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Open Source Architecture

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Open Source Architecture is a visionary manifesto for the architecture of tomorrow that argues for a paradigm shift from architecture as a means of supporting the ego-fueled grand visions of “starchitects” to a collaborative, inclusive, network-driven process inspired by twenty-first-century trends such as crowd-sourcing, open access, and mass customization. The question is how collaborative design can avoid becoming design-by-committee. Authors Carlo Ratti and Matthew Claudel

navigate this topic nimbly in chapters such as “Why It Did Not Work” and “Learning from the Network.”


They also meet the essential requirement of any manifesto, considering the applications of open-source architecture not only conceptually but also in practice, in chapters such as “Open Source Gets Physical” and “Building Harmonies.” Open Source Architecture is an important new work on the frontlines of architectural thought and practice.

158 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2014

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Carlo Ratti

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Profile Image for Oriana.
65 reviews
July 20, 2023
The perfect architecture book for an architecture-loving non-architect.

Albeit very niche in scope, I found the central thesis around collaboration and open-source design highly applicable to many other facets of my day-to-day life (technology, cooking, finance, legislative drafting…).

Kudos to the authors and adjunct editors behind the book for producing an impressively consistent and persuasive authorial voice.
Profile Image for Kin.
514 reviews165 followers
February 11, 2022
งานนี้เขียนโดยคนหลายคนแบบไม่ระบุด้วยว่าใครเขียนตรงไหน โจทย์หลักๆ คือการเสนอความเป็นไปได้ของการทำงาน(สถาปัตย์)แบบ c0llective commons ไม่ใช่งานที่ยึดติดกับความยิ่งใหญ่ของตัวผู้สร้างหรือตัวศิลปินและผูกอยู่กับความเป็นเจ้าของผลงาน ถ้าไม่มีความรู้ด้านสถาปัตย์หรือศิลปะเลยจะค่อนข้างอ่านยาก แต่ก็ท้าทายความคิดของเราดี
Profile Image for Banyapon Poonsawas.
2 reviews
December 9, 2023
This book would be a great choice for anyone who is interested in learning more about open-source architecture.

I also think that the book's emphasis on collaboration and transparency is important in today's increasingly complex world.
Profile Image for Andrea Padovani.
2 reviews1 follower
January 16, 2015
Un bel saggio sui nuovi modelli di architettura per costruire un futuro più sostenibile
Profile Image for Derek Ouyang.
326 reviews43 followers
March 18, 2016
Met Carlo in 2014 and have been meaning to read this. provocative synthesis of many ideas I care about, and highly relevant to my current projects. but for anyone else, probably not worth the read.
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