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Hundreds of architects contribute to solution for housing problem in Ghana.
International Open Source House competition provides sustainable, low-cost housing.
On June 21, 2010 the award ceremony of the international Open Source House Competition will take place at the Faculty of Architecture at the Technical University of Delft. The winner will be announced by Mrs. Aanaa N. Enin, Ambassador of Ghana and Cameron Sinclair, director of 'Architecture for Humanity’. The goal of the competition is to design an affordable, flexible and sustainable house that will be made available to people in developing countries through the Open Source House network. More than 3100 young architects from 45 different countries are waiting in suspense to hear if their design for a house, that is both sustainable and affordable (less than 12,500 euro), will be rewarded with a pilot in Ghana.
A steady income, still living in a slum
More than one billion people in the world are forced to live in slums and that number is growing rapidly. The inhabitants of these slums are - contrary to what we often think - people with a decent job and a steady income. Nevertheless they can still face major difficulties when it comes to getting a decent house. Rapid urbanization, wastage of resources, expensive building materials, inefficient construction methods and architects who do not share their ideas are all part of the underlying problem.
Looking for a home: wider choice than a slum dwelling
The International Open Source House contest is not just an average contest, but marks the beginning of a new era in flexible, sustainable housing for low-income countries. Not only the winning design but all of the competition entries will be made available online. This will offer a wide variety of sustainable designs and continuous open source product development, from which everyone can benefit. This means that people, who urgently need a home, will now have access to a diverse pool of knowledge, creativity, designs and housing.
Designing also means sharing
By creating sustainable houses, costing less than 12,500 euro, Open Source House aims to make housing available to the group of people who are now forced to live in slums. Open Source House strives to make better, cheaper and more sustainable housing a reality for low-income countries. Global knowledge and creativity are collected on an online platform and made freely available. In this way, residents of low-income countries can access and apply this knowledge in their own communities. Open Source House does not force through sole solutions to the housing problem, but makes knowledge available which returns the power to the end users.
Open Source House
Open Source House is an initiative of architect Vincent van der Meulen and Enviu innovators in sustainability, best known for the Sustainable Dance Club and Hybrid Tuktuk. Partners of Open Source House are Com· wonen Dura Vermeer Bouw Rotterdam, VROM and NCDO.
The Open Source House competition has been co-created with the help of the Urban Emergencies program at the Technical University of Delft. The award ceremony of the competition will take place on June 21 at 15:30 in the Faculty of Architecture, TU Delft. For more information visit www.os-house.org.
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