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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

NGOs

Maternity hospital construction in the midst of a humanitarian crisis with Médecins Sans Frontières
Architecture, Humanitarian aid May 7, 2022

Maternity hospital construction in the midst of a humanitarian crisis with Médecins Sans Frontières

601 Views 0 by Erika

As Construction Manager at Médecins Sans Frontières, I worked on the design and construction of a maternity hospital in Northeast Nigeria.

School renovations in rural Tanzania with C-re-aid
Architecture, Social sustainability January 30, 2021

School renovations in rural Tanzania with C-re-aid

1,067 Views 0 by Erika

In 2019-2020 I managed two school renovations in Shimbwe village in Northern Tanzania while working for architectural NGO Cr-e-aid.

Reforestation and community living at Sadhana Forest India
Communities, Environment, Volunteering October 11, 2020

Reforestation and community living at Sadhana Forest India

846 Views 0 by Erika

Sadhana Forest India is a reforestation project and a model for sustainable community living.

Participatory design of WASH in schools with UNICEF Guinea-Bissau
Architecture, Design, Social sustainability June 9, 2019

Participatory design of WASH in schools with UNICEF Guinea-Bissau

344 Views 0 by Erika

In January 2019 I took part in an in-situ studio in Guinea-Bissau where we used participatory design to design inclusive sanitation facilities for schools.

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

Vernacular architecture of Dogon Country and its development

3,908 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

348 Views 0 by Erika

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

The Nubian vault is transforming low-cost housing in West Africa
Architecture, Social sustainability, Vernacular architecture February 6, 2019

The Nubian vault is transforming low-cost housing in West Africa

2,243 Views 1 by Erika

The Nubian Vault Association is improving housing conditions, fighting climate change and creating employment in West Africa by facilitating a market in earth brick vaults.

Innovative agriculture meets entrepreneurship at MyFarm
Agriculture, Social sustainability January 10, 2019

Innovative agriculture meets entrepreneurship at MyFarm

314 Views 0 by Erika

MyFarm is an educational demonstration farm that is improving livelihoods in The Gambia by promoting agricultural innovation and entrepreneurship.

Senegalese villages fight desertification and poverty by becoming ecovillages
Agriculture, Communities, Environment, Social sustainability, Volunteering August 19, 2018

Senegalese villages fight desertification and poverty by becoming ecovillages

2,153 Views 2 by Erika

Rural communities in Senegal are turning to permaculture and the global ecovillage movement in an effort to fight desertification while improving food security and quality of life.

Moroccan fog harvesting project relieves water stress and rural poverty
Engineering, Social sustainability, Water May 8, 2018

Moroccan fog harvesting project relieves water stress and rural poverty

2,144 Views 1 by Erika

Dar Si Hmad is a Moroccan non-profit organization that is improving water security and promoting sustainable livelihoods in rural Morocco with the help of the world’s largest fog harvesting system.

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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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