Alastair Parvin: Architecture for the people by the people

[@qkhalili]

This is a real representation of selflessness and care for others. Whether we agree with the idea or not, whether its going to work or not, bottom line is people like him deserve respect. It is my firm belief that the most noble accomplishment in one's life is to help others.

[@sapphireblue9209]

As an architecture student, thanks so much for bringing back my enthusiasm for my subject!! I'd love to be part of this cool WikiHouse project in the future InshaAllah! :)

[@SVisionario]

Left speechless after this talk. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas Alastair, I thought they were absolutely spot on and makes great sense.

[@ArchitectureMug]

It is a noble and visionary concept; I would love to see it getting tweaked and 'hacked' with different materials (contruction materials that are available locally) and different house requirents. Hope this takes off !

[@N05Y573M]

most impresive and perhaps important TED discusion I´ve seen in 2013.

[@kevin9794]

I agree sir. I must also add that concrete is also very advantageous in certain climates where wood might just not be the best option. In humid places for example, or those with heavy rainy seasons, wood wouldn't last even a decade.

[@Zylork0122]

This is not architecture. This is what I call development. Architecture is one of a kind and comes from the soul of an architect. A development comes from a group of people designing something that already exists. I would feel really bad if my career choice of architecture will become this madness. It shouldn't. We still have talented architects around the world that want this profession to stay alive.

[@justgivemethetruth]

> If it was in a tornado you could easily leave the house and rebuild Thanks Conor, I guess you could, but the point of a house for most people, please excuse my preconceived notion is that the house should be able to weather such events. There is something valuable here, I am just not sure the house I saw here is it - but it's a start. I like the Wiki/OpenSource methodology because it's the "process" and the "system" that are important and need to be captured, improved and distributed.

[@artcommissionsfromcommissi8204]

When will Wikihouse release the plans? Its been "Coming soon (Find out more)" for a long time

[@MatthewBendyna]

Open source is the present of software and the future of everything else, even the design of the socio economic system

[@philg311]

Common sense is not that common,this boy has it. Power to the people.

[@lawrierajendran132]

A wonderful and inspiring talk but a true visionary.

[@Cityj0hn]

What a nice and bright guy.

[@AlexandreSk]

I think about that for a long time, as a lot of people, cnc in construction, great somebody its doing it.

[@SimonDurrant_InteriorArchitect]

Love this, it's such a good idea I hope it takes off

[@rushja]

Let's get a cnc machine!

[@artbyjcm]

I've been playing with legos and making artwork since I was little. I'm ready for this!

[@arki_dan]

Are you an Architect now?

[@austinpruitt3781]

im glad he mentioned the 3d printing machines, they are going to be a solid part of the future of design..

[@TnEEn]

You just gave a nonbeliever his faith back. Thank you

[@nr3vilstrup]

I never thought about this but he's right

[@MaximC]

It was a beautiful talk.

[@DavidRossIsHere]

Breathtaking.

[@justgivemethetruth]

For example, just as a hypothetical, I think the idea of Earthships being taken OpenSource might compete positively with this because it addresses the house as a system idea ... although this system is far more flexible than a monolithic massive Earthship that is almost impossible to renovate.

[@henrykrider179]

Wow, this was quite interesting and thought-provoking! Glad it was put up.

[@semiondiaconu]

thank GOD for such a practical genius people!

[@Elibjr]

This is an interesting concept. Then you could "panelize" everything... pre-wired lighting panels, pre-drilled plumbing panels, and pre-panelized HVAC units which would reduce collision for larger structures. This, if taken seriously could be quite innovative, and extremely green! This is the most revolutionary building philosophy in over 30 years...I think! We should try this for disaster areas!

[@walter0bz]

unfortunately you can't print land. still its good to see people thinking outside of the box, i hope these type of opensource hardware projects gain traction

[@sujaysukumar123]

wow!!! it really makes sense!!

[@BobbyBulldozer]

I am very curious how far this open source revolution will go and what will be it's impact on the society. I always imagined a truly democratic system where people voluntarily and cooperatively work towards bigger goals. Instead of the current system where "if there is no money in it, then it is not going to happen". In theory we don't even need traditional politicians any more to run a country. Everything can be organized on the internet with the proper tools.

[@justgivemethetruth]

Not being a builder myself, and having done some amateur plumbing, electrical, sheet rocking, etc, the problem I see is that much of if cannot be done by one person. I do like the system here in that it is like an IKEA design where one person can usually muddle through alone if need be. The best thing about this design that I can see is that and the flexibility that could be designed in ... but to do that will require a lot of experience and evolution.

[@Kram1032]

amazing talk. I'm looking forward to what is to come surrounding these ideas.

[@monev44]

I work at a furniture company. And I design the wood frames in EXACTLY that way.

[@NickCombs]

One thing is certain: no empire lasts forever. So whenever and however the current superpowers do fail, it's going to be a good thing that ideas like this have been tested and implemented.

[@justgivemethetruth]

Q - this is only useful in places where they have plywood that people can afford? Q - is this strong enough to support solar panels on the roof? Q - how much does it cost to get the 3D cutter/printer rig and hard hard is it to operate? Q - if this house was located in Oklahoma it would be torn to bits by the tornadoes ... so how strong it is and what kind of foundation does it go on? Q - is there any country that will approve this in their building codes?

[@themish424]

Woah by the idea of wikihouse

[@sachinyadav22]

This is just the start!!

[@LeonidasGGG]

This is really good. The only problem (witch was a problem for Wikipedia too) is: who's gonna pay for all that?

[@LanceWinslow]

Wow, that's pretty cool, great talk all the way around.

[@gasdive]

There are some concrete building systems using inflated membranes that would work well with locally designed and computer cut membrane panels. However they do require electric fans to keep them inflated.

[@michaelmcmedia]

Fair points, you are right that knowledge is still very important. I think what the talk missed is that open design needs to be combined with other forms of open-source such as education (i.e. Khan Academy) and trade (time banks and Bitcoin being early examples). Once these things start to coalesce, the top-down structures will start to be replaced with a more democratic version of people getting things done =] The current batch of 'experts' in charge of society and the economy have failed us.

[@VK15u]

He says that designs project for the 21e century is the democratisation of production. That makes no sense because massproduction is in every way much cheaper and people won't have to live in wooden houses(because he is saying it from a architect point of view). The other problem is that the people are required to have a cnc-machine or a 3D printer. Almost no poor person can afford that sort of machine and people are still limited because the can't design completely safe constuctie.

[@chrysolite13]

For anyone who values their time, do yourself a favor and skip to 7:00.

[@dwakeling1]

Brilliant.

[@gordknox5048]

Great idea! Amazing how many skeptics show up in TED video comments. They don't even like the idea much less the possible implementation. Too easy to criticize, no incentive to take it to the next level. Creative Commons licence for foundations for these houses please ;-)

[@gairtron]

Cool - I'm gonna be out of a job when I graduate then... Although I don't see exactly how this can work in terms of self build. Someone will need to check its stability/light penetration/thermal performance/ventilation. The reason we study for 7 years is that learning how space works and how people move within an area takes time. There is a constant struggle with proportions and limited space. Also, how can you be truely creative when using blueprints created by someone else?

[@tonyotag]

BYOT = Build Your Own Tenement But overall, great idea; now if we can change the by laws of many different civic areas to remove lawns as the primary plant. Where their are people, there will be food and waste and water to provide. Hint: use electrical paint that can be fused with solar paint (paint that acts like solar panels and use this for future wikihouse projects.

[@digitalsoultech]

do you know how many people cant even put together a simple chair from ikea?? How on EARTH will they build a house? Some things just need to be thought. sometimes, you dont want to have to do everything yourself....!! but i still think this guy is awesome... and a genius.

[@wolfrangtv]

This is an amazing vision !

[@ZohrabBauer]

Good job!

[@MrConorWB]

If it was in a tornado you could easily leave the house and rebuild again compared to other houses. Also you could eventually use different materials and stronger ones. £D printers are becoming more common and a lot cheaper. One day that may be like computers, everyone has one. If the country doesn't approve, tell them to get lost.

[@digitalsoultech]

I agree to this exactly.

[@ignais]

This is great

[@007MrYang]

Este video no los tiene, pero es posible que se los pongan despues.

[@MrConorWB]

Those buildings are just the beginning. Imagine with advanced technology what we could build ourselves. I think it would most beneficial to developing countries and building homeless shelters in communities. Even just building a garden shed. More helpful than getting someone in to build it when they charge unreal prices for something so simple. i understand the house thing, fortunately I live in the UK so do not know what natural disasters are like. The quick houses would be good though.

[@Frettsy]

brilliant.

[@rothriss8157]

amazing

[@jameshouse2909]

Bravo 👏

[@OdetteL]

How Inspiring!

[@rhendi100]

Great idea!, Love it I'll become an ardent supporter of Wikihouse, However: 90% of the 99% of the people of the world don't have access to land in the first place, and when they do is very tiny, therefore they build multistory with concrete (not wood). This idea needs to be taken to a concrete forming type building with readily available materials and much lower technology threshold (they don't even have electricity to run any type of machine.A solar CNC set-up maybe?, Cheers!

[@horstherbert35]

The obvious design solution would be a modular system where you can indefinitely combine smaller parts to a larger structure.

[@Observerx10]

Thinking inside a brand new box!

[@LeonidasGGG]

Yes. But that only covers the costs of the site. I'm talking also about the manufacturing. In third world countries, were this would be hugelly useful, it's very hard to find materials, and people with the skills needed to build these things.

[@uncleshan]

cool idea. skeptical comments ive read have some merit, time for them to contribute soloutions.. using dimensional lumber and cnc joint cutters to make mortise and tenon joins accurately sounds good to me. i like the no nails thing.. oh and the idea of having a toy like the cnc machine in the garage too!

[@rickdrysdale892]

Toy like a CNC machine? Have you even looked at this?

[@uncleshan]

Rick Drysdale Hey! ive only watched this vid three times...lol ( showing others..) and yes, im using the word "toy" in the sense u would apply to anything cool and well worth having. like a downhill bike or an awesome 4x4. yay! toys for everyone!

[@caesuran]

Concrete or other high thermal mass materials in very humid climates is not a very good idea, because they take far too long to cool down/heat up. Vernacular architecture in those regions are either lightweight, open wooden frameworks (warm), or highly insulated, wood-clad log cabins (cold). Also, several high-quality woods survive extreme humidity just fine, and lower-quality woods can easily be weather-proofed. That also applies to concrete, by the way.

[@maravillaseca2344]

Anyway, this would be great for disaster-stricken communities. It would help. All in all still a good idea.

[@fufurasu]

Wikihouse + no construction training = 2x4s + bolts + knowledge on what to do with them. It allows unskilled builders to put together structurally sound shells.

[@arquitectounodostres9542]

son las ideas novedosas las que nos han traido hasta donde estamos....

[@carver333]

I can, however, see the use in the future of using a couple of different materials such as sheetrock and plywood, or 2X4s and plywood in the building plans.

[@justgivemethetruth]

Very nice talk ... the politics of virtually every business now.

[@justgivemethetruth]

>One thing is certain:no empire lasts forever. The idea of empire seems to go one forever, when one system drops the ball the next is happy to pick it up and run with it. I think the idea here is that people having the basic infrastructure and power to protect themselves could be the basis of a resistance to that kind of thinking. It would just have to be a lot more canny, and there is always the danger of a subgroup from within too ... people are clever when it comes to being jerks! ;-)

[@NthPortal]

Wow.

[@volespod1]

Cómo se ponen los subtitulos?

[@waymanpuna2101]

i like your style sir

[@esthermartin6040]

eso lo ha hecho el pueblo en América Latina desde siempre

[@maravillaseca2344]

Realistically though, man shapes his environment according to his needs and preferences which change from culture to culture. Mankind tends to reject uniformity so what looks like a cardboard cut-out puzzle for a house doesn't look so practical. If informal settlements from all over the world manage to build structures without such complex puzzles or blueprints, I can't see how this would be effective in the long run. From my viewpoint, ICEBs seem more revolutionary.

[@pecabokem4345]

Of course there's always some sort of order in even the most chaotic-looking systems. What's important is making an efficient system.

[@shaunanderson1356]

Genius!

[@janesly]

Loved it

[@barborahlavickova3639]

the only problem I see is the cnc machine :D .. btw my sister just bough a wooden tool shed which was build by 1 person and probably is half the size of the house and it costed 1000 €so dunno if this wikihouse is still not too expensive and complicated .. but in some way good idea

[@Hyperias989]

Question: Will this put architects out of a job? I mean, if anyone can modify a universal design and can design it themselves, will this not kill the profession? The client would essentially become the "architect".

[@carver333]

The idea is that with the 3D printing there would be an easiness of construction that is not present with these current materials. Yes, these are good products that are proven by time, but they are not nearly as easy to put together as the peg and block systems being talked about. Also the availability and quality of the materials you talk about vary greatly in different countries, it's better to limit the designs in those more troubled areas to as few sources as possible. Does that make sense?

[@kevin9794]

Well my city is basically made out of concrete, and I leave in a tropical area by the coast. You hardly ever see any wooden structures here. Concrete and bricks have worked well for us; and it's cheaper than wood. Wood needs maintenance too, and gets attacked by bugs; another reason we avoid it.

[@KingMORLA]

How would you itemise the design process with many members of the community. 5th Arch student

[@Ironclad17]

I see your point, but someone will create a design optimal for zoning regulations where ever you live and just put it up on creative commons. All you have to do then is search for the one with the best rating that fits your needs. If you can't find one, just design one yourself.

[@nickwoo2]

Dome houses for tornado alley!!

[@dayati]

How does this address sprawl and low density urban (lack of) planning?

[@kayem3824]

After WW2 it was was seen as unprestigious to work for developers. The best architects worked in local authority housing and the public sector. Housing was stopped by Thatcherite economics, which coincided with PostModernism's return to glitter (specifically via Learning from Las Vegas), and "star architects". In the process the distinction between "commercial offices" and socially committed architects (Alvar Aalto and Niemeyer had both declared that and Bauhaus was based on that) became blurred. Now the so- called cutting edge designers are more than happy to work for any sheikh. The great effort of the Modernists to not be at the service of the courts and the church was reversed by PostModernism. There are many things that need real architectural input and solutions, however the situation has been frozen. Despite an exterior and pretence of radicalism, the situation is totally preventive of real creative work, which also shows itself in formal exaggeration.

[@MrStrgg]

Whish they open source "real" standard architecture plans. Than we can go building it the usual way with wood. This is much cheaper than using a CNC and puzzling pieces. Vote for open source standard architecture!

[@bohmaniac]

I agree with this criticism.

[@Ihmahr]

starts at 0:12

[@tempo3rd]

I'm not really sure what is so revolutionary about wiki house. IF you have a CNC machine, you can build a small house more easily than before. That's cool, but in what way is this house better quality than other houses? How can this technology be applied to solving the problems he talks about, like urban sanitation, natural disasters or energy efficiency? It democratizes the construction of crappy houses, but they're still crappy houses.

[@jesse_cole]

Problems like these have been solvable for decades... let's get on to the real challenge: combating the lobbyists for developers who pay government officials to make it lawfully impossible to do anything but continue to funnel _all_ the money in the direction of those developers, and who make it their _life's work_ to prevent the common man from being able to own the means of production. James Marsden here is gonna have to think of a better solution I'm afraid.

[@muse0ver]

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” ~ Buckminster Fuller

[@justgivemethetruth]

One other thing is that all the 3D printing is not needed to build a simple house. As a product, why not just use what is on the market now that has been developed over the last hundred years to be strong simple and as inexpensive as possible ... 2x4's and sheetrock with plumbing and electrical, etc? If I wanted a Wikihouse if would be much better for me to see plans for a house system - optimized lighting, kitchen, heating/cooling, wiring, plumbing? What problem does this solve?

[@adicahya]

I think, this project should target developing countries, this is where housing become a problem. Like in Indonesia,here land and building material become too costly for most of the people. And, a CNC cutting machine is rare.. I see land used per house also decreasing, a couple years ago its about 90-100m2, now it began with 60-75m2. Build cost also rise from about 150 USD/m2 to around 250-300 USD/m2. I hope, we can all solve this problem together

[@justgivemethetruth]

Well, ask a question, get pummeled on YT! ;-) Yes, the "easy as IKEA" idea is good, and the mechanical engineering of that is really improving, but as I said, 2x4's, sheathing, concrete is pretty much ubiquitous, I don't think it is the house "technology" per se that is the difficulty - but the plan and system of living. I see brand new McMansions being built with horrible ergonomics, it is the ergnonomics/system and the modification (which you did address) that are the problems.

[@ИванИванов-м6ч1о]

The problem with buildings is that the thing you see the most (walls) actually make up like 20% of the total building cost at best. The foundation costs a lot, the roof costs a lot. Wall interior and exterior decoration and trim costs a lot, windows and doors cost a lot, engineering systems (power, plumbing, hvac) costs a lot. In other words, if the house envelope is free, you still need a ton of money to make it habitable.

[@nicolasandresbertotto7131]

Grande Parvin

[@charlessmyth]

That's why it's good solid stuff :-)

[@bebebouba]

Democratization of production, Such a great concept, I think this would be beneficial for 3 world countries and It sthg that We "young architect" of 3rd would countries should built on

[@IceFurnace]

they always work to maintain and expand their power and wealth but never concerted

[@kayamo]

Who said it was a crime? He's just pointing out facts. He's not telling us to lynch anyone lmao.