The View is developed using WikiHouse
The View is developed using WikiHouse
building system for Zero-Carbon Future
building system for Zero-Carbon Future
Embedded Files
For The View freestanding unit, WikiHouse offers the perfect balance of sustainability, performance, and design flexibility. We're creating something beautiful, custom-designed for its context, while achieving truly zero-carbon construction. The precision and speed of the system ensure we can deliver quality without compromise, while its circular design principles mean we're building with the future in mind—not just for the building's lifespan, but for its eventual disassembly and reuse.
The View freestanding unit is being constructed using the WikiHouse system, an open-source, zero-carbon building platform that represents a fundamental shift in how we think about construction. WikiHouse offers the perfect balance of sustainability, performance, and design flexibility. We're creating something beautiful, while achieving truly zero-carbon construction. The precision and speed of the system ensure we can deliver quality without compromise, while its circular design principles mean we're building with the future in mind, not just for the building's lifespan, but for its eventual disassembly and reuse.
This isn't just a building method. It's a commitment to building better.
Key Principles Driving WikiHouse System
WikiHouse operates on principles that align perfectly with The View's values:
Open Source and Accessible: The system is freely available and designed to lower barriers of time, cost, and skill. It empowers communities and small businesses to build for themselves .
Designed for Disassembly: Unlike traditional buildings cemented together, WikiHouse structures can be taken apart, with components reused or recycled at end of life.
Circular and Zero-Waste: The system minimises material waste and creates buildings designed for future adaptation rather than demolition.
"Share Global, Manufacture Local": Rather than centralised factories, WikiHouse uses local micro-factories and supply chains, building local economic capacity .
What is WikiHouse?
What is WikiHouse?
WikiHouse is a modular building system comprising digitally-fabricated timber blocks that can be manufactured in small factories and rapidly assembled on-site. It was developed in the UK in 2011 with a mission to democratise housing construction and dramatically reduce the environmental impact of building .
At its core, WikiHouse turns construction into a kind of precision-engineered jigsaw . Components are designed using shared digital files and cut to 0.1mm accuracy using CNC milling machines . The parts then arrive on-site as flat-pack kits ready for assembly, think of it as a sophisticated, full-scale version of flat-pack furniture.
Why We're Using WikiHouse for The View?
Unprecedented Carbon Performance:
Conventional construction is responsible for roughly 10-11% of global carbon emissions . A typical new brick home emits 300-500kgCO₂e/m² during construction. A WikiHouse building typically emits just 100kgCO₂e/m² and here's the extraordinary part: the timber blocks actually store more atmospheric carbon than they emit, making the building net carbon negative at approximately -350kgCO₂e/m² . By using regionally-grown, bio-based materials, we're not just reducing emissions, we're actively removing carbon from the atmosphere.
Exceptional Energy Efficiency
WikiHouse's highly insulated blocks achieve a U-value of 0.14 W/m²K, making the building ultra-low energy by default . Residents of existing WikiHouse projects have praised their homes for being warm with remarkably low energy bills. For The View, this means exceptional comfort with minimal environmental impact.
Speed and Precision
A weathertight WikiHouse structure can be assembled in days, not months, even by teams without traditional construction skills . Every component is precision-manufactured to fit perfectly, which reduces waste and accelerates build time. In South Yorkshire, the first WikiHouse home was manufactured and assembled in under a month, a fraction of the time conventional construction requires .
Supporting Local Communities
WikiHouse is designed to be manufactured by small local fabricators, not distant mega-factories. For The View, this means strengthening local supply chains and building local economic capacity. The system was created with community building in mind, and there's something powerful about knowing that a building was made by and for the people who will use it.
Proven Global Performance
The WikiHouse system has been successfully implemented in projects across the UK and internationally. South Yorkshire Housing Association, one of the first housing associations to adopt WikiHouse, found the homes warm and energy-efficient, with residents reporting low energy bills . The system already meets and exceeds UK building regulations, and with additional warranties, WikiHouse homes are fully mortgageable .
Disclaimers & Attribution
The View is proudly built using the open-source WikiHouse system, developed by Open Systems Lab (OSL) and the global WikiHouse community. All WikiHouse information is provided "as is", without warranties or guarantees of any kind. You are responsible for checking it and using it in a safe and responsible way. This project is an independent adaptation of the system, created under the terms of its license, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the WikiHouse project.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse