Inga's House

Introduction

This is an invitation to everyone interested in the art of building. Some of you may have followed the basic work of FactorEFarm with Compressed Earth Blocks. Now we are going to make this the first case study of a virtual architecture project, start an Open Source Design for a liveable house. We have decided to focus this design process around a single users demand. Inga B. volunteered to lead the process and act as an integrator towards a replicable and liveable house.

This is the process:

1. Get basic design specifications from the user (Inga)
2. Document the site, with on-demand, virtual walkthrough from Factor e Farm [OSE Team]
3. Combine user's design specification with available resources and systems requirements of Factor e Farm [Inga and OSE Team]
4. Collect a team of architects - [Franz Nahrada]
5. Evaluations of Team Members' contributions with regard to open source process [Inga and OSE Team]

• Modular architecture development
  • Modularize components of the house - electric, waste, interior design, structural engineering, HVAC

Design Rationale

from http://eartharchitecture.org/ :

Project Team

• Franz Nahrada
• Dustin, architect
• Michaela
• Marcin
• Inga
• Sam Rose
• Steve Bosserman
• Vinay Gupta
• Peter Thomas
• Joseph Smyth
• Tony S. Gwilliam (Tony's T-Houses)
• Francis Kere, arch domes architect from Burkina Faso

Internal Dialogue

1. Start with a story.
   1. Marcin Tour has an unexpected result. Tell from different perspective.
   2. Result: Inga decides to join OSE and live the dream of her life.
2. Organize around a person - according to Minciu Sodas philosophy. It's a way to modularize.
   1. The person is the expression of the need; we organize around a need
   2. Inga will lead
3. The compound (house) will be a perfect match for the the system (village)
4. What is required?
   1. Design specifications from the user (Inga)
   2. Document the site, with on-demand, virtual walkthrough from Factor e Farm
   3. Combine user's design specification with available resources and systems requirements of Factor e Farm
   4. Collect a team of architects - Franz Nahrada leads this process
   5. Evaluations of Team Members' contributions with regard to open source process

Start the story

Alles begann mit einer email der british-österreichischen Gesellschaft an vier Nativespeaker mit der Bitte den englischsprachigen Redner einer Vorlesung über "ecological open sewers" an der Universität Klagenfurt zu dolmetschen. Die einzige Rückmeldung stammte von der junggebliebenen ältesten Jungunternehmerin in Kärnten: Inga wollte mehr darüber erfahren. An Umweltschutz interessiert und durch einen 12jährigen Aufenthalt in mehreren Ländern Südostasien an offene Abwässer gewöhnt, bat sie um ein weiterf Treffen.

Mehrere Stunden und einige erläuterte Mißverständnisse später sprang Inga auf den open Source Ecology Zug auf und willigte ein ihr Wissen gratis zur Verfügung zu stellen. Als sie dann bei der Vorlesung Marcin persönlich kennenlernte, entbrannte aus dem kleinen Flämmchen der Neugier das Feuer wahrer Begeisterung und sie beschloß der kleinen Gemeinschaft als "Weise des Dorfes" beizustehen. Aber eine Dorfälteste braucht eine angemessene Unterkunft und schon war ein neues Projekt geboren: eine "open source architecture projectition" um Inga's Haus angepasst an ihre Vorstellung und Bedürfnisse mit den Mitteln der Factor e Farm zu entwerfen und bauen.

It all started with an email from a British-Austrian society to four different native speakers. These speakers were invited to translate a presentation about 'ecological open sewers' at Klagenfurt University. The only response came from the oldest 'young entrepreneur' in Carinthia (Austrian province): Inga wanted to find out more about it. She was already interested in environmental issues, and because of her 12-year stay in Southeast Asia, she was used to open sewers, she asked for a meeting to explain her role.