WikiHouse 4.0

Structural Designer

Open-source design, led by Arup

Client Name

Arup; 00 Architects and The Building Centre, for London Design Festival 2014

Location

London, United Kingdom

MULTIDISCIPLINARY ENGINEER
Arup
ARCHITECT
00 architects

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

WikiHouse 4.0 was built for the London Design Festival 2014. It is the world’s first open source, digitally manufactured two storey house. The open source construction system can be freely downloaded and customised allowing for local manufacture and assembly with only minimal construction skills. The prototype, which was built in twelve days for less than £50k, showcased the potential of digital fabrication and open source technology for the building construction industry. The timber board panels slot together like a jigsaw puzzle, secured solely by friction, without the need for mechanical fixing.

Judge's comment:
Modern digital technology and open source software combined with no fixings assembly make this low cost and simple two storey house affordable (in all senses of the word) to all manner of communities presently excluded from adequate conventional housing on the basis of cost and specialist expertise.