Quiz 3

These are my answers to the Quiz 3. Excellent video by the way! ;)

1.    What kind of problem(s) did Cameron want to solve? (1 pt.)

He wants to solve problems of housing, creating solutions by the hand of the communities that affront economical and environmental issues. One of the most important things that he aims is the productions of solutions not only for architects but also by all the people who has any idea and then, make it happen.

2.    How did he face these problems? (1 pt.)

Using the new technologies especially internet. He created a digital group that collects all the possible solutions to the most common problems of housing and public policies. The communication with non-profit foundations and the execution of a lot of benefic and charity activities provides the money to build the solutions. The problems are not only faced by him, but also by all the people that wants to help with innovative and sustainable ideas.

3.    Explain 4 of the architectural solutions presented by him (2 e/o = 8 pts.)

The most impressive solution presented by him was the eatable clinic, made by a local plant of Africa that grow up very fast and can provide shelter to the doctors and patients and then, when the doctors go away can be tore down and prepared as food for the community.

The other solution that impressed me was the different designs of tents for refugees, easy to assemble, with a lot of inner space and made by low-cost and light materials, that uses a simple technology similar to a clip to stabilize the tent. The third solution has to be the new model of school in India, with an easy and light structure that has water containers to collect water in the rainy station and provide it during the dry station. The fact that the school can be made by the parents of the kids who will be studying in it is remarkable and creates a bond between the families and the school, making it sustainable during the time.

The final architectural solution that I liked was the community centre, he presented different solutions, but the one applied in India was my favorite. In that one, they involved the community into the process of design, location and decoration of the building, even the kids were involved. Architecturally speaking, I think all the solutions not only are functional but also creative and innovative, with a good application of structural design and sustainable principles.

4.    What is the meaning of open-source architecture to house the world? (1 pt.)

In my opinion this phrase means give the people the tools to create by themselves the housing solutions that adapts better to the place where they live. It also can mean, open the architectural mind of the professionals to create affordable housing solutions as a result of working hand by hand with the community. Housing is not a problem of one man; it affects the whole town, village or city where it is needed.

5.    In your opinion, what is the most important message in this video? (1 pt.)

There are many messages inside the video, one of them is to think outside the box, is breaking the paradigms of architecture and see beyond the building as a single piece isolated from the problems of the people.

Also leaves the message that housing, refugees and environmental problems affect us all and the solutions can be made by each of us, no matter the knowledge we have or our ages, the world needs to work as a whole to solve the problems that increases every day, as Sinclair said: “If we have 10.000 problems, let give it 10.000 solutions”; this is only possible if the people get involved and produces solutions that can be built.