OPEN ARCHITECTURE NETWORK Launches Today!
by Emily Pilloton, 03/09/07
Last year, Cameron Sinclair of Architecture for Humanity won the prestigious TED Prize, and was granted a world-changing “wish.” His wish was the Open Architecture Network, a completely open-source website with a simple mission: “to generate design opportunities that will improve living standards for all.” And now, with the help of SUN Microsystems and Hot Studio, the Network is now up and running (debuted at the 2007 TED Conference yesterday), providing a platform in which anyone, anywhere in the world, can view, post, adapt, and comment on humanitarian, sustainable, replicable, and scalable design solutions. Check out the Open Architecture Network for yourself, and stay tuned Monday for a full in-depth interview with Cameron Sinclair about OAN and its development. And from all of us at Inhabitat, congrats to Cameron, Architecture for Humanity, TED, and all other supporters and contributors to a truly ground-breaking achievement.
This is a very positive developement. I’d like to see more collaborative open source projects like this now that the infrastructure exists and almost everybody (in the US) has a computer and access to the web. I’m having a problem thinking of areas that would benefit as much as this but I can see this having a big impact in coordinating services between both public and private social service groups -as well as fundraising.
Target a specific problem and area, solicit input from the service providers and community members to develop an overall game plan with specifc goals and a budget, fund it, and divvy up responsibilities amongst the various players.
I think that would result in there being more accountability from charity’s in terms of achieving goals. And people would feel better about giving their money away to a specific organization if they felt like the efforts weren’t being duplicated elsewhere. The way it is now people give away money without much expectation or hope of knowing what really happens to it.
I know this is a little off topic and poorly articulated, but I had planned to just go “Attaboy Cameron” and get out of dodge. This why I try to avoid commenting LOL