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Virtually built - Novel housing concept unveiled at ExCel London
08 May 2008
Thursday 8th May 2008
Virtually built
Novel housing concept unveiled at ExCel London
An innovative building design concept that will allow ordinary people to tailor-make a new home, at the click of a button, was unveiled at the ‘Think 08’ Exhibition in the ExCel London, from 7th – 8th May.
Over the past year Slider Studio, based at Knowledge Dock - the University of East London's enterprise development service, have been working on developing the software named ‘YouCanPlan’.
‘YouCanPlan’ software will give house buyers the tools to design a house to their own specification by making reference to flexible pattern book designs. The house will be built on a plot of land sold by an enabling developer. Michael Kohn, Architect and Computational Designer at Slider Studio said:-
“We have generated significant interest to date on the back of the basic concept, but we hope the completed software will better illustrate how ‘Enabled Self-Procurement’ (ESP) can work for real in the UK - we are now looking for real sites for our first pilot project.”
Slider Studios has been driving forward the project, in partnership with UEL’s School of Computing and Technology and the Knowledge Dock ‘Simlab’ (a specialist facility in the field of animated modelling). The project has been given financial assistance from the UrbanBuzz programme.
UrbanBuzz has given funding to 30 projects which are seeking to change and improve some of the processes which currently stand in the way of building sustainable communities.
On 26 November 2007 Michael explained the ESP idea at the University College London (UCL) and launched YouCanPlan Pattern Books – an online competition for architects to submit housing designs for the scheme.
38 practices put forward proposals and the public were invited to vote for their favourite by viewing an online image gallery from the 7th to the 14th February 2008. 10 winners were selected and Slider Studio has now developed the YouCanPlan software using these housing types.
Self-build is already a popular activity in North America, Asia and the rest of Europe, but it has not taken off in England because of the hurdles involved, e.g. planning consent, building regulations and the costs involved. However, with Slider Studio YouCanPlan software the house buyer is supported and the process will become easier and more efficient for them. It’s DIY in a virtual world, as we’ve never known it before!
Further information:-
Kate Ashenden
Communications Executive
Communications Executive
Knowledge Dock Business Centre
University of East London
