OSArch Community

Open Source Table - setting up an OS Office

  1. J by JJ_Nelson on 2 Feb 2022, edited 20 Jun 2022 # +9 votes

    Hello everyone!

    I don't know if this is the right place to post something like this, but I was directed to the forum from a reddit user and here I am.

    I'm in the process of setting up an office based on the open source model and I thought this may be a good place to post and hopefully discuss some of my work. I'm still experimenting with the how's and the workflows though, so everything's quite rough.

    Right now, I'm currently working on a table I plan to complete around the end of February, hopefully I'll be able to build the first prototype around the end of the next week.

    It's designed around the Cnc milling process, so ideally everyone should be able to bring the drawings to a local lab and assemble it by his own.

    I started posting the updates on github, so If you'd like to go and have a look I'll be more than happy to read about any feedback. here it is : https://github.com/StudioGIB/Mill_Table

    Once completed, the next projects I'd like to start will be an outdoor workshop and an off-grid cabin, basically i'm using this table as a test run to understand how to deploy and comunicate my work.

    Hope this can generate some interest, I'm more than happy even to receive extremely harsh critiques : D

    Thank you,

    G

  2. D by duncan on 2 Feb 2022 # +1 votes

    @JJ_Nelson I can't find the files. Looks empty to me. Great idea, you might like these projects https://www.opensourceecology.org/

    Can you please make me an open source design for a popup office? I need a case for my laptop, power supply, keyboard, mouse, coffee cup (of course), some sound baffles, an ergonomic shelf for the laptop, a few pens and some paper ... stuff an architect can't live without.

    We've just been asked to work two days from a different office in the city. That's fine, but I want to take 'my office' with me. Anyway, just a fun idea I got watching a Danish design program the other night.

  3. J by JJ_Nelson on 3 Feb 2022 #

    Hello Duncan,

    you have to click on releases under the Download paragraph, then click on Assets at the bottom of the entry.

    Keep in mind that's still a work in progress!

    And thank you for the link! I'll keep the pop up idea in mind...can't promise you much though : )

  4. D by duncan on 3 Feb 2022 #

    Oh right, I forgot about the stupid way github obfuscates the actual thing I went there to get!

    It's a nice project. If you make social media posts about it maybe tag osarch and hopefully we'll spot it and promote.

  5. M by Moult on 4 Feb 2022 # +1 votes

    This is super awesome! We definitely need to promote more open source fabrication in the industry. I think this would make a fascinating news item on osarch.org - so people get thinking not just about software, but about fabrication too. Would you be interested in writing up a draft?

    And definitely reach out to @marcin_ose about OpenSourceEcology. Kinda like an open source flatpack furniture. Maybe this type of furniture could populate a Wikihouse or the new OpenSourceEcology house?

    Also, have you seen https://openstructures.net/ ?

  6. J by JJ_Nelson on 5 Feb 2022 #

    Hey Moult, Duncan thank you both for the endorsement! I'm still at the beginning of everything I want to do, and one of the hardest and yet necessary points to make my project work is to grow and nurture a community sharing the values I'd be working toward.

    Ideally, I'd like every kind of project to be open sourced, what I'd like to do is work as an independent research office, self-start projects, and give back everything as open knowledge; I'm more interest into see my ideas getting built than earn by royalties and such.

    Thank for the link, I'll be sure to study openstructures thoroughly, it seems based on a really cool idea!!.

    And yes I have to take a look at OSEcology too! : )

    What do you mean with writing up a draft ? do you mean a sort of manifesto ??

    G

  7. D by duncan on 5 Feb 2022 #

    @JJ_Nelson how about making a draft for an article for our news feed?

  8. J by JJ_Nelson on 6 Feb 2022 #

    I'd be happy to!

  9. M by Moult on 6 Feb 2022 #

    @JJ_Nelson you can see some previous articles on osarch.org for inspiration. Just think of it as a short introduction to help share with others what you're up to. Aim for about 300 words :)

  10. J by JJ_Nelson on 22 Feb 2022, edited 22 Feb 2022 # +1 votes

    A bit late, but would this work ?? I don't know if i've hit the mark though, do you want me to be more specific on my work ?

    It's a bit longer, but I could slim it down some if needed. @Moult @duncan

    Emboldened by professor Carlo Ratti's essay: “Open Source Architecture”, I started working on an idea which could have helped me into shaping a different way we could work, by rejuvenating our aging business model and at the same time opening our work to both the general public and fellow designers.

    What I’m trying to do is to apply the OS idea to any design process, handling projects the way you would do in software development. Treating design as if it was software, with briefs, goals, intermediate releases and fixes, would help fellow designers who are facing the same problems all around the world to join in on the process, or even just take the data you’ve built and start their own design from whichever point in the job, saving time and resources.

    How many people in the world are trying to solve the same problem at the same time? This way, they’d be free to employ their creative energies toward new tasks, adding to the general progress and convergence of the field.

    There are multiple implications to an Open Source Architectural model: you lose the unique property off your designs and decide to share all your hard earned trade secrets “en plain air”, handing out both the complete design and the process for everyone to see and use (costs, design decisions, meeting outcomes, fails and setbacks, etc..).

    The goal is to offer free, transparent knowledge in order to gain public support in the form of networks and new ideas. Hence, I’d like to take advantage of today's ease of sharing and communication (from discord channels to instagram or twitch), in order to gather a network and form a community. Moreover, online mecenatism would enable us to self-start our designs/problems, make our own briefs and develop them as if was an independent research lab, through the help of online communities rallying behind one's flag.

    I’m testing these ideas through a series of self-started projects, published on github and discord; Join me there, let’s discuss them together!

  11. D by duncan on 23 Feb 2022 # +2 votes

    @JJ_Nelson looks good. Please re-edit your post to add the links and images the story needs. Don't be shy about adding links - as long as your not selling anything it's all good.

  12. J by JJ_Nelson on 28 Feb 2022, edited 28 Feb 2022 # +5 votes

    Ok, and thanks again for the support!

    Last doubt, should I omit the "office" name?

    anyway, here it is then :

    GIB - Open Source Architecture as a business model

    <center> Model replicating one of BIG's smallets projects - studying minimal shelters for an Open Source cabin concept </center>

    Emboldened by professor Carlo Ratti's essay: “Open Source Architecture”, I started working on an idea which could have helped me into shaping a different way we could work, by rejuvenating our aging business model and at the same time opening our work to both the general public and fellow designers.

    What I’m trying to do is to apply the OS idea to any design process, handling projects the way you would do in software development. Treating design as if it was software, with briefs, goals, intermediate releases and fixes, would help fellow designers who are facing the same problems all around the world to join in on the process, or even just take the data you’ve built and start their own design from whichever point in the job, saving time and resources.

    How many people in the world are trying to solve the same problem at the same time? This way, they’d be free to employ their creative energies toward new tasks, adding to the general progress and convergence of the field.

    There are multiple implications to an Open Source Architectural model: you lose the unique property off your designs and decide to share all your hard earned trade secrets “en plain air”, handing out both the complete design and the process for everyone to see and use (costs, design decisions, meeting outcomes, fails and setbacks, etc..).

    <center> Mill_Table, a CNC plywood table, is the first project being developed by the office. </center>

    The goal is to offer free, transparent knowledge in order to gain public support in the form of networks and new ideas. Hence, I’d like to take advantage of today's ease of sharing and communication (from discord channels to instagram or twitch), in order to gather a network and form a community. Moreover, online mecenatism would enable us to self-start our designs/problems, make our own briefs and develop them as if was an independent research lab, through the help of online communities rallying behind one's flag.

    I’m testing these ideas through a series of self-started projects, published on Github; Feel free to join or download the projects and let’s discuss them together!

    Links:

    • Visit us on IG
  13. J by JJ_Nelson on 14 Apr 2022, edited 14 Apr 2022 # +9 votes

    Hello everyone!

    Despite the delay I'm happy to show you I managed to assemble the first prototype of the table.

    There where a few errors in the design ( less than expected though!) And I've already started to correct them.

    The biggest error was the choice of the manufacturer which had a huge cnc machine but less than stellar experience, the others involved dowels depths and mostly tolerances ( I had to sand few pieces).

    I'm pretty satisfied though, the table stands together with no screws or bolt, which is a major success per se : ) .

    Concerning costs, one table is currently sourced out of three birch plywood sheets (I'm trying to fit it better) and it costed me 750€, material and milling,

    It's not cheap nor too expensive, but with the variations in costs due to the scarcity of materials (30% rise in one year) and the Ukrainian war (birch is mainly imported from Russia), it's not easy to lower the cost.

    While I'll be working on the corrections, I've already started the second projects which will be a little bigger, something like a modular shed for the garden.

    Thank you,

    G

  14. M by Moult on 16 Apr 2022 # +1 votes
  15. D by duncan on 16 Apr 2022 #

    @JJ_Nelson is this a spelling mistake?

    "Model replicating one of BIG’s smallest projects – studying minimal shelters for an Open Source cabin concept"

    BIG or GIB?

    Great article!

  16. J by JJ_Nelson on 18 Apr 2022 #

    @Moult said:

    Looks absolutely incredible! Sorry for the delay, posted:

    Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! : )))))

    @duncan said:

    @JJ_Nelson is this a spelling mistake?

    "Model replicating one of BIG’s smallest projects – studying minimal shelters for an Open Source cabin concept"

    BIG or GIB?

    Great article!

    Hey Duncan,

    It's not really a spelling mistake, i know it seems a play on words : ), but I was just modeling few notable cabins to study the topic (I'd like to design an open source mountain shelter soon) so I was just referencing the original designer!

  17. D by duncan on 19 Apr 2022, edited 19 Apr 2022 #

    I would be careful, I don't think BIG is what I would call a generous company. I may be wrong. Either way I suggest adding a link to the actual project - I couldn't find anything about it with a quick search.

  18. J by JJ_Nelson on 19 Apr 2022 #

    You are right, but by no means I intend to copy other's work, or build other's projects. If there's an ambiguity there I could definitely replace it with another banner pic!

  19. J by JJ_Nelson on 20 Jun 2022 # +3 votes

    Short update, just wanted to share with you all I was invited to speak about Open Source Architecture at the Rome Architecture Festival which held last week. Despite my inexperience at public speeches : ) , it was quite a successful talk, and I thought people were overall interested about the theme (they where mostly fellow architects/designers).

    P.s.

    While I started working on beefier things, I pushed out a super simple project, here it is :

    here the link for more : <a href="https://github.com/StudioGIB/SimpleTable">Github</a>.

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