Around the world, communities are seeking ways to protect their built traditions, strengthen local craftsmanship, and build sustainably in the face of rapid change.
This year’s grantees represent a remarkable breadth of vision and geography — from community timber framing in Canada, to climate-resilient bamboo housing in India, to empowering women in Mexico through hands-on workshops. Each project brings heritage, craftsmanship, and sustainability into powerful conversation, demonstrating how local initiatives can respond to global challenges in the built environment.
Through the Grassroots Grants Programme, INTBAU is supporting local leaders and groups whose creativity and commitment are helping to preserve traditional knowledge, foster cultural resilience, and create sustainable futures.
Building the Future: Evaluating Traditional Wall Systems in Rural Uganda
Matthew Espeland | Kalongo, Uganda
In rural northern Uganda, where housing is often temporary and precarious, architectural designer Matthew Espeland is working with local communities to test new pathways for sustainable, affordable construction.
With the support of the INTBAU Grassroots grant, Matthew will construct and evaluate three prototype dwellings: one traditional (unfired adobe and thatch), one contemporary (fired brick and iron sheet roofing), and one hybrid (rammed earth with improved thatch). Built in collaboration with artisans through community workshops, the prototypes will be tested for cost, durability, sustainability, and cultural acceptance.
The project will generate a pattern book of scalable solutions, bridging the gap between tradition and innovation. By challenging stigmas around vernacular techniques and empowering local artisans, this initiative aims to transform rural housing and demonstrate the enduring value of traditional knowledge.
Public Timber Farming Workshop: Principal Trusses
The Brown Homestead | St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
At The Brown Homestead — Ontario’s oldest surviving house — a bold initiative is bringing heritage and community together. Led by Director of Programming Theresa Felicetti, Project Manager Mackenzie Campbell, and timber framer Dawson Willsey, the team is constructing a 1,200 sq/ft dry stone and timber-framed pavilion to serve as a vibrant public gathering place.
Central to this year’s work is a public timber framing workshop that will invite community members to help assemble one of the pavilion’s principal trusses. Participants will gain hands-on experience in joinery, explore the region’s timber heritage, and engage with the principles of sustainable building. Educational videos and written resources will extend the project’s reach far beyond the site itself.
The pavilion will stand as both a functional space and a living classroom — a reminder that traditional skills are not only worth preserving, but vital for shaping more sustainable futures.
Heritage Reimagined: Resilient Bamboo Dwelling
MAATI (Mavens of Architecture and Traditional Ideologies) | Majuli, Assam, India
In Majuli, the world’s largest river island, annual floods threaten the homes and heritage of the Mishing community. Zarna Shah and Sanjukta Das of MAATI are addressing this crisis with an inspired reimagining of traditional bamboo housing — one that honours cultural identity while strengthening resilience against climate change.
Their design introduces a bamboo-reinforced soil foundation system, using locally available Bhaluka Bah bamboo to resist erosion and provide durable, low-cost housing. The new dwellings integrate sanitation, modern amenities, and improved thermal comfort while retaining the architectural language of Mishing traditions. Training programmes for artisans and young people will revitalise bamboo craftsmanship and ensure skills are passed on.
This project is more than an architectural solution: it is a model for climate-adaptive living that strengthens cultural identity, generates livelihoods, and safeguards both community and landscape for the future.
Traditional Construction Workshops for Young Students and Women
Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo & Escuela Autónoma de Mujeres | Michoacán, Mexico
In Michoacán, Mexico, the erosion of traditional building skills is being met with a bold educational response led by Professor Elia Mercedes Alonso Guzmán and her team. Their initiative places young people and women at the centre of cultural revival, using construction as a tool for empowerment.
Supported by the Grassroots Grant, the project will deliver four workshops — at the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo (UMSNH), with the Escuela Autónoma de Mujeres, and within a low-income community. Participants will be trained in working with earth, wood, bamboo, stone, and lime, with a strong focus on earthen architecture.
Together, they will construct a prototype demonstration module, each wall built using a different vernacular technique — adobe, cob, bahareque, and more. Serving both as a teaching tool and as a permanent base for the women’s school, this module embodies the project’s commitment to skill-building, sustainability, and gender equity.
Oasis Campus: Broadening Horizons
Terrachidia | Morocco
Terrachidia’s Oasis Campus has long been a meeting point between heritage and innovation, offering young architects and technicians the chance to engage with Morocco’s earthen architecture traditions through immersive workshops. Now, thanks to Grassroots support, its reach will grow even wider.
This year’s grant will fund a scholarship scheme enabling participants from across Africa and the Maghreb to join upcoming workshops in Ich (September 2025) and M’Hamid (February 2026). Combining hands-on restoration with research, documentation, and intercultural exchange, each workshop offers a holistic education in traditional building.
By lifting financial barriers, the project ensures that emerging leaders from the region most affected by the erosion of traditional skills can become their most effective guardians. New testimonial films will further amplify their voices, spreading awareness of heritage and sustainability worldwide.
Looking Ahead
From Canada to India, Uganda to Mexico and Morocco, this year’s grantees embody the essence of INTBAU’s Grassroots Grants Programme: locally grounded, globally significant, and deeply committed to building a sustainable future. Each project demonstrates how heritage knowledge and contemporary creativity can come together to address today’s most pressing challenges in the built environment.
Text by Emaan Adeel Javed
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