humanitarian design

a red wall with a bench structure that a woman and child are citting on. a square cut-out behind them has a dotted pattern on the wall

Passive solar community in Brazil combines social justice and sustainability

To empower a marginalized community in Brazil’s Maranhão state, São Paulo-based architecture firm Estudio...

Architects design giant air purifying towers to fight Delhi’s air pollution

According to WHO, air quality in India’s capital of Delhi is among the worst in the world and is the fifth leading...

Designer invents self-testing HIV kit made out of recycled plastic

One of the largest obstacles in HIV prevention is the lack of clinics and resources in developing countries around...

black and yellow building with sawtooth roof

Desmond Tutu Clinic welcomes HIV patients with a striking sawtooth roof

In the Cape Town township of Masiphumelele, approximately 30 percent of the residents are infected with HIV. To...

Chris Maurer, Biocycler, redhouse studios, recycled materials, recycled buildings, recycled building materials, biomaterials, fungus biomaterials

redhouse studio is making a giant machine that recycles entire buildings

Did you know that buildings are responsible for 39 percent of the United States' carbon emissions? Architect Chris...

Elevated bamboo peace bridge for the Korean Demilitarized Zone unveiled by Shigeru Ban and Jae-Eun Choi

South Korean artist Jae-Eun Choi is teaming up with prolific architect Shigeru Ban to bridge a peaceful relationship...

Bridge Housing Communities, Gensler, San Jose, tiny home village, tiny house village, tiny homes, tiny houses, architecture

San Jose city council approves tiny home village for the homeless

San Jose has been struggling with homelessness, but tiny homes could offer a solution. The City Council recently...

Shigeru Ban, Mother Teresa award, Architecture's First Responder, disaster relief housing, refugee housing Shigeru Ban, humanitarian design, refugee housing, sustainable design, sustainable shelter design, green design, naturally-sourced building materials, , refugee crisis, UN agency, UN habitat, Kalobeyei Settlement

Shigeru Ban honored with Mother Teresa award for dedication to disaster relief architecture

Prolific architect and Pritzker Prize recipient, Shigeru Ban has been selected as one of the winners of the Mother...

What3Words, INDEX: Award, green app, humanitarian design, green product, social design, sustainable design

What3Words provides an address for every person and point on planet earth

What3Words is a revolutionary addressing system that pinpoints locations more precisely than conventional street...

Zipline Medical Drone, Fly Zipline, drone design, medical drone service, INDEX: AWARD 2017, green design, drone services, medical drone services, drone design, medical technology, medical delivery, humanitarian design,

Zipline drones deliver life-saving medical supplies in under an hour

83% of rural Africans lack access to critical healthcare services - and delivering emergency supplies is often...

INDEX: Award, INDEX: Design to Improve Life, sustainable design, green design, social design, humanitarian design, eco design, green products, sustainability initiatives, design award, sustainable design award, biggest design award, ZIPLINE, What3Words, GreenWave, Paperfuge, Ethereum

5 brilliant designs that will change the world win the 2017 INDEX: Award

The world's biggest design award was just bestowed upon five groundbreaking green designs that stand to improve...

OffGridBox, container with water and power, off grid water and electricity, OffGridBox locations, off grid container box, off grid water, offgrid power

Compact OffGridBox provides drinking water and power where it’s needed most

An Italian company has developed a compact solution for communities that lack access to clean drinking water and...

Shigeru Ban, refugees housing Shigeru Ban, Shigeru Ban refugees, kenya refugee housing, Shigeru Ban kenya, humanitarian design, refugee housing, sustainable design, sustainable shelter design, green design, naturally-sourced building materials, kenyan building materials, refugee crisis, UN agency, UN habitat, Kalobeyei Settlement

Shigeru Ban designs 20,000 homes for severely overcrowded refugee camp in Kenya

World-renowned architect, Shigeru Ban, is taking his talents to those who need it most. Working in collaboration...

Father's Day, Timberland x Thread, footwear, shoes

8 fabulous and creative Father’s Day gifts from $0 to $27,500

Finding the right gift for Dad can be elusive; ties, golf clubs, and a good set of knives feel kind of tired by...

Nof Nathansohn, Bedouin communities, Home Made, affordable homes, digital architecture, green energy, Israeli Bedouin, green design, green building, digital building, architecture software, sustainable design, humanitarian design, temporary structures

Student invents computer program to help Bedouin villages build better homes

Architecture student Nof Nathansohn is on a mission to provide decent living solutions for the marginalized Bedouin...

Shigeru Ban, Emergency shelters, disaster shelters, cardboard home, bamboo home, emergency cardboard home, Shigeru Ban Architects, shelter design, disaster shelters, disaster structures, humanitarian design, temporary architecture, cardboard architecture, temporary shelter, shelter structures, bamboos structures, locally-sourced materials, Ecuado, bamboo shelters, Pritzker Prize architects, affordable housing, cardboard housing, green design, humanitarian architecture

Ingenious cardboard and bamboo emergency shelters by Shigeru Ban pop up in Sydney

Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban is widely known and respected for his 20 year career in designing...

6 groundbreaking examples of tech innovations inspired by biomimicry

Da Vinci was definitely on to something when he observed birds and copied their forms to create his own wings for...

The Beacon, lighthouse, Toronto, wooden structure, donation, charity, João Araújo Sousa & Joana Correia Silva Arquitectura, green architecture, humanitarian design

Tiny Toronto lighthouse serves multiple functions at once

This minimalist wooden lighthouse installed at Woodbine beach in Toronto doubles as a temporary drop-off location...

Veterans Community Project, tiny homes, tiny home community, tiny homes for veterans, homeless vets, humanitarian design, kansas city tiny homes, tiny home designs, social designs, tiny shelters, veteran housing, veteran community, veteran housing

Missouri community is building 50 tiny homes for homeless veterans

The epidemic of homeless veterans has hit numerous communities across the country, but one Missouri town is about...

Haresh Lalvani, Pratt Institute Center for Experimental Structures, biomimicry design, humanitarian design, shelter design, 3D structures, futuristic design, emergency housing, emergency shelters, refugee housing, biomimicry design, metal housing, flat pack housing, metal shelters

Self-shaping shelters that could revolutionize emergency housing

Emergency shelter design is becoming increasingly important due to the various refugee situations occurring around...

Better Shelter Housing Unit, Ikea refugee shelters, flatpack shelters, humanitarian design, refugee housing, led lighting, modular shelters, shelter design, green shelters, solar powered shelters, refugee crisis, lightweight plastic shelters, recycled plastic, green design, sustainable design

Ikea flat-pack refugee shelters awarded Design of the Year

IKEA's flat-pack refugee structure, the Better Shelter, has been awarded Design of the Year by London's respected...

Fournier Rojas Arquitectos, centro communtario, costa rica, circular homes, round homes, El Rodeo de Mora community center, social housing, social design, community center design, humanitarian design, natural materials, locally-sourced materials, green materials, resilient design, sustainable design

Architects use local materials to build beautiful Costa Rica community center

Round building offer many advantages in terms of sustainability and resilience, so it's no surprise to see disaster-prone...

Center of Hope Haiti, Thrive Architecture, Building Goodness Foundation, haiti earthquake, buiding in haiti, haiti schools, haiti rebuild, school design, humanitarian design, LED lighting, energy conservation, passive energy, recycled insulation, repurposed styrofoam, locally-sourced materials, green building materials, upcycled building materials

Haiti renovation project boosts community using local labor and materials

Nothing warms our design-loving hearts like a project built by and for communities, and with local resources to...

Bangladesh, Biosand Filter, Wood Mold OHorizons

Non-profit creates open-source drinking water filter for 1/10th of the cost

Non-profit organization OHorizons recently created an innovative BioSand Filter that can deliver clean water at...

Seattle, Sawhorse Revolution, tiny homes for Seattle homeless, youth-built homes for Seattle homeless, tiny houses seattle, homeless tiny home camps seattle, Nickelville camps Seattle, seattle teens tiny homes, tiny home communities, Impossible City 1, Impossible City 2

Seattle teens build mobile tiny homes for local homeless community

We love stories about youth channelling their ideals into life-changing projects, especially when there are tiny...

Standing Rock protests, Shelter for the Storm, Standing Rock pipeline, Matt Musselwhite, tiny homes Matt Musselwhite, Standing Rock protest, DAPL, Veterans for Standing Rock, Deep Green Resistance, standing rock pipeline, Dakota Access Pipeline, Lakota tribe, Dakota tribes, Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, pipeline protests, sioux indian protests, tiny home shelters, modular shelters, emergency shelters

Oregon man donates tiny homes to Standing Rock water protectors

The Standing Rock protest began in April when members from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe began to protest against...

Biodesign Competition to ideate the X-Prize for regenerative building

Biodesign Architecture Competition extends deadline to Sept 6th

Calling all future-forward architects and designers! How can we create buildings that heal themselves, ourselves,...

Biodesign Competition, Bio Design Competition, X-Prize for Healthy Buildings, X-Prize for regenerative buildings, X-Prize for green buildings, green architecture, biomimicry, biomemetic design, biomimetic architecture, architecture futures, architecture design competition

Designers, get ready for the BioDesign Competition – cash prize of $1000

Calling all future-looking designers and architects! We've got a cool new design competition coming up for you...

bright yellow dome home, Mama Dolfine's orphanage, Korando Educational Center, brick dome home, Kisumu dome home, Kenya dome home, dome home in Kenya, sustainable dome home, Torsten Kremser, Better Me Foundation

Bright yellow dome home completed for Mama Dolfine’s orphanage in Kenya

Torsten told Inhabitat, "When we started this project back in January 2015 the plan was to raise funds to build...

buildair, ulites, inflatable shelter, emergency shelter with built-in solar, inflatable emergency shelter, disaster response, inflatable airplane hangar, uLites emergency shelter, solar-powered emergency shelter that inflates quickly

Inflatable uLites emergency shelter with built-in solar sets up in just 30 minutes

When disaster strikes, providing shelter for displaced residents or to set up an emergency hospital is often one...

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