When earthquake hit New Zealand in 2011, the country thought of addressing the damages an earthquake can bring about. It was just then that an open source project called WikHouse was doing the rounds. NZ grabbed it!
WikiHouse is a home designing technology that looks at creating small assemblies and putting them up together just like prefabricated houses. The idea picked up and followed suit in other countries. Today, countries as far away as Holland, Brazil, and China are also embracing the technique.
The open source concept called WikiHouse
Truth be told, the ‘Wiki’ idea has enough petrol in the tank to travel the globe. Today, we can dream about energy sustainability, thanks to well-meaning projects like these. Putting the technology right into the hand of the end user (homeowner), WikiHouse dares to break through a new horizon of home-building.
How these sustainable houses are put up
The users, after going through an array of online designs and picking one, need to send their chosen plan to a saw mill. Here, the design components are cut through plywood and other sheet materials with the help of a Computer Numeric Control machine. The pieces, transported to the eventual site of construction, are picked up by DIY builders or professionals and assembled into meaningful houses.
…and talking of energy sustainability
Talking of sustainable homes, these houses are fit to run on extremely low DC powers (Ethernet cable). The DC is good enough for managing the laptops and telephonic gadgets, completely shedding off the wasteful pretence that adapters can be at times.
The DC operates LED lights without much fuss and also tackles ventilation issues ‘efficiently’. Made from local materials, the WikiHouses are environment-friendly just as well. They can be assembled and disassembled at will. With the kind of natural cavities that the “jigsaw fittings” bring, high-standard insulation is also a possibility with these houses.
WikiHouse is a product of an imagination that is bent on blending the utilitarian/functional with the energy-conscious while building sustainable home designs. Sooner rather than later, aesthetics will join the party, too.
What is your opinion on the 3D printing technology?
Related Posts
