What We Do

Inadequate housing makes it impossible for people, particularly vulnerable and at-risk communities, to achieve health.

ARCHIVE Global (Architecture for Health in Vulnerable Environments) is an award-winning international organization that uses housing design as a key preventative strategy in improving health outcomes in vulnerable communities around the world. Through simple, innovative, and cost-effective built environment interventions paired with community health awareness campaigns, our research has proven that these strategies improve the health-outcomes of our beneficiaries.

Learn more about Our Story.

Housing and Health

  • Household materials can host insects that cause diseases such as Chagas and scrub typhus.
  • Food stored in unhygienic environments can host life-threatening bacteria, mold, and lead to rodent-borne illness.
  • Inadequate access to water and sanitation are a common source of diarrheal disease, hepatitis, and many neglected tropical diseases.
  • Dirt floors carry parasites, bacteria, and viruses that cause diarrhea, hepatitis, typhoid fever, and neglected tropical diseases.

Housing and Health

  • Windows, doors, and eaves are entry points for insects, rodents, and animals, exposing families to vector-borne disease, rodent-borne illnesses, and more.
  • Lack of ventilation can exacerbate respiratory infections and the spread of infectious diseases.
  • Debris around a home provides a breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitoes and hiding spaces for deadly snakes.
  • Overcrowding exacerbates the spread of infectious diseases and increases diseases spread through proximity to livestock and other animals.

Housing and Health

  • Asbestos, found in many building materials, is known to cause pleural diseases and various cancers such as Mesothelioma.
  • Inadequate community resources such as lack of access to markets, and green spaces increase levels of stress, anxiety, social isolation, and reduces mental health.
  • Lead can be found in homes’ pipes, paint, or household objects built in the US before 1978, and can cause anemia, kidney and brain damage, and cognitive impairment in children. 
  • Radon is a colorless and odorless gas found in the ground that reaches homes through contaminated groundwater and dirt floors. It causes physical disabilities and various cancers.

Housing and Health

  • Household materials can host insects that cause diseases such as Chagas and scrub typhus.
  • Food stored in unhygienic environments can host life-threatening bacteria, mold, and lead to rodent-borne illness.
  • Inadequate access to water and sanitation are a common source of diarrheal disease, hepatitis, and many neglected tropical diseases.
  • Dirt floors carry parasites, bacteria, and viruses that cause diarrhea, hepatitis, typhoid fever, and neglected tropical diseases.

Housing and Health

  • Windows, doors, and eaves are entry points for insects, rodents, and animals, exposing families to vector-borne disease, rodent-borne illnesses, and more.
  • Lack of ventilation can exacerbate respiratory infections and the spread of infectious diseases.
  • Debris around a home provides a breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitoes and hiding spaces for deadly snakes.
  • Overcrowding exacerbates the spread of infectious diseases and increases diseases spread through proximity to livestock and other animals.

Housing and Health

  • Asbestos, found in many building materials, is known to cause pleural diseases and various cancers such as Mesothelioma.
  • Inadequate community resources such as lack of access to markets, and green spaces increase levels of stress, anxiety, social isolation, and reduces mental health.
  • Lead can be found in homes’ pipes, paint, or household objects built in the US before 1978, and can cause anemia, kidney and brain damage, and cognitive impairment in children. 
  • Radon is a colorless and odorless gas found in the ground that reaches homes through contaminated groundwater and dirt floors. It causes physical disabilities and various cancers.

Our Work

Each of our projects focuses on one specific health concern and one specific built intervention to improve the targeted health concern, and encompass research, the design of the built environment, and advocacy. Communities of need exist in both developing and developed countries, and our projects reflect that. Explore all of our Work.

Handwashing Stations to Combat COVID-19 in Savar, Bangladesh
Savar, Bangladesh Mud to Mortar
Savar and Dhamrai Upazila, Bangladesh Ekibada: Our Periods Matter
Maina Parish, Mayuge District, Uganda Health and Housing in Haiti
Saint-Marc, Haiti Building Malaria Prevention
Yaoundé, Cameroon Building Sanitation in Idenau
Idenau Municipality, Cameroon Sanitation for Health in Delhi
Aya Nagar, Delhi, India Happy Healthy Households
Brent and Newham, London, UK Breathe Easy Camden
Camden County, New Jersey, United States Active Aging in NYC: Design for Health
New York, NY, USA CHAI Mosquito-Proof Housing in Namibia
Districts of Mashosho, Simanya, Onoonga, Oupale, Onandjamba A, Omatako, Namibia Building out Chagas
Bolivia Healthy Air, Healthy Living
Oromia, Ethiopia image/svg+xml

News & Insights

Stay informed with updates, projects, reports, and upcoming events on the ARCHIVE Instagram Feed.

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Mar 7

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The team is back to work together in Abidjan this The team is back to work together in Abidjan this week (@swiss_tph)! We can't wait to engage with our stakeholders to hear what they think would be a good intervention to combat dengue in their own communities. Stay tuned! #bulidhealthdifferently #ARCHIVEglobal #dengueprevention

The team is back to work together in Abidjan this week (@swiss_tph)! We can't wait to engage with our stakeholders to hear what they think would be a good intervention to combat dengue in their own communities. Stay tuned!

#bulidhealthdifferently #ARCHIVEglobal #dengueprevention ...

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archiveglobal

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Feb 21

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This February, in honor of Black History Month, AR This February, in honor of Black History Month, ARCHIVE Global is honoring 3 pioneers of change in black communities. Find out more below and share those who have inspired you in our comments! Hilyard Robert Robinson 1889 - 1986 Robinson was a prominent architect whose designs for public housing were so effective that they became one of the driving forces behind the first national housing act. His memorable work includes the Langston Terrace Dwellings and Ralph Bunche residence, both designed in the International style. He was the first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. https://www.docomomo-us.org/designer/hilyard-robinson Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. 1908 - 1972 Powell was an outspoken activist who served 12 terms in the House of Representatives and made his mark in Congress. With his rebellious approach to racial injustice, Powell won the allegiance and admiration of many African Americans, who saw him as a devoted fighter for civil rights. His work in the housing sector focused on advocating for affordable rent and affordable housing. https://www.adamclaytonpowell.com/ Patricia Roberts Harris, 1924-1985 Harris played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement, and American politics. When President Jimmy Carter appointed Patricia Roberts Harris to the position of secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1977, she became the first black woman to hold that position in a presidential cabinet. While at HUD, she started the Neighborhood Strategy Program where she directed funds to impoverished areas, which improved housing conditions and helped economic activity in urban America. https://housingforwardva.org/news/fwd-144-black-housing-leaders/ - - - #blackhistorymonth #leadersinhousing #leadersofchange #buildinghealthdifferently #ARCHIVEglobal

This February, in honor of Black History Month, ARCHIVE Global is honoring 3 pioneers of change in black communities. Find out more below and share those who have inspired you in our comments!

Hilyard Robert Robinson 1889 - 1986
Robinson was a prominent architect whose designs for public housing were so effective that they became one of the driving forces behind the first national housing act. His memorable work includes the Langston Terrace Dwellings and Ralph Bunche residence, both designed in the International style. He was the first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
https://www.docomomo-us.org/designer/hilyard-robinson

Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. 1908 - 1972
Powell was an outspoken activist who served 12 terms in the House of Representatives and made his mark in Congress. With his rebellious approach to racial injustice, Powell won the allegiance and admiration of many African Americans, who saw him as a devoted fighter for civil rights. His work in the housing sector focused on advocating for affordable rent and affordable housing.
https://www.adamclaytonpowell.com/

Patricia Roberts Harris, 1924-1985
Harris played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement, and American politics. When President Jimmy Carter appointed Patricia Roberts Harris to the position of secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1977, she became the first black woman to hold that position in a presidential cabinet. While at HUD, she started the Neighborhood Strategy Program where she directed funds to impoverished areas, which improved housing conditions and helped economic activity in urban America.
https://housingforwardva.org/news/fwd-144-black-housing-leaders/
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#blackhistorymonth #leadersinhousing #leadersofchange #buildinghealthdifferently #ARCHIVEglobal ...

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archiveglobal

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Jan 31

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The Neglected Tropical Diseases classification acc The Neglected Tropical Diseases classification accounts for 20 different conditions, prevalent in tropical regions where they mainly affect vulnerable communities, predominantly women and children. The epidemiology of NTDs is often related to #EnvironmentalConditions such as poor #sanitation, limited access to safe #water, and difficulty in accessing proximate and affordable #healthcare. Because NTDs affect under-resourced communities they are exactly that - neglected. This means that prevention is key and improved living conditions are critical to ensuring that. January 30th is #WorldNTDDay. This year, you too can take the action towards ending NTD’s. By donating to ARCHIVE Global, you are helping us improve the health outcomes in vulnerable communities around the world. Donate today: https://archiveglobal.org/donate/ - - - #neglectedtropicaldiseases #buildinghealthdifferently #ARCHIVEglobal

The Neglected Tropical Diseases classification accounts for 20 different conditions, prevalent in tropical regions where they mainly affect vulnerable communities, predominantly women and children.

The epidemiology of NTDs is often related to #EnvironmentalConditions such as poor #sanitation, limited access to safe #water, and difficulty in accessing proximate and affordable #healthcare. Because NTDs affect under-resourced communities they are exactly that - neglected. This means that prevention is key and improved living conditions are critical to ensuring that.

January 30th is #WorldNTDDay.
This year, you too can take the action towards ending NTD’s. By donating to ARCHIVE Global, you are helping us improve the health outcomes in vulnerable communities around the world.
Donate today: https://archiveglobal.org/donate/
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#neglectedtropicaldiseases #buildinghealthdifferently #ARCHIVEglobal ...

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On the Blog

Find out the latest in health and the built environment on our Blog Feed.

COVID-19 Reminds Us of the Role of Housing in the Fight for Women's Equality

COVID-19 has brought the issue of housing to the forefront as the world was instructed to shelter in place. Unfortunately, the effects of this pandemic have been disproportionately worse for women around the world and has been hard-hitting in key areas like financial stability and economic growth, health and safety, and has hindered progress in […]

Interview with Mario Novas, Director of Hacer Mucho Con Poco

In February, ARCHIVE hosted an exclusive screening of the film Hacer Mucho Con Poco, offering an exciting and inspiring look at a new “architectural movement” coming out of Ecuador. The film focused on how the discipline can be made more accessible through creative uses of local materials and new approaches to funding. Hacer Mucho Con […]

Architecture and Global Health: Demonstrating the Links

The built environment mediates our exposure to the outer world, yet how it does so is rarely discussed- probably because there is little credible evidence in the first place on how exactly actions in the built environment affect health, nutrition, or other spheres of life. How should such a conversation begin? The work that ARCHIVE does in low- […]

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