[6][7] It was launched at theGwangju Design Biennale inGwangju,South Korea.[6][8][9] The project has since grown to become a worldwide community of contributors.[10]
WikiHouse enables users to downloadCreative Commons-licensed files from its online library, customize them usingSketchUp, and then use them to createjigsaw puzzle-like pieces out ofplywood with aCNC router.[1][7] Construction of WikiHouse structures requires no special parts because the cut pieces of wood snap together with wedge and peg connections inspired by classicalKorean architecture.[11][12] The frame of a WikiHouse can be assembled in less than a day by people with no formal training in construction.[11] The frame must then be finished withcladding,insulation,wiring, andplumbing before it can be inhabited.[2][12] The WikiHouse project is maintained byOpen Systems Lab.[13]
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After winning a cash prize atTEDGlobal in June 2012, the project invested the prize money into a partnership with the Brazilian youth mobilization project Dharma and the analysis agency BrazilIntel to build WikiHouses in the poorestfavelas ofRio de Janeiro,Brazil.[4] The goal of the partnership, dubbed WikiHouseRio, is to provide a single "maker lab" where one CNC router can be shared by the community while also allowing and encouraging community members to develop their own designing and building skills.[4][6] The WikiHouse team plans to eventually create similar maker labs in other underdeveloped communities around the world.[4] There are also plans to use WikiHouses asdisaster-relief housing inearthquake-prone countries such asHaiti,Japan, andNew Zealand.[3]
By December 2013, while there were no inhabited WikiHouses, there were a few completed prototypes in addition to a usable walkers' shelter inFridaythorpe,England.[12] These WikiHouses are single-story, square-shaped structures with sloped roofs and small foundations that measure about 175 square feet (16.3 m2).[2] By 2015, several additional WikiHouses had been built, including the following buildings and at the following events:
Media reaction to WikiHouse has focused largely on the experimental nature of the project,[1][2] comparisons withIKEA furniture,[2][12] and the potential difficulty in finding and costs of using CNC routers.[1][4] American science fiction authorBruce Sterling also gave a review of the WikiHouse design, describing it favorably as a dwelling "I could quite likely build and inhabit, personally".[24]
