WikiHouse is an open source project that aims to offer each and everyone the opportunity to build a simple and sustainable house – for a low price and with no specialist know-how required. The building plans for the wooden houses are available under a Creative Commons licence and can be downloaded and adapted as you wish.
The WikiHouse is developed in a similar way to software. It’s constantly being worked on further and the files are made available via a git Repository. So far they’ve developed a prototype for a small house and the basic technology needed to construct it. There are also plans to develop small tools to help construction.
Wren construction technology makes it possible to build the basic structure of the house from plywood panels, cut with a CNC milling machine, and also make simple screws. No particular manual skills are required – the basic elements of the frame aren’t too big or unwieldy and can be slotted together a little like a jigsaw puzzle.
The system was designed so that meets the building regulations of many countries. Each specific building project has to be accepted by a certified surveyor, however, which is why most of the houses that have been completed tend to be used as communal spaces or showrooms. A two-storey Wikihouse has already been built though!
For more information about the WikiHouse, check out the video below.
This article is a translation by Marisa Pettit of the original article that first appeared on RESET’s German-language site.
