Crowdsourcing architecture
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Crowdsourcing architecture refers to the practice of individuals soliciting architectural design services for small projects (such as home improvements, landscaping, or interior design) by way of architectural competitions, typically on the Internet. It differs from traditional architectural design competitions in that the projects are usually of a smaller scale, clients are usually individuals, not firms or public entities, and that competitions are usually conducted online and are open to a broader range of participants.
The practice of crowdsourcing architecture has received criticism from professional architects and causes like No!Spec, which consider it a form of speculative work that produces subpar results and exploits architectural designers. Proponents argue instead that crowdsourcing architecture encourages individuals which otherwise would have avoided seeking such services to crowdsource them, providing more work for architects and designers.
The term "crowdsourcing architecture" was introduced by architect Imdat As at the University of Hartford to describe the services provided by Arcbazar, a website he founded in 2010. In a paper published in 2012, As argued that there was a large uncaptured market in the form of small design projects that could use architectural design services, but opted not to due to the difficulty and cost in soliciting such services. He further argued that the crowdsourcing architecture model that Arcbazar used could open up this market to architects seeking work. [1]
Crowdsourcing architecture and Arcbazar quickly received criticism after launch from architects, guilds, and architectural magazines.[2] Dwell, America's leading home and architecture magazine, called the launch of Arcbazar "the worst thing to happen to architecture since the internet started."[3] Critics compared Arcbazar to similar design competition websites like 99designs and InnoCentive, which they argued provided speculative work that devalued the services provided by designers and encouraged low-quality work to be delivered. [4]
As of 2025, Arcbazar is still available and in use. Architectural design services are also available on freelancing websites such as Fiverr and Upwork, though not in the design competition model used by Arcbazar.