Shouldn’t All Architecture be Designed with Empathy? A case of affordable-housing design in Zanzibar

Rapid urbanisation and, as a result, fast growing informal areas, increase the need for affordable housing. This urgent need requires new forms of input from the architects active in the Global South. The profession must adapt and evolve. Based on previous research, I argue that to build sustainable communities, the inhabitants must be heard and be part of the development process. To involve inhabitants, architects can use contextually suitable and effective design methods. The study comprised research through design of an affordable-housing design project in Zanzibar, Tanzania. This paper presents the early stages of this design process. The study revealed the potential of developing collaborative methods borrowed from the design discipline in the context of architectural design. The findings show advantages and disadvantages of the different methods applied. I conclude that these methods deepen and enrich the design process while working in settings with contextual constraints in the pursuit of sustainability.