Looking Around

How do we cope with increasingly hotter weather and unstable climate conditions? In the last 60 years, the Pacific Region has experienced more than 2,400 tropical cyclones, about 41 per year. Of the 20 countries with the highest average annual disaster losses scaled by gross domestic product (GDP), eight are Pacific island countries: Vanuatu, Niue, Tonga, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, and the Cook Islands The total value of infrastructure, buildings, and cash crops considered at some level of risk in the Pacific is estimated at over US$112 billion.  

The cost of inaction is very high, and the signals suggest that the world is looking to the built environment and resilient architecture. Modern building practices and materials, coupled with rapid urbanisation, represent a significant portion of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The building and construction sector alone is the world's largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for 37 percent of CO2 emissions. Therefore, the potential of vernacular architecture - including Indigenous building materials and construction techniques - is gaining traction as we rethink how we interact with the environment and adapt our cities and towns to a changing climate.  

Climate and geography directly influence architectural styles, and the choice of materials used by different cultures. Pacific communities have a long history of disruption and resilience, as they cope with increasingly unpredictable and severe hazards like tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, cyclones, and extreme weather events. As a result, Indigenous building traditions have evolved over generations to adapt to the region’s unique tropical conditions, using locally sourced, renewable materials, such as timber, bamboo, pandanus, coconut palm and coral stone.

In Yap (Federated States of Micronesia), underlying stone platforms (wanbey) are added to traditional meeting houses (faluw) in coastal locations to accommodate rising sea levels. The Samoan traditional house, Fale, uses woven mats as mobile walls, allowing stormy winds to pass through, increasing resilience against storms and earthquakes. In Fiji, efforts focus on increasing the availability of affordable housing, with timber being a key locally sourced building material due to its versality. The type and use vary according to location; iTaukei (Indigenous Fijian) traditional wooden houses, known as bures, are built with mangroves in coastal communities while hardwoods are used in the mountainous areas.  

Multiple initiatives are emerging that propose the extended use of local materials. The Fiji Bamboo Project promotes bamboo as a cost-effective, sustainable, and durable construction material, while the Na Waqa Drua project links past and present knowledge by building a traditional Fijian canoe using recycled timber and locally sourced construction materials. In Vanuatu, following the 7.3 magnitude earthquake in December 2024, discussions about using traditional ni-Vanuatu engineering techniques remain relevant. This is especially important given models predicting the country will experience 20 to 30 cyclones per decade, along with earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic ashfall, and eruptions.

As Pacific governments increasingly recognise the value of better infrastructure as a key vehicle for social and economic prosperity, climate resilience, low-carbon, cost-effective solutions remain priorities for the building and construction industry. Countries such as Tonga and Vanuatu are beginning to incorporate local building practices into national adaptation plans. Moreover, new partnerships between universities, Indigenous communities, and architects are emerging to enhance traditional knowledge, such as the Pacific Resilience Partnership.  

Looking Across

Emerging studies indicate that replacing concrete and other imported construction materials with locally sourced, carbon-absorbing alternatives could significantly reduce carbon emissions. From Pacific Islanders to the Inuit in the Arctic, Indigenous communities have long adapted their building techniques to withstand some of the toughest environments on Earth. 

In India, mud has been the preferred building material for generations, particularly in rural areas. Its on-site availability significantly lowers its carbon footprint, and its moisture retention provides a natural cooling effect. Buildings have also been designed to suit the local climates and withstand natural hazards. In Assam, Ikra houses are single-story homes made of bamboo and wood, designed to resist earthquakes. In Rajasthan, Bhonga houses have a circular shape that helps keep interiors cool in the hot, dry climate.

Similarly, in Ghana and Nigeria, to adjust to the hot and humid tropical climate, locally sourced timber and bamboo are fast-growing and renewable construction resources, while laterite bricks help keep buildings cool due to their clay-like texture. In Senegal, the architectural studio Worofila is pioneering the use of vernacular materials like earth bricks and Typha - a wetland plant with natural insulating properties – creating sustainable and climate-responsive construction solutions.

Looking at other tropical contexts, the Brazilian Guarani people use tree trunks, rammed earth, wooden rafters, and palm leaves for their traditional buildings, and in the Philippines, Indigenous construction commonly relies on renewable materials like timber, cane, grass, palms, clay and stone.

Looking Ahead 

For centuries, the Pacific has been a point of experimentation and innovation, albeit at the margins. The interplay of Indigenous building traditions and colonial architecture began at the frontiers in remote parts of the world. In a globalised world, remembering local knowledge at the margins appears as the next frontier of sustainable building practices.  

A new generation of young Pacific Islander architects, engineers, and policymakers is prioritising the importance of climate mitigation and adaptation. They view traditional architecture, shaped by the region’s environment, as a valuable tool with great potential for designing culturally appropriate, energy-efficient, and resilient modern solutions using locally available resources.  

This approach positions Pacific Island Communities as pioneers in reimagining sustainable building practices, where innovation is rooted in tradition and resilience aims to bridge the past and the future. Concretely, this could mean formalising policies that incentivise local material use, integrating Indigenous knowledge into architectural education, and forging stronger partnerships between the private sector and local builders.

It also nudges towards stronger alignment of coastal adaptation efforts like reclamation to align with urban development. It is a fundamental move to think beyond homes and institutions to designing the towns of tomorrow.  

While signals are weak, at present, it does beg the question: how can we ensure that the integration of traditional building practices and modern architecture leads to sustainable and resilient communities in the Pacific?

Potential impact on development

Low at present, with the likelihood of it becoming Very High if not addressed in the short to medium term.