Architecture for Humanity is a charitable organisation that aims to produce architectural solutions to aid humanitarian crisis and communities in need. The Open Architecture Network developed by  Architecture for Humanity, is an online community whose goal is to improve the living conditions of people living in informal settlements and assist those with shelter after a disaster. The network allows designers to:

• Share ideas, designs and plan
• Review designs by others
• Collaborate with all role players in the project to address design issues
• Communicate effectively amongst each other
• Project manage projects from the concept to implementation

The network encourages people from different backgrounds to contribute in order to collaborate and share expertise to address the challenges of building a sustainable future. Features of the network include file sharing and online collaborative design tools. The network does not aim to replace the traditional architect but allows designers to work together in a way that allows billions of clients to benefit from their skills.

The network is open to anybody who wants to collaborate on projects and share expertise. This is an example of mass collaboration whereby people all around the world work together in order to create a product or service and in this case a fantastic cause. For more information have a look at Cameron Sinclair’s TED talk.

1. Symbian and Nokia Go Open Source
2. Innovation in the age of Mass Collaboration
3. Tackling Poverty With Open Source Software – Blog Action Day
4. People Participation in Mass Collaboration Projects