Vernacular Architecture

Vernacular architecture reflects the deep relationship between communities and their environments. Built using locally available materials and traditional techniques, these structures respond to climate, landscape, and cultural needs without relying on industrial systems or imported design models.

This approach offers practical, low-impact solutions to contemporary challenges in housing, sustainability, and heritage conservation. It prioritizes efficiency, resilience, and adaptability—qualities often overlooked in modern construction. As traditional building knowledge declines, there is an urgency to recognize its relevance not just as cultural heritage, but as a viable, sustainable alternative to extractive development models.

The project looks at how these practices can be revived, adapted, and integrated into contemporary life—supporting local economies, reducing environmental footprints, and fostering a stronger sense of continuity and identity within communities.

Resilience and AI

As environmental disruptions, economic instability, and social vulnerabilities intensify, new tools are needed to understand and adapt to risk. This project explores the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in helping communities build resilience by modeling complex systems, identifying vulnerabilities, and informing decisions at local and regional levels.

Rather than proposing AI as a catch-all solution, the research focuses on responsible, context-aware applications that support—not replace—human judgment. It considers how AI can process environmental and socioeconomic data to guide planning, resource management, and emergency response, while also examining the limitations and ethical implications of its use.

By bridging technological innovation with grounded resilience strategies, this project aims to support practical, inclusive approaches to long-term sustainability in communities facing mounting pressures.

Vignettes of Hope

Vignettes of Hope is a storytelling initiative created to counter one-dimensional portrayals of communities impacted by violent extremism. Spearheaded by Miguel Alexandre Barreiro Laredo, the project emerged from years of fieldwork and academic research in conflict-affected regions. It recognizes that beyond the headlines and dominant media narratives, there exist powerful, underrepresented stories of resilience, dignity, and community-led peacebuilding.

Rather than focusing on perpetrators or sensationalized violence, Vignettes of Hope highlights the everyday efforts of individuals who, despite trauma and marginalization, continue to promote peaceful coexistence. Through documentary filmmaking and narrative work, the project offers these communities a platform to tell their own stories—challenging harmful stereotypes and addressing the silences left by mainstream media.

Inspired by communication theory and cultural studies, the project interrogates who controls narratives and who is excluded from them. Drawing on the idea that storytelling is both a political and healing act, Vignettes of Hope invites audiences to question what they see, consider what’s missing, and ultimately connect with the shared human experiences behind each vignette. By reshaping representation and creating space for authentic, grassroots voices, Vignettes of Hope aspires to foster deeper empathy, inspire collective understanding, and help pave the way toward more just and equitable societies."

Cultural Heritage - Small Island Developing States

This research project investigates the sociological dimensions of cultural heritage and human interaction in both urban and rural settings within Small Island Developing States (SIDS). With a focus on architectural sociology, the study examines how island geography and the contrast between vernacular and modern architecture influence domestic life, social behavior, and community identity.

At its core, the project seeks to understand how the built environment reflects and reshapes cultural values—particularly in contexts where traditional knowledge coexists with rapid modernization. It also explores how innovations in urban planning, design, technology, and policy can support local communities when they are developed in alignment with indigenous practices and place-based knowledge.

By drawing connections between architectural form, cultural continuity, and sustainable development, the research aims to offer insight into how island communities adapt, preserve, and evolve their ways of living.

The Mœurs Foundation’s ongoing project in Mallorca supports the preservation and renewal of artisanal traditions that are at risk of disappearing. Beginning with llata—the intricate craft of weaving dried palm fronds into everyday objects like the traditional senalla bag—we collaborate directly with local artisans to bring ancestral skills into dialogue with contemporary design.

Palm weaving is a delicate and time-intensive process, now practiced by only a few remaining craftspeople on the island. As production has increasingly shifted abroad due to lower costs, the future of these local traditions grows uncertain.

By co-creating pieces that blend time-honored techniques with hand-painted elements and regionally produced textiles, we aim to celebrate the stories behind the craft, raise visibility around its cultural value, and support the continuity of Mallorcan heritage. This project reflects our broader commitment to sustaining local knowledge systems and creative practices through practical engagement and thoughtful innovation.

Fòra Plastics

The presence of litter-pickers on beaches is no longer unusual—volunteers and environmental groups regularly collect debris along the coastline. Fòra Plastics builds on this momentum, inviting everyone to treat beach cleanups as a natural part of their time near the sea—just like collecting shells or stones.

Through simple acts and organized events, including during water sports like surfing, kayaking, or sailing, the project helps monitor beach conditions and deepen public understanding of marine pollution.

We aim to make the issue of marine litter more visible and immediate, encouraging people to reflect on their relationship with plastic and the limits of recycling. By clearing our shores together, we cultivate greater awareness of our consumption patterns and take small but meaningful steps toward collective responsibility.