ABSTRACT
Since its inception in 1976, Habitat for Humanity has become one of the most important non-governmental organisations (NGOs) globally dealing with issues related to architecture and the built environment. In its particular area of expertise, housing, it is fair to say it is the world’s leading non-profit organisation. According to its own figures, it has over two million volunteers, has helped five million people out of poverty, and works in over seventy countries.1 It sees housing as a human right, and has developed its own unique funding and delivery method. It has raised millions of dollars from high-profile and small donors across the world, and has, in its own right, become one of the major housing providers in the US.2 The history behind its engagement with housing begins in the 1970s but, in more recent years, it has also engaged in projects around HIV and disaster relief.
