Assessing the Openness and Conviviality of Open Source Technology: The Case of the WikiHouse

Abstract

The housing crisis has received growing interest from academia, industry, and policymakers. Open construction systems have emerged as a promising solution to achieve long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability. In this paper, extensive fieldwork was conducted to investigate a case of an open construction system, namely, the WikiHouse Den Bosch. The research framework builds on a combined view of two main concepts: “conviviality” and “openness”. The aim is to provide an in-depth understanding of the relationship between these two aspects and the literature regarding “Design Global Manufacture Local”. The analysis showed that conviviality and openness are complex and context-specific factors. The paper concludes by outlining the need for an “institutionalized conviviality” to open up new pathways for future practice to address sustainability issues.

Towards Sustainable Construction Practices: How to Reinvigorate Vernacular Buildings in the Digital Era?

“…We build on existing research around the exploration of DGML solutions from a degrowth perspective with emphasis on conviviality [11,45], illuminating a DGML-based framework in building construction that incorporates vernacular architecture but also relies on contemporary technologies. To this end, we explore the conviviality dynamics of OCSs, which have been studied from multifaceted aspects, ranging from their technological dynamics [46,47] to their socioinstitutional potential [46,48]. To narrow down the ambiguity entailed in the concept of conviviality [49], the MCT is used as a normative schema to provide insights on how OCSs could enhance conviviality in building construction.…”

“…In this subsection, we employ the conceptual framework of the DGML configuration l to delineate the contours of commons-based practices in building construction, albeit in a seed form [46,48]. We unravel the conditions under which such practices could thrive utilising the core principle of conviviality.…”

“…Sharing takes place both in distributed makerspaces, where equipment and simple tools are used by local communities, but also online, given that digital resources are utilised for the production of open source building solutions. Collaborative processes are evident throughout the construction stage of OCSs, where subgroups work asynchronously on the assembly process of different parts, developing friendship and joyful feelings [48]. Shared resources are managed by communities, which set the rules for using resources in a fairer manner for all, with an eye to optimising production while minimising the processing of material.…”

“…For instance, in the case of the WikiHouse, uncategorised and non-engineered design files are usually shared on online platforms, like GitHub. Besides, the existence of a complete bill of materials for OCSs is challenging considering the context-dependent nature of buildings [48].…”

From private to public governance: The case for reconfiguring energy systems as a commons

“…We believe that a pathway towards exemplifying this direction could initially see the socialized costs of infrastructure distributed among the members of the community in various ways. Moreover, to evaluate the potential long-term social and environmental impacts and benefits of the proposed solution, it is important to use quantitative and qualitative assessment tools such as the life-cycle-assessment, the matrix of convivial technology or the open-o-meter [54] .…”