About me
My name is Erika Alatalo and I’m a Finnish architect, engineer and nomad who loves to travel. Travel means different things to different people, but to me traveling is a way to learn about and connect with the rest of the world – a type of field study.
My master’s studies focused on sustainable development, which changed not only how I view the world but how I view traveling. I graduated on June 1st, 2016 and on the same day I became a nomad and left home to go traveling for an unspecified period of time. My goal was to search for inspiring projects and ways to share my skills through volunteering – trying to convince myself there is still some hope left for this messed up world. The first two years I spent on the road and volunteered in nearly 20 projects around the world. Since 2018 I have been working in development and humanitarian aid while traveling in between projects and following a nomadic lifestyle.
About Field Study of the World
Field Study of the World is a blog I created in order to share and document observations I’ve made about the built environment and issues of sustainability while traveling and working around the world. I started by documenting some of my earlier travels, but since June 2016 the blog has followed my current nomadic life as a traveler, volunteer and humanitarian and development aid worker.
Through this blog I hope to inspire and inform other architects, engineers, travelers and anybody interested in sustainability. Basically, I write about buildings, techniques, projects, people, communities or systems that I feel can inspire a more sustainable and resilient world. The blog is based on my travels and work, written from the perspective of an architect. Some of my main topics are:
- Environmental threats like climate change and environmental degradation
Example post: Moroccan fog harvesting project relieves water stress and rural poverty - Inspiring examples of sustainable architecture and design
Example post: METI Handmade School – design from tradition - Different sustainable building techniques in action
Example post: The Nubian vault is transforming low-cost housing in West Africa - Vernacular and informal architecture based on local needs, materials and climate
Example post: Floating villages and gardens of Inle Lake - Traditional techniques in tune with the climate and environment
Example post: The living root bridges of India - Historic sites that teach about the rise and fall of past civilizations
Example post: 4500-year-old urban planning at Mohenjo-daro - Social sustainability projects improving lives and reducing poverty
Example post: Fundacion En Via – empowering rural women through responsible tourism - Grassroots projects showing the power of the people
Example post: Grassroots waste management at Kibuye market - Inspiring communities promoting sustainable living and permaculture
Example post: Senegalese villages fight desertification and poverty by becoming ecovillages - Alternative and sustainable food production methods
Example post: Urban farming and its necessity in Cuba - Management of waste, water and other resources
Example post: How the Plastic Bottle Village is turning waste into a resource - Ecotourism, volunteering and responsible tourism
Example post: Self-sufficiency and tourism in the Wadi Rum Desert - Personal projects I have been involved in through work and volunteering
Example post: Build with Gambia Earth Architecture Workshop: Social architecture in practice at Kantora Arts Village
You can follow my posts and extra pictures by liking my Facebook page, and for a lighter version of my travels you can follow my Instagram account.
You can read more about me and how this blog came to be in my first post.
All photos and other images on this website are by me unless otherwise stated.