Replica Architecture: Open Source for the Common Good

In the contemporary global village, tools are available for everyone to build their own individuality in terms of information sources and consumption patterns, on the basis of shared data. Architecture is often among these common tools: many practices – for research or political reasons – are exploring the field of open source architecture, making their work freely available - as in the case of the project Elemental , by Alejandro Aravena - or developing open and participated construction systems, as in WikiHouse project , conceived by Architecture 00. These examples unveil an expanding niche in architectural practice, where the originality of design is intentionally in second position, in favor of the widespread use of ideas, on the basis of common interest: measurable and financial gains coming from copyright or popularity count less than social advantages, related to reputation, sustainable lifestyle, collective bonds . A new generation of architects is gratified and rewarded by the mass-use of their ideas, embracing different professional positions towards open source architecture and «enshrining the reproducibility of their work in law» with Creative Commons licenses. The physiologic abandonment of the neoliberal imperative of original and shocking architecture works pushes forward architect’s role: less focused on the creation of original form, in a global context where there is plenty of types and images accessible online and «form-finding is unintelligible and pointless to connect with the people» and more focused on their impact on the society and on the free circulation of benefits for the common good.