- Crowdsourcing architecture
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Throughout history significant architectural work has been always crowdsourced to multiple designers via architectural competitions. With the advent of the internet and advanced information technologies, the traditional model where anonymous architects would work individually on a given architectural challenge has been morphed into a collaborative effort where clients, the larger public -for public projects-, and even contractors may work together throughout the competition process. For example, the designers can have intermediary submissions, which can be rated by clients and/or the larger public; and their feasibility evaluated by contractors. The outcome can then be taken by designers to develop and generate the most rated and fittest design solutions. [1]
Contents
Architectural Competitions
Online crowdsourcing platforms in general offer an alternative to traditional architectural competitions. As in any other crowdsourcing initiatives, such platforms allow smaller scale projects to make use of the fair competition process.[2]
Questions remain to be answered:
- What is the difference between architectural competition and crowdsourced architecture?
- What business models can support and produce liable end results?
- What are the heuristic evaluation criteria for crowdsourced work?
The triumvirate of clients, designers and contractors.
Business Models
A new business model for crowdsourcing architectural design was launched by Cambridge, MA based high-tech company arcbazar.com in 2010. Arcbazar builds on traditional architectural competitions and provides an online competition platform for small-to-medium scale architecture, landscape, interior design and remodeling projects. It networks the triumvirate of clients, designers and contractors. This model also proved to be operational at larger-scale projects. The City of Somerville, Massachusetts employed it to execute a competition to collect redevelopment ideas for its' long-time vacant Powder House Community School site at Teele Square.[3] 80 architects from all around the world signed-up for the pilot project. The design concepts were evaluated through an online polling system by a Focus Group made of Somerville residents.[4] The process set an exemplary protocol for transparent evaluation methods in architectural crowdsourcing.
Criticism
Crowdsourcing architecture has received criticism by professional architects, and architectural guilds. Dwell (magazine), America's leading home and architecture magazine, called the launch of arcbazar "the worst thing to happen to architecture since the internet started."[5] This statement caused many heated debates among architectural bloggers worldwide.[6] The Architects' Journal, Great Britain's leading professional architecture magazine, wrote an article on arcbazar's disruptive business model: "Architecture crowd-sourcing website criticised: Architects have slammed a threatening new crowd-sourcing website in the US which promises to reduce clients' costs."[7]
External links
- Crowdsourcing Architecture and Home Remodeling Projects Arcbazar
- Moving Architecture Online Audio interview at Venture Café, Cambridge, MA, June 21, 2011.
- Architecture for the Crowd, by the Crowd An in-depth interview about crowdsourcing architecture at crowdsourcing.org , October 20, 2011.
References
- ^ Structures for Creativity: The crowdsourcing of design by Jeffrey V. Nickerson, Yasuaki Sakamoto, and Lixiu Yu
- ^ http://crowdresearch.org/chi2011-workshop/
- ^ http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/somerville/2010/04/focus_group_to_determine_fate.html
- ^ http://www.arcbazar.com/competitions/Somerville-Powderhouse_Competition.pdf
- ^ http://aureon.nl/opinie/ontwerpen-2/
- ^ https://twitter.com/#!/dwell/status/26889122173947904
- ^ http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/architecture-crowd-sourcing-website-criticised/8620481.article
- Shepherding the Crowd: An Approach to More Creative Crowd Work by Steven Dow and Scott Klemmer
- Is crowdsourcing changing the who, what, where, and how of creative work? by Mira Dontcheva and Elizabeth Gerber
- Structures for Creativity: The crowdsourcing of design by Jeffrey V. Nickerson, Yasuaki Sakamoto, and Lixiu Yu
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