Emergent Vernacular Architecture (EVA Studio)

Emergent Vernacular Architecture is a socially oriented research and design studio. Since February 2015 EVA Studio’s team has been providing urban and architectural design solutions from London and Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

People are at the centre of our practice’s ethos. Our studio acknowledges the values of people’s solutions when responding to situations of scarcity, both in the global south and in developed countries. Community-based research helps us identify and understand the emergent processes and vernacular methods of a given place; integrating them into design solutions aims to achieve architecture that is inherently human.

We see architecture as more than just a design. For us it is an inclusive process based on collaborative effort. Through different levels of public engagement processes, we are able to explore a community’s vision and potential, and make places that promote equality, resilience and the creation of social capital.

Our work in Haiti focuses on public buildings and spaces in informal neighborhoods, with the aim of improving quality of life, providing people with ownership, and creating stronger community ties. In London we are using the same approach to develop a new model for low-cost housing, a model that aims to develop the potential of both people and a place.