Can a building own itself? Or more precisely, is there such a thing as autonomous, anonymous property ownership as opposed to private ownership? 

Materials & Applications and FOAM DAO host a short workshop that explores alternate financial systems for land ownership. We (seriously) examine the development of an open-source smart contract token protocol on the Ethereal blockchain, starting with the basic questions: How does blockchain work? What are tokens and how do you acquire them? How is blockchain different from paper technologies like cash? What happens when speculation and development is unmoored from actual land ownership? In this alternate system, what drives economic incentive, how does speculation and development work, and how would our value systems operate monetarily and morally? 

About FOAM

FOAM DAO is a decentralized architecture office working on the design and production of technology and buildings for the next generation of cities. Their office is an open network composed of an international team of architects that have lectured, published and exhibited with major global cultural institutions.

We suggest the following readings for a quick download about the current state of blockchain systems and engineering, and their broader social implications. 

Blockchain readings:

"Blockchain Tokens and the dawn of the Decentralized Business Model”

“Programmable Blockchains in Context” 

"Decentralized Autonomous Society”

FOAM readings:

"New Power Generation: FOAM on Devising a Decentralized Architecture Office” 

“Value Slips Away: Funding with Foam and Cryptocurrency” 

"Towards a decentralized architecture with FOAM + the Blockchain”