Arkitekter utan gränser

Architecture Sans Frontières (ASF) Sweden is a non-profit, religiously unaffiliated, non-political organisation.

 

Our vision and goal is to create and improve access to a safe, sustainable and equitable development of the built environment for all – locally and globally. We aim to improve access to architectural services and educational resources for vulnerable communities in order to increase their resilience and independence and to reduce discrimination and poverty.

 

Our mission is to create and engage in projects, work with education for professionals, project members and partner organisations. As members of a civil society we strive to create opionion and activities in line with ASF’s vision. We initiate and participate in projects at national and international levels.

 

Our projects vary from placemaking in informal settlements to the construction of buildings needed and lacking in a community. ASF contributions are made with the professional support of architects, planners and other experts working with the built environment. All projects are driven by a high level of participatory design in collaberation with the local community, and relevant groups. Project evaluation and learning through the exchange of experiences are essential activites.

 

Education is a central and important part of our work. We aim to be a platform for the exchange of knowledge. Guiding and sharing experience and knowledge between projects is an important part of this and we also work with through our Committee for Education to strengthen awareness of ASF’s mission at educational institutions in Sweden. Through the international ASF educational program Challenging Practices we are directly involved with the people we work with and help.

 

To increase public awareness and knowledge about our work we organise seminars, webinars and lectures. Information about these activities can be found on our facebook page. We are also active in different networks and platforms concerning development issues within civil society.

 

Our work is guided by the Hasselt Charter, a common declaration of principles agreed to by ASF organisations internationally.

The Hasselt Charter

  • ASF member organizations pledge to work together at an international level in order to achieve a greater impact through their collective efforts to:

     

    1. Cooperate for fair and sustainable development initiatives in active collaboration with disadvantaged people or communities. This process shall follow principles of human solidarity, non- discrimination and will be aimed at promoting their self-sufficiency;
    2. Foster the socially responsible role of built environment professionals by stimulating social modes of practice before speculative economic profitability;
    3. Encourage ‘ethical professionalism’ by favouring cooperation and practice in hand with ‘ethical trade’, and with entities and financing institutions that work for peace-building processes;
    4.  Identify, disseminate and work alongside public institutions, multilateral organisations and private sector’s policies, programmes and sustainable socio-economic systems fostering social equity and urban inclusion within the built environment;
    5. Facilitate the use of appropriate technologies, materials and labour adequate to local values, to the cultural specificity and responsive to the natural environment;
    6.  Share knowledge, promote discussion, reflection and awareness, and collaborate in the advancement of the ‘social production of habitat’;
    7. Promote the facilitation of trans-national dialogues and long-term partnerships with and within the less affluent countries;
    8. Support participatory, democratic, multicultural and interdisciplinary processes and approaches in strengthening community solidarity as a factor of rural and urban social development;
    9. Endorse the integration of post-emergency relief interventions into long-term sustainable development strategies;
    10. Defend, promote and enable access to adequate and dignified habitat for all as a ‘Fundamental Human Right’.

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Our partners

VARG
B&Fx
BAU