Design Levels

Introduction

OSE's goal is collaborative design for a transparent and inclusive economy of abundance. We believe that the general public can - and indeed should - be involved in designing and building the things that it uses. This task is too important to be left completely to third parties. We believe that public, collaborative design is one of the prerequisites for a democratic society, because solving issues of design should naturally be a public process. One of the advantages of public, as opposed to proprietary, design - is that people take control of technology - as opposed to technology controlling people.

The Design Levels refer to the depth of design changes that need to be made. There are 3 main levels:

1. Modification - anyone can do this with little training by using existing modules and reconfiguring them within certain limits.
2. New structure - one would need to create new design details following building codes, without need for structural engineering, but only with knowledge of building best practice.
3. Re-engineering - one would need to create new design details

Seed Eco-Home 2

The Seed Eco-Home 2 is our first concrete initiative where OSE aims specifically for thousands of people getting involved meaningfully in the design of a tangible product. One was to get involved will the Extreme Enterprise Hackathon, where thousands of people collaborate on a product release.

Given that we have produced building blocks for construction, a new design can simply reconfigure these building blocks. In terms of efficient use of space, an interior floor plan can be drawn up - but that is precisely where software like Sweet Home 3D can enter. If one wants to produce a set of plans for a building department - drafting is required to take the existing desuign and to modify it, but no new engineering or calculations would typically need to be made if only existing modules are used.

Depending on the skill level of collaborators - here are ways that someone can get involved in design:

1. Modification - by simply taking existing CAD modules, and knowing how to use FreeCAD or SweetHome3D - one can make verious modifications within a specific set of parameters. This means that upon building, new quantities and cut lists have to be made. If the person can manage bills of materials, they don't need to hire a designer/architect.
   1. Lengthening the base of the structure - no new engineering considerations need to be taken if the structure of Rosebud is lengthened from 32 feet to any longer size, in 4 foot increments. Someone who understands how to build Rosebud can also build any lengthened version.
   2. Changing windows and doors - adding or moving windows, doors, or switching from single to double doors, can be done
   3. Changing interior wall layout, wherever there is no plumbing in the walls.
   4. Making independent, disconnected additions - such as going from Rosebud to Aspen style without a connecting pathway.
   5. Building a longer 1 story building, instead of 2 stories
   6. Changing the footprint of the building to any configuration of modules of 16x16, to make L shaped or any other structures with double or more width - opening up a wide range of opportunities. Then only the exact modules used in Rosebud are sufficient to make any other shape. The only requirement is that the new structure is treated as new modules of 16x16 -meaning that any new 16x16 module wherever the width is double (or triple or more) - each roof section sits on 4 walls, and does not share walls. This can be done but is not efficient, so simple methods for sharing walls need to be considered. See Sharing Load-Bearing Walls
   7. Building a structure with 256 sf on the 2nd story and a rooftop porch.
   8. Adding porches at the ground or 2nd story level.
   9. If a structure is lengthened, Bracing Wall Considerations need to be added - this is the only thing that may not be obvious, but any errors would become visible in the drafting or plan check (by the building department).
2. New Models - If the interior floor plan is changed - then this requires a designer or architect to understand what is possible. The changes made need to reflect any differences in plumbing and wiring, and new bills of materials need to be drawn up.
3. Engineering - If we are doing new modules, 3 stories, ceiling heights different than 8 or 9 feet, or creating further complications in house design outside of our flat roofs - a whole new range of designs may be required. This will require some engineering.