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PROJEKTU PARADĪZE: Enhancing Spatial Dignity and Habitability through Vernacular Architecture and Permaculture Strategies: A Case Study of Gaujiena

Master’s Degree Project 2026

A home should provide more than shelter. It should offer warmth, sanitation, safety and the conditions for a dignified life. In Gaujiena, Latvia, many homes fall short of these standards, not because they are beyond use, but because years of limited resources and neglect have left essential needs unmet. This thesis explores how architecture can improve life through incremental, community-based interventions that build upon, rather than replace, what already exists.

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The thesis is grounded in eight years of engagement with Gaujienahjälpen and field visits to Gaujiena in 2019 and 2026. These experiences provided a direct understanding of how inadequate heating, sanitation and access to water affect everyday life. They also revealed the value of the existing community, its knowledge, resources and initiatives. The project therefore proposes a response developed for and with the community, strengthening what already exists rather than imposing an external system.

The proposal is structured around two interconnected components: a Community Resource Center and distributed Sanitation Units. The Resource Center brings together shared facilities for washing, cooking, making and gathering, addressing practical needs while creating opportunities for social interaction, learning and collective activity. The Sanitation Units extend improvements directly into existing homes, providing better sanitation and heating at the household level.

Together, these interventions form an adaptable framework for gradual change. Building on existing NGO initiatives, local materials and community structures, the project allows new infrastructure to grow in response to available resources and changing needs. The project seeks to improve habitability and spatial dignity while strengthening self-reliance, social opportunity and community resilience by adding to the places people already know, value and take pride in.