WikiHouse – Open source, modular, wood based, zero carbon housing
I really like the concept of this, it&#x27;s basically a step further on from SIPs (structural insulated panels) by having standard composable blocks. The things I think are particularly good:<p>- Standardising on screw pile foundations. Standard concrete foundations are often be about 30% of the build cost, with the quantity of earth removed and cement used it&#x27;s a massive part of the carbon footprint of a home. For a &quot;light weight&quot; timber construction, screw piles are the future.<p>- Having services recesses and notches built into the panels, and there is no need to batten the internal walls for boarding. this will increase the speed of construction significantly.<p>- Being an &quot;Open&quot; standard allows any timber frame or prefab construction company to adopt it.<p>My one concern (I wouldn&#x27;t go as far as criticism) is that the panels have a somewhat complex manufacturing process by having to be CNC machined. Realisticly they almost always will be, but I would have liked to see the panels designed to be constructed a little more simply - you will always have to make changes on site.<p>I wander why they went with ply over OSB, they have similar structural properties but OSB can be cheeper.