UNL: Recovers + Open Source Design
Greetings. My name is Brian Kelly and I am an architect and professor of architecture at the University of Nebraska. I am reaching out to your group after seeing the TED talk from Caitria and Morgan.
Currently I am doing research into open source design and open access to design resources in situations where professional design services are not available or not appropriate due to issues of time, culture, availability or other such limitations which render it difficult. During the Fall semester of 2016, I will be coordinating an upper level interdisciplinary design studio here at UNL which will focus on open source design as it relates to disaster recovery.
There is currently a global movement for open design which makes knowledge available to the masses. Open-source design, at its core, endeavors to fuel collaborative innovation through the open access to content which is thoughtfully considered and serves as a competent base to build upon. Most often seen in software development, open-source design has also been translated to physical objects from furniture to built structures.
Open access materials integrate embedded knowledge traits where intelligence is intrinsic to their use (ie. organizational frameworks, assembly, etc.) and can be activated without specific training or experience. The designer is able to establish smart design parameters anticipating a range of options which might be desirable to the end user. As well, the designer’s knowledge of limits do not allow for variations which would ‘break’ or sacrifice the integrity of the system. With embedded knowledge, the guidance of an experienced designer is with the novice as they work within the immediate context searching for the most appropriate solution.
Post-Renaissance design disciplines of the built environment are predicated on the Albertian model where conception and representation of built form occur initially, followed separately by construction of the artifact as shown in the representations without alteration. Referred to in print media terms as bon à tirer (ready for press), this relationship seeks to assure control of the content by the author, and makes its manifestation a machinic act of following directions. This model is being challenged in the 21st century as the line between projecting and constructing is becoming increasingly less distinguishable. Enabled partly by a democratization of fabrication, the maker and end user are becoming authors in the process to the extent that the professional designer is sometimes perceived as unnecessary.
So you might be asking - why am I reaching out to Recovers.org? I would like to team with Recovers as a partner in this design studio. We live in a State which is annually affected by floods and tornadoes, and we are also continually hearing about the damage they are able to inflict... or at least we hear about it for a short period of time after the impact. Your comments about need for quick and intelligent action after disaster were well taken, but even more poignant was the comment about how well the community is able to recover after the news crews have left town. I would like to explore with the students how ‘Recovery in a Box’ could be manifest in a new interpretation where open source design could allow for the rapid deployment of temporary structures making both short and long term impacts establishing a more empathetic bridge between the pre-disaster condition to a revised state of existence. This collaborative design studio will see participation from the disciplines of architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and computer science. As an licensed architect, i want to clarify that the intent is not to subvert the role of the professional designer, but rather to provide smart design for conditions which do not allow for the traditional design/build process due to time, location, culture, or availability of professional services. (ie. disaster or humanitarian assistance).
I am enthusiastic about the potential of these bright students taking on such a meaningful challenge with your group. I look forward to hearing back from you at your earliest convenience and discussing the opportunity to, at some level, take on this exciting endeavor with us!
Warmest regards -
Brian M. Kelly, RA
Associate Professor of Architecture
University of Nebraska