Real World CABIN Experiment at a countryside estate in Devon, UK. A collaborative approach to community managed affordable housing.
See google doc for links and photos here (this forum only allows one photo and two links to be shared) - Real World CABIN Experiment - Google Docs
Proposal Summary
- Introduction: Anton, founder of two venues in the UK, is looking to connect with members of the Cabin DAO community to collaborate on a real world CABIN experiment on this land in Devon.
- Venues: The venues are House of Transformation in London (ideal for supper clubs up to 24 people) and Selgars in Devon (8-acre countryside, 2 hours from London).
- Global Context: The World Bank states that the housing crisis could impact 1.6 billion people by 2025. The world needs to build 96,000 new affordable homes every day to house the estimated 3 billion people who will need access to adequate housing by 2030.
- Key Question: How could a DAO could create a more democratic, affordable, and regenerative housing market in the UK and beyond?
- Project Goals: Aims to reduce design, material, and build costs, lower capital costs, increase community engagement and pre-sales, and test new governance models.
- Innovative Approaches: Proposes equity shares for time and materials, instant loans, and credits for future cabin access, with a focus on community engagement in decision-making.
- Value Beyond Financial: Emphasises the learning and community-building aspects of the project.
- Unique Aspects: Availability of land, existing profitable venues, and the ability to integrate the project with existing events like the Enchanted Gathering.
- Participation Inquiry: Seeks interested parties for contributions in time, skills, or funds, and considers applying for a Cabin DAO grant for materials and event organisation.
Deep dive…
Hey!
My name is Anton and I’m the founder of two venues; House of Transformation in London (ideal for supper clubs for up to 24 people) and Selgars (an 8 acre countryside in Devon that is 2 hours train from London Paddington). We host a 5 day co-created gathering at Selgars every year called Enchanted. Dates for next year are 3-7th July. I’m also one of the cofounders of re:build.
The idea that we are all interested in is how to build DAOs that enable communities of people to invest, develop and manage real world land and property assets.
Global Context
The World Bank states that the housing crisis could impact 1.6 billion people by 2025. The world needs to build 96,000 new affordable homes every day to house the estimated 3 billion people who will need access to adequate housing by 2030.
With growing migration due to climate change and conflict these numbers will only increase more rapidly.
We cannot rely on governments, banks and mainstream housing developers to drive the changes that are needed. We need to create real world prototypes that demonstrate what is possible. We need to start small so that we can go big in the future.
Key Question → How could a DAO enable a more democratised, affordable and regenerative housing market to emerge?
We Need Prototypes Not Just Whitepapers
I think we can all agree that the most effective innovation comes from real world experiments and action research, not just theoretical concepts.
What if we started by collaborating to build a single structure or cabin on our land in mid-Devon next year. We have pre-existing planning permission that enables us to do this so we don’t have to wait for months or years to get approval from the municipality. We just need to co-create a design, a budget and governance model that interfaces with our existing seasonal business model / calendar of events and coliving. Alongside this we can figure out how to collaborate with Cabin DAO and raise funds for the build. This is a simple enough process. What is more important is to really explore the deeper questions such as…
How could we collaborate to bring down the design, material and build costs?
How could we collaborate to bring down the cost of capital?
How could we collaborate to get more press / PR / community engagement / pre-sales?
How could we collaborate to pilot new governance models and processes?
What if we could offer equity shares in return for gifted time and materials? What if we could issue instant loans with different repayment terms without needing to pay expensive lawyers or bank fees? What if you could invest a small amount now and in return get credits that enable you to access the cabin in the future at a discounted price? Could you also trade these credits with other members? What if voting / decision making was not just based on ownership of shares or tokens but weighed based on level of expertise and quality of engagement and contribution to the success of the project?
Ultimately, the greatest value of a small-scale experiment like building a cabin, a sauna or an event space structure at Selgars is not going to be financial. The value lies in the learning and community building that a small project like this can enable. It gives us the opportunity to test the concept in a real world context and then to expand to more cabins and potentially more land in partnership with our neighbouring landowner.
What makes this experiment different?
We already have the land and the venues to make this happen. Selgars and House of Transformation are both profitable venues and businesses, with streamlined operations and established marketing channels with repeat customers. House of Transformation can be a great location in East London (222 Kingsland Road, E2 8AX) to host supper clubs and workshops in the city. Selgars is a great nature location for a real world DAO prototype project. Selgars has 24 indoor beds, 17 glamping beds, a 200m2 barn and 8 acres of land with planning permission that allows us to build cabins and structures. We can host hackathons for the design and build of the DAO and residencies for the on site construction. We could also integrate this project into our Enchanted Gathering in early July.
The question is who would be interested in participating in a project like this? What can they contribute (e.g. time, skills, money, etc)? Could we create a small committed team and apply for a Cabin DAO grant that could sponsor building materials and a series of events / hackathons / residencies?
