PHOTOS: A Celebration of 'Engaged' Global Architecture

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Think Global, Build Social! Architectures for a Better World is a new exhibition by the Deutsches Arkitekturmuseum (German Architecture Museum) that seeks to understand and celebrate a recent trend in design called “engaged architecture.” The show features projects and practices that confront certain realities in the contemporary world—from slum conditions to rural underdevelopment. In most cases, these are projects without clients, in places largely untouched by developers. And while the projects are all geographically and programmatically disparate, the exhibition seeks to tie them together under the framework of architectural ethics and responsibility.

Think Global engages these practices under several categories: materials, dwelling, participation, culture, and design/build. Each of these categories aligns common venues for innovation. For example, “materials” showcases the use of locally sourced construction out of resources such as clay, brick, or bamboo, while “participation” focuses on the ways these practices teach local inhabitants building techniques, and other skills, while allowing them to influence the final design.

This is a vitally important realm of architectural practice and is evidence of just how effective the built environment can be in changing the world for the better. Think Global runs to September 1 at the Deutsches Arkitekturmuseum DAM in Frankfurt. Check out our selection of projects on display below:

Butaro Hospital
MASS Design Group
Distrikt Burera, Rwanda, 2010
Photo © Iwan Baan
Read more about this A+ Award winner on the Architizer database.

Secondary School Gando
Diébédo Francis Kéré:
Gando, Burkina Faso, since 2010
Photo © Francis Kéré

Djinindjebougou School
Emilio Caravatti, Matteo Caravatti, Sarah Trianni:
Djinindjebougou, Mali, 2006–2007
Photo: © Emilio Caravatti

Safe Haven Library
TYIN tegnestue Architects
Ban Tha Song Yang, Thailand, 2009
Photo: © Pasi Aalto\\pasiaalto.com

Cassa Co-op Training Centre
TYIN tegnestue Architects
Sungai Penuh, Kerinchi, Sumatra, Indonesia, 2011
Photo: © Pasi Aalto\\pasiaalto.com

Sra Pou Berufsschule
Architects Rudanko + Kankkunen:
Sra Pou, Cambodia, 2010–2012
Photo: © Anssi Kankkunen

Mzamba School
Orange Farm
Mzamba, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 2010
Photo: © Markus Dobmeier

Temporary dormitories
a.gor.a Architekten:
Mae Sot, Thailand, 2012
Photo © Franc Pallarès-López