The first step toward building a WikiHouse is to design it in a CAD app. Once you know the size and shape of the lot where it will be placed, you can start with a rough sketch of the shape, dimensions and interior layout of the enclosure. The dimensions need only be close approximations at this point because the final exact dimensions will be determined by the digital model that you design in CAD. Though you can get by with approximate locations of door and windows, you need to know their exact size as you will select specific Window and Door Block types when creating the design in CAD.
It is important at the design stage to determine the location of an interior ‘utilities wall’ so that you will know where to stub in plumbing pipes and electrical conduits from below. Layout of all other interior walls will occur later as a separate construction step.
Once the structure’s dimensions and placement of windows and doors are roughly determined, fire up your CAD app and add in the digital building blocks found in the Blocks Library. The dimensions of the blocks you assemble in CAD will dial in the final, precise dimension of the enclosure. The width of a block is 600mm, which is 23.6220472 inches – not quite 2′. There is an advantage to designing everything in metric.
Two block libraries are provided, Skylark-250 with 250mm (10″) wall thickness suitable for multi-story enclosures, and Skylark-200 with 200mm (8″) wall thickness that is more suitable for single-story enclosures. (‘Skylark’ is the name of the current version of WikiHouse which has evolved through several versions since its beginnings in 2011.)
For purpose of convenience we will work with a reference enclosure of size 16′ x 24′ (384 sqft) with a shed roof design. A shed roof will be the easiest to assemble and then install roof panels on. A shed roof will also be an efficient design for using solar panels. While a single story WikiHouse is the easiest to construct, with just a bit more complexity and challenge to the assembly process, one can go with Skylark-250 blocks and add a 2nd story, resulting in a 768 sqft home.
We won’t worry about interior walls, doors, or bathroom and kitchen features at this time – just the exterior structural blocks. We will focus on a simple single-story structure with a flat or slightly pitched shed roof. For this, just four Skylark block types are needed, of which you select the appropriate length:
First, lay down Floor Blocks.
Then add Wall Blocks.
Insert Window and Door Block into the Wall Block pattern.
Lastly, add the Roof Blocks.
The adjacent video provides an overview of the WikiHouse concept and demonstrates the design process using SketchUp.
Another design resource is Jennifer Huygen who has publish several tutorials on her YouTube channel about designing a WikiHouse using the free version of SketchUp.