SEEDS has built 80 bamboo houses as part of a community-driven flood response programme in Assam, India. Vulnerable to natural disasters, the self-reliant assamese communities have developed indigenous construction and planning techniques over the centuries, creating a built-environment exclusive to the terrain. However, due to haphazard development in the region, the traditional knowledge systems are being ignored, leading to an unsafe environment, loss of lives and livelihoods. The development was therefore formulated with a vision to build resilient communities through participatory design, illustrating a model of contemporary vernacular architecture. A team of architects worked with local families to come up with a hybrid housing design — one that married modern technology with local traditional architecture.
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