The Wiki’ing of Architecture
If there is one thing Wikipedia has proved, it is that a pretty good reference of information can be built using the mass mind of people around the world, contributing to their online encyclopedia. Sure, there are mistakes, but thanks to their mass-edit concepts, many of those mistakes are then corrected by others who know better or who just plain watch to ensure solid fact-checking. It is far from perfect, but more people are using Wikipedia as a resource than Britannica online.
With that in mind, more and more things are getting the “wiki” treatment. But perhaps one of the more interesting concepts is the idea of architecture and city planning taking advantage of mass collaberation over the Internet.
Studio Wikitecture is attempting to do just that. They are gathering together people from all over in order to design buildings and even do city planning. Of course, ideas can be thrown together and discussed. The real trick is in applying these ideas.
To build an entire building would cost a rather lot. And would an investor really want to pile money on this concept? A mistake in Wikipedia might mean a lower grade on your term paper. A mistake in a building design could lead to a structural collapse.
With that in mind, the group is doing what everyone else seems to be doing these days: Turning to Second Life. They have created a group in Second Life whose purpose is to design and build buildings using this mass mind concept.
Using tools they and i3Dnow created, members of the group (which anyone can join) can build objects or vote on existing objects and designs. This YouTube Video shows this concept in action. I highly recommend watching it. Not only is it cool, but I have simplified things a bit. This video shows how it works in more detail.
Recently the group entered the Open Architecture Network’s Asian Challenge. The OAN is part of the Architecture for Humanity project, which is committed to improving living conditions world-wide. The group did exceptionally well, taking Third Place as well as the Founder’s Award for their innovative design methods.
Are we looking at the future of building design? Of city planning? More? Perhaps. This is still very early on and certainly the buildings haven’t yet been built in the real world. Still, this somehow feels momentous. That in some way the concept of mass collaboration is now going further than gathering knowledge; steps are now being taken to use this knowledge and apply it.
Note: this was written by me and originally posted on the Rising Tide blog.
