More Information About the Future Builders Crash Course Remote Option
Thank you for your interest.
The remote option is a great opportunity for future builders to gain an appreciation of OSE's rapid design/build methods - if they cannot participate hands-on.
The way it works is we go over the design and build in the theory sessions - as well as the bigger picture narrative for transforming construction. The latter includes the big picture of solving housing, innovative build techniques, rapid build methods, integrated design, legal issues, and the bigger picture of solving housing with open source design and engineering. We focus on an approach that involves regular people in the build process. We believe that shifting homes from investment status to human needs status is a necessary shift. We focus on the technology and the social innovation needed to implement hardware technology into the real world. The answer is to build more housing, and to innovate on the underlying enterprise models. For example, we envision the possibility of Experimental Prototype Communities of Tomorrow as becoming the norm - where over-regulation and high cost is replaced with transparency, open design, and open engineering. By the way - did you know that Walt Disney's original vision behind the EPCOT Center was exactly that? And much more.
The online sessions involve a video link during the actual presentation, which will be typically held in the evenings at 6 PM. We will go over the design and build for each day's work as well in the mornings. You can connect to those as well. The theory sessions will include a 45 minute presentation, followed by audience Q&A. All sessions will be recorded so that if you miss a session, you can watch it later on YouTube. The presentations will also be released for public viewing after the sessions are over. The perk of the registration is that you get to participate more closely by asking questions and interacting with the audience. We will start with 'interrupt and ask questions any time', but if that doesn't work we will switch to 'save all questions for the end'. In any case, we recommend that people come to the sessions with a notebook to take notes and maximize learning. If you register, you will also gain access to several preparatory sessions (minimum of 4, but likely more). In these sessions, we will go over the CAD model, discuss the overview of the build sequence, show you how to view every single detail of the design in the free CAD software called FreeCAD, and will also show you how to generate technical drawings (build plans) from the CAD so that you can use the master file to generate build plans for the whole house. This empowers you to review any of the exhaustive details of the build - which are all found in the complete CAD file down to every single building material item used. The master file includes information on the actual materials used. If you cannot make it to the build, you will at least have a chance to study it in detail. I say that building is actually 80% understanding, and 20% manual build skill. In any case, if you ever decide to build yourself, you will be on a good footing with the understanding part. And if you do decide to take the in person course later, you will compound your learnings with hands-on experience. fa
The 4 minimum sessions will include at the least the following - but hopefully we get into a lot more detail on the build of the actual systems prior to the event:
- Downloading and using FreeCAD
- Viewing the master CAD file for the house
- Generating build drawings from the master file
- How to analyze the CAD file to reason out approximate build instructions
- How to produce build instructions
- How to collaborate with OSE on solving housing
To sign up, please go to the registration section of the event announcement, https://www.opensourceecology.org/builder_crash_course_2025-2/#registration, and use the Donate to OSE option to make your $200 payment. Or alternately, to avoid payment fees, just send a check to OSE, 909 SW Willow Rd, Maysville, MO 64469.
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Thank you, Marcin