This paper presents the features and capabilities of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) designed and built by the authors, which is meant to be the reference machine for open data code validation purposes under the project VODCA, VAWT Open Data for Code Assessment. The machine, whose design details are provided openly and summarized in the present document, has Individual Pitch Control (IPC) capability and it will be used for wind tunnel tests. Related results will be shared with participants who want to validate their own code, in terms of prediction of the aerodynamics or assessment of IPC strategies. The article reports a comprehensive overview of the state of the art of laboratory tests for VAWTs as well as the motivation of VODCA project, further to the need of code validation against experimental tests in controlled environment. The various phases of the project are also presented. Furthermore, the design of the carbon fiber blades, the structural components, as well as the mechatronics of the machine are summarized in this paper. Moreover, the experimental characterization of the machine's effective capabilities and properties, carried out after the completion of the building process, is reported and then the testing possibilities are defined and discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.