OpenStructures is an
open source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...
modular construction model based on a shared geometrical grid, called the OS grid. It was conceived by designer
Thomas Lommée
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the Ap ...
, and first demonstrated at the
Z33, a house for contemporary art.
According to Lommee, the OpenStructures project explores the possibility of a modular system where "everyone designs for everyone." OpenStructures is developing a database where anyone can share designs which are in turn available for download by the public. Each component design in the OS system will feature previously designed OS parts that were used to create it. In addition, each part will feature component designs that can be made from it.
The OpenStructures model includes large and small scale manufacturers as well as craftsmen. They are invited to create their own designs according to the OS standard for sale on the market, which can in turn be fixed or disassembled at their end of life and made into new products.
Grid

The OpenStructures grid is built around a square of 4 x 4 cm and is scalable. The squares can be further subdivided or put together to form larger squares, without losing inter-compatibility. The image shows nine complete squares of each 4x4 cm put together.
Designers use the OS grid to determine dimensions, assembly points, and interconnecting diameters. This allows parts that were not originally from the same design to be used together in a new design.
Scales
OpenStructures works at several
scales, and analogies are made to
biological system
A biological system is a complex network which connects several biologically relevant entities. Biological organization spans several scales and are determined based different structures depending on what the system is. Examples of biological sys ...
s including (from smallest to biggest):
* ''Parts'', like
body tissues.
* ''Components'', like
organs, formed by the functional grouping together of multiple tissues. An example is a motor.
* ''Structures'', like a group of related organs in an
organ system. Here, different components are composed with frames and joints, such as a bicycle.
* ''Superstructures'', like
organism
In biology, an organism () is any life, living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells (cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy (biology), taxonomy into groups such as Multicellular o ...
s, can be understood as the whole hierarchical assembly of different structures that together function as a stable whole which has the capacity to grow and develop. Example are houses or
electric vehicle
An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. It can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered autonomously by a battery (sometimes c ...
s.
Open architecture
One of the research areas of OpenStructures is architecture. Architects of the
Brussels Cooperation Collective
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
have worked on the subject.
Autarchitecture ( vls, autarkytecture, ) is based in OpenStructures and proposes flexible constructions that can adapt over time.
Open
smart brick
Smart or SMART may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Smart'' (Hey! Say! JUMP album), 2014
* Smart (Hotels.com), former mascot of Hotels.com
* ''Smart'' (Sleeper album), 1995 debut album by Sleeper
* '' SMart'', a children's television ser ...
elements and buildings can be based on OpenStructures.
Other uses
Fab lab
A fab lab (''fabrication laboratory'') is a small-scale workshop offering (personal) digital fabrication.
A fab lab is typically equipped with an array of flexible computer-controlled tools that cover several different length scales and var ...
Academy had been building several
beehive
A beehive is an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species of the subgenus ''Apis'' live and raise their young. Though the word ''beehive'' is commonly used to describe the nest of any bee colony, scientific and professional literature ...
s making use of the OpenStructures system to make them more sustainable.
Valldaura Bee Monitoring
OpenGreens
See also
*3D printing
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...
* Contraptor
*Modular building
A modular building is a prefabricated building that consists of repeated sections called modules. Modularity involves constructing sections away from the building site, then delivering them to the intended site. Installation of the prefabricated ...
*Modular construction systems
Modular construction is a construction technique which involves the prefabrication of 2D panels or 3D volumetric structures in off-site factories and transportation to construction sites for assembly. This process has the potential to be superior ...
* Open architecture
*Open source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...
* Open-source architecture
*Smart brick
Smart or SMART may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Smart'' (Hey! Say! JUMP album), 2014
* Smart (Hotels.com), former mascot of Hotels.com
* ''Smart'' (Sleeper album), 1995 debut album by Sleeper
* '' SMart'', a children's television ser ...
* WikiHouse
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Open Structures: Thomas Lommee
at TEDxEutropolis
*
*
* at the P2P Foundation
*
{{CAD-software-stub
Open design
Open-source hardware
Modular design
Computer-aided design