Human settlements

Building today for tomorrow. Improving access housing of high environmental and cultural quality

More than a quarter of the world’s population is living in indecent conditions, despite that housing is recognised as a basic right. Housing is a precursory condition to the dignity of a people and their progress in society: without decent housing, there can be no development.

To satisfy the social demand and to adapt to the diversity of physical and social contexts, long-lasting and innovative responses must be proposed. How can we create quality housing that responds to the needs, yet remains accessible? How can we better utilise lands and their resources so as to contribute to social and economic development? How can we reduce vulnerability and better prepare ourselves in the face of natural vagaries and risks? Local construction cultures have an important role to play in human development. Earthen construction is to build today for tomorrow, and to contribute to a world that is sustainable and accessible to more people

The Housing theme encompasses two research programmes:

  • Eco-friendly housing:
  • Risk management and reconstruction;

Applied research is enriched by fieldwork; click here to learn more about our activities.

The scientific objectives of the Human settlements theme cover three basic lines:

  • Contribute to research that is linked to social sciences and engineering sciences, towards the realisation of eco-friendly architecture and urbanisation for improved housing and live style. This transversatile and cross-disciplinary research articulates the issues of quality architectural and urban construction – from the economic value of materials, resources and non-renewable energies; to the promotion of resources and lands that compete in sustainable development of societies (material, human, environment, cultural), in the North, as well as the South.
  • Contributing (through research and development activities and applied research, which bring together the array of abilities from the research unit, associated external qualifications, and its partnerships) to construction and architectural innovation (materials, structures and construction systems, space, form) in developing experimentation on evaluated and approved built prototypes; but also in realising, with local stakeholders (populations and diverse workers) demonstration pilot projects in the field of affordable housing et eco-housing (esp. eco-districts).
  • Undertake (through a scientific and professional international network) research on cultural perceptions of what constitutes risk factors, and how people view and react to them, in order to better valorise the heritage and cultural land resources that would bring appropriate and economical (accessible) solutions to reconstruction after natural (earthquake, flood, cyclone) or civil (conflict) disasters; develop methods, tools and strategies that allow us to better anticipate these hazards and to better manage post-emergency responses in line with reconstruction and local development.