About us

The objective is to reinforce the competences of the architects as actors of the development process, while emphasizing their social role as citizens in helping the vulnerable and divested populations, of the North and the South.

A&D also contributes to the creation of a network of expertise and capacity building in several fields of intervention like - the problem of appropriate and environmentally responsive architecture, linking of the urban and rural development, response to the humanitarian and the post-emergency need of disasters and the conservation of our built and cultural heritage.

Thanks to a mulitcultural approach and a team of multi-disciplinary people, A&D has involved itself in the framework of international solidarity through the organization of events, training programmes, sensibilization and the organization of exchanges in North / South and South/ South countries and the implementation of development projects through a system of cooperation and partnerships.

Our Action is based on the premise that:

1. Habitat needs to has become a major concern and component in the developmental policy - Due to the phenomena of urbanization, the relationship between urban and rural development needs to be re-addressed and this involves a change in the process of economic, cultural and social developments.

2. Much more needs to be done by the professionals to achieve a more holistic habitat paradigm - The architectural practice in the South has become complex, the actors of international solidarity have changed as well as the contexts of intervention. The traditional players need to modify their strategies and the technicians need to evolve in their professional skills. The projects inevitably encounter a shortage of means and competences: the questions arise are concerned with, the appropriate construction techniques, new planning and management tools, information technologies, the environmental challenges, all that are not sufficiently integrated in a global and sustainable developmental perspective.

3. Role of the architect cannot be reduced to a simple technical answer but needs to include long term sustainability approaches - The current training of the architects remains not too very open to the diversity of new practices. The role of the architect must be able to coordinate its work within a multi-disciplinary framework and should be at the service of a global community. For the architect, the culture of the project is also a culture of the development: the professional practices in North as in the South are confronted with the same difficulties (exclusion, strong urbanization, social conflicts, economic crisis...).

Specific Objectives:

– Introduction of architectural and urban competencies amongst the partners of development and humanitarianism processes

– To share the know-how and experiences amongst the professional architects

– To reconsider the divide between the emergency works and that of long term development

– To renew the professional practices by supporting initiatives and innovative projects with an academic or participatory approach

– To identify and reinforce existing competences in the Southern countries and to promote their networking at the International level

– To promote an approach of development based on cooperation and partnerships involving the mutual exchange of experiences and with the active participation of the beneficiaries

A&D contributes to emergence works and a network of competences specialized in architecture and urbanisation, through: the realization of projects, the intervention on specific missions, the sensitizing and the training of (future) the architects as actors of development.

Project Management Structure:

The majority of the interventions are carried out in the developing countries and each project calls on specific expertise. The piloting of the projects is generally done by an expert on the field in partnership with a local organisation.

Expertise and Support:

A&D groups together experts in different areas of expertise for short missions, interventions and evaluation. A&D has chosen to work with multi-disciplinary experts team, to capture the efficacy and develop technical know-how of each team member, and also share the solutions and procedures with all, at all stages of the projects design and development.

Each project in the field has a senior expert designated to follow-up the implementation in the field and provide technical as required.

Network

A&D brings together partners in the North and South supporting and promoting exchange of ideas.

The association is engaged in forums and events favouring the development and sensitization of civil society.

Assistance to work expertise.

Provides accompaniment and support to the assembly and the programming of projects - Need assessment, programme formulation, phasing and planning. Preliminary feasibility study and the compilation of financial files for the technical and operational parties.

Work Expertise

Studies, conception & design of projects followed closely by coordination.

Evaluation

Impact studies, intervention strategies and feasibility criteria during the course and at the end of the project. Evaluations missions are done in order to see if the study, design work and all the criterias of the project are followed.

FIELDS OF ACTION

Appropriate architecture, research and development of relevant technical solutions using the local resources (materials and renewable energies).

Urban and rural development.

Feasibility studies, analysis and implementation of habitat(housing) projects along with social, educational and cultural facilities.

Humanitarianism Post Emergency.

Guidance and expertise imparted to the NGOs for the reconstruction programmes for rehabilitation and prevention of the major risks and disasters.

Heritage and Equitable Tourism.

Inventory and strategies for increasing the value of importance of the heritage buildings for collective memory and equitable tourism.

New Communication and Information Technologies.

Animation of a platform to reflect on the role of the NTIC for promotion of appropriate architecture.

Sensitizing the different populations to the specifics of architecture in the Southern countries

Today, when issues related to Habitat are of importance in the public debate in the South as in the North, A&D chooses to sensitize the public opinion, the participants of development and largely the participating civil society :

– At the regional and global forums (European Social Forum, World Social Forum)
– At events related to the International Solidarity (International Solidarity Week)
– At seminars and conferences of its partners (Schools of Architecture, NGO, public partners...)

Since the beginning, we have been inviting you, every two months, to take part in the evaluation of field projects. These informal meetings, held at the head office, make it possible to share our experiences and to reflect together upon our activities. The schedule of these meetings is available on the home page of the site.

Organization of events on the subject of Development

A&D organizes conferences, worksops, exhibitions on subjects related to development and architecture, such as “Habitat in the Southern countries”, “Women Masons”, “Architecture with Earth”, “Architecture & Emergency”

Giving importance to and dissemination of practices & experiences gained through the completion of projects

We allow our partners to gain exposure and publish their projects and experiences. We thus contribute to the dissemination of experiences and exchange of ideas and opinions.

Activation of the associated networks in the North and the South

A&D contributes to the debate on international solidarity by means of professionals, students’ networks and the youth. We put forth our experiences and exchange information, in order to create a new bond between the university and professional world. We support contacts between the North - South and the other schools of architecture, associations, local university structures through conventions of partnership and exchanges between students and architects.

Head Office
27, rue Chanez - 75016 - Paris

Postal Address :
2, rue de la Providence - 75013 - Paris

Contact us :
archidev [at] archidev.org