ABSTRACT
Over the last few years the number of architects engaged in the search for solutions to address our planet’s critical situation, has been happily increasing. While most of the research has taken the path of innovative technology, CRAterre and other teams have turned towards the knowledge that each culture has developed over the centuries to extract the intelligence it can provide in terms of sustainability. This paper presents two buildings that have drawn inspiration from local heritage, one in Albreda, The Gambia, and the second in Kilwa, Tanzania. Both buildings are tourist information centres connected to World Heritage Sites. They aim to demonstrate how vernacular architecture contributes to socio-economic development while protecting cultural landscapes. In both cases CRAterre organised participatory design workshops with local craftspeople and tourist guides, to search for clever architectural features before deciding which materials and spaces they would like to have in their new buildings.
