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Popular Posts...

  • The Persian ice house, or how to make ice in the desert
    April 4, 2016

    The Persian ice house, or how to make ice in the desert

  • Build with Gambia Earth Architecture Workshop: Experimenting with local materials in rural Gambia
    August 18, 2019

    Build with Gambia Earth Architecture Workshop: Experimenting with local materials in rural Gambia

  • Earthbag domes of Dome Lombok: From ecotourism to earthquake-resistant housing
    November 17, 2019

    Earthbag domes of Dome Lombok: From ecotourism to earthquake-resistant housing

  • Architecture, sustainability, travel and this blog
    November 23, 2015

    Architecture, sustainability, travel and this blog

  • Bridge building with Toni Rüttimann and rural communities of Myanmar
    December 17, 2019

    Bridge building with Toni Rüttimann and rural communities of Myanmar

  • Floating villages and gardens of Inle Lake
    January 4, 2016

    Floating villages and gardens of Inle Lake

  • Traditional earth lodges of the Great Plains
    July 7, 2016

    Traditional earth lodges of the Great Plains

  • Searching for windcatchers in Hyderabad
    February 15, 2016

    Searching for windcatchers in Hyderabad

  • Providing clean drinking water to the people of Lake Atitlan
    June 19, 2017

    Providing clean drinking water to the people of Lake Atitlan

  • Ganvie, Africa’s largest lake village
    September 2, 2019

    Ganvie, Africa’s largest lake village

natural building

Traditional desert architecture of South-East Tunisia
Historic sites, Vernacular architecture October 30, 2024

Traditional desert architecture of South-East Tunisia

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The desert region of South-East Tunisia is home to some extraordinary traditional architecture, including cave houses and fortified granaries.

Uros Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca
Communities, Vernacular architecture June 16, 2024

Uros Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca

719 Views 0 by Erika

The Uros Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca in Peru are home to an indigenous community living on floating reed islands.

The living root bridges of India
Engineering, Environment, Vernacular architecture August 9, 2020

The living root bridges of India

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In the jungles of Northeast India, a tradition of weaving together roots of living trees has created strong and regenerative root bridges that have served generations.

Traditions and modernization of vernacular architecture in West Timor
Architecture, Vernacular architecture March 15, 2020

Traditions and modernization of vernacular architecture in West Timor

1,255 Views 0 by Erika

A merge of modern and traditional building materials and techniques is transforming vernacular housing in Indonesia’s West Timor.

Earthbag domes of Dome Lombok: From ecotourism to earthquake-resistant housing
Architecture, Responsible tourism, Social sustainability November 17, 2019

Earthbag domes of Dome Lombok: From ecotourism to earthquake-resistant housing

2,218 Views 4 by Erika

Dome Lombok is building an ecoresort of earthbag domes on the Indonesian island of Lombok, and the technique is also proving to be valuable for affordable housing in the earthquake-prone country.

Abetenim Arts Village and the rammed earth schools of Ghana
Architecture, Social sustainability, Vernacular architecture October 17, 2019

Abetenim Arts Village and the rammed earth schools of Ghana

3,294 Views 0 by Erika

Abetenim Arts Village is a vocational school project in rural Ghana that is promoting earth building techniques, in particular rammed earth.

Build with Gambia Earth Architecture Workshop: Experimenting with local materials in rural Gambia
Architecture, Design, Vernacular architecture, Volunteering August 18, 2019

Build with Gambia Earth Architecture Workshop: Experimenting with local materials in rural Gambia

2,490 Views 4 by Erika

Build with Gambia was an earth architecture workshop project with the goal of designing and building a dormitory for a rural vocational school using local materials.

Defensive and spiritual tata sombas of the Batammariba
Vernacular architecture July 28, 2019

Defensive and spiritual tata sombas of the Batammariba

1,192 Views 0 by Erika

Tata sombas are a type of vernacular house in Togo and Benin built by the Batammariba tribe, for whom the traditional house is full of cultural and religious symbolism.

Vernacular architecture of Dogon Country and its development
Architecture, Vernacular architecture March 7, 2019

Vernacular architecture of Dogon Country and its development

3,934 Views 0 by Erika

Mali’s Dogon Country has a rich heritage of vernacular building techniques and this heritage is being kept alive and developed through school building projects.

Artistic action and clay oven construction at Portes et Passages du Retour art center
Design, Social sustainability, Vernacular architecture, Volunteering February 20, 2019

Artistic action and clay oven construction at Portes et Passages du Retour art center

350 Views 0 by Erika

Portes et Passages du Retour is a holistic art center in Senegal where art becomes a tool for social change.

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About

Welcome to my blog! My name is Erika Alatalo and I’m a world traveler and humanitarian architect writing about sustainable development, architecture and travel. Check out this page for more information.

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