For our building system, we fused the idea of many prefabricated components forming a whole with the open source concept exhibited in the software community to arrive at the open source building systems concept. We intend to show how this marriage results in architecture that is participatory, DIY, plug and play, groABLE, flexible, and sustainable.
This approach is characterized by a library or catalogue of components that are all pre-manufactured, brought to site and assembled quickly, easily and efficiently. Elimination of on site fabrication limits the environmental impact to the site, affords greater accuracy in construction, and allows buildings to be deployed faster.
The open source concept is introduced in that, as long as certain protocols are adhered to, any manufacturer, craftsman, home hobbyist etc., can design and incorporate elements into the building system. These protocols include things like adherence to the 10'5" building grid or connections to the groJoint.
We describe our approach as participatory because it is easily worked with and modified to suit the owner. We feel this will encourage a DIY or do-it-yourself paradigm where hobbyists will "pimp out" or modify their homes similarly to what is done by automobile enthusiasts. Beyond the marketability on this idea (which is the major selling concept behind the Scion) we hope to foster a strong sense of identity between owner and architecture.
The plug and play concept is taken from the computer industry. We have detailed our building system in a way that allows for additions to be made to a building in plug and play fashion. When components are purchased, the structure is already designed to receive it. The chrysalis of this idea is in our joint, the groJoint. It is designed to receive a beam on four sides and column or foundation on the top and bottom. Connections are all bolted which allows for components to be "unplugged" easily and without damaging the component which would diminish that components value and recyclability.
The ease of interacting with our building system brings us to its quality that forms the namesake of our building: gro(w)ability. Architecture using this system can be added to easily and quickly, responding to changes in needs. Entire buildings could be dismantled and reassembled elsewhere. Fast deployment and adaptability over time make our system uniquely appropriate for disaster relief situations. This is currently being explored on behalf of Mississippi victims of hurricane Katrina.
Sustainability is also at the core of our open source building system. In every way possible we have detailed our structure to be assembled and disassembled in a way that preserves the integrity of a maximum number of components. Where components must be sacrificed, to facilitate window and door connections for example, sustainable wood products are used which are a renewable resource. We foresee a culture where owners sell to each other unneeded building components, not unlike how goods are sold on eBay, so that after a certain build up using our system, only a minimum of fundamentally new materials will be used to construct newly designed buildings.
To assist in the recovery and reuse of valuable building components and materials, Radio Frequency Identification tags (RFID) could be used to take inventory and check the history of components. The use of this technology will allow for improved organization and efficiency in the reallocation of valuable building resources. This metadata approach is something that can and must be used to create a more universal and widespread system to the recovery and reuse of building components.