Gabriel Arboleda presented a website devoted to world-wide architecture without the (professional) architects at the Tenth conference of IASTE, the International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand. "...Conceived as an information hub for the architecture of 7,300 human groups and the 228 countries and territories they inhabit." ethnoarchitecture | related
From the press release:
The database features local building types with specific examples and images, and a participative feature which allows users to add, edit and discuss buildings. Additionally, there is a section on general knowledge regarding traditional architecture and environments.

This ethnoarchitecture database was developed by Gabriel Arboleda, a doctoral student in architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. The database combines Arboleda's work experience with South American traditional builders, with his technological experience gained through previous graduate work at MIT.

At least 90 percent of the world's buildings are produced by common people, without the intervention of professional architects. These buildings constitute the majority of the built environment, yet they
have been only marginally acknowledged in architectural literature and discourse. In a time of environmental crisis, ecologically sound solutions coming from people's architecture provide valuable alternatives for the building industry. Many of these solutions, however, remain unknown because they are not generally regarded as architecture. Also, they are increasingly abandoned by their builders due to constant economic and cultural pressures.

Ethnoarchitecture.com launches with the aim of stimulating discussion about the environmental issues currently confronting the industry, as well as the socio-economic issues affecting the world's traditional cultures.

For more information, please contact Gabriel Arboleda, PhD program in Architecture, University of California at Berkeley.
Email: ethnoarchitecture@berkeley.edu
Or visit the project weblog, located at http://www.ethnoarchitecture.com/web/notes/index

Note to Editors:

Images of traditional buildings and builders to accompany this release are available on the website at http://ethnoarchitecture.com/web/ethnophoto/menu Please make a note of the preferred image code or URL, and email it to ethnoarchitecture@berkeley.edu along with your contact information for a 300 dpi TIFF copy of the image. A high resolution B&W or color copy of the website logo will also be provided upon request.