From WikiHouse to #Manyfacturing
I've been part of the team behind WikiHouse. It's a fascinating project that points to a future where the Internet disrupts manufacturing.
WikiHouse is an open source construction set. A standard for designing houses that can be made using CNC milling technology. On one level you can download, print and assemble ready-designed houses. On the other you can tweak, share and combine componentised designs.
Micro-processing technology moved computing from the university to the pocket. CNC milling and 3D printing are digital fabrication technologies moving manufacturing from the factory to the garage.
As access to the hardware opens up, the number of people experimenting will increase. We've seen in software that, with the right infrastructure, open source will rapidly outstrip proprietary design. Architecture and product design is currently done in silos, without the serendipity of the pull request.
Those sectors will inevitably be disrupted. As The Guardian said about WikiHouse:
> "Such open platforms, using the creative commons, are one of the major forces that will change our conception of design in the near future."
If you're interested in getting involved, 00:/ are organising a series of community events.