The first few weeks of 2025 mark a promising start to the year with us fully immersed in projects that seek to reduce the overall use of concrete and steel in favour of a more diverse pallet using local materials and design strategies to reduce carbon footprint. One of our ongoing projects in construction combines standard building materials with less ‘extractive’ alternatives, for example, compacted earth bricks instead of fired ones, bamboo roof rafters in place of metal frames, and recycled plastic roofing sheets instead of aluminium roof decking or concrete tiles.

Using these alternatives is not without problems; their real-life applications bring forth unforeseen limitations and unresolved issues. Each step of their use calls for an intense enquiry, with room necessary for modifications, failed methods, starting over and more often than we liked, acceptance of deficiencies. It sounds like a huge hassle, but we see this as a privilege.