Esther Charlesworth is Founding Director of Architects Without Frontiers (AWF), the largest design not-for-profit agency in the Asia Pacific region. Esther is also Professor in the School of Architecture and Urban Design at RMIT University, Melbourne, where she founded the Master of Disaster, Design, and Development program degree (MoDDD). John Fien is Professor in the School of Architecture and Urban Design at RMIT University in Melbourne. He has led large-scale climate and sustainable development education projects for organisations that include UNESCO, UNEP, and WWF in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
"""Confronted with the intersecting crises of climate breakdown, rising authoritarianism, increasing social inequalities and mass migration, the architectural profession urgently needs to look to new ways of working. Design for Fragility provides very useful insights into how more responsible and equitable design might unfold within current precarious conditions."" Jeremy Till, Professor of Architecture, University of the Arts London ""Designing for a fragile world inherently means designing for dignity and hope. These outstanding projects testify of how humanitarian architecture upholds the values of our profession, linking entire communities to the prospects of better lives. Whether these are schools withstanding floods or cyclones, maternal wards welcoming newborns in healthier conditions or designing shelter for refugees or indigenous populations, all contribute to building pathways to protect and empower the most unprivileged. The book is a source of inspiration of what can be achieved despite disasters and crises. As long as the problems remain endless, so do the solutions."" Sandra D’Urzo, Humanitarian Architect ""Confronted with the intersecting crises of climate breakdown, rising authoritarianism, increasing social inequalities and mass migration, the architectural profession urgently needs to look to new ways of working. Design for Fragility provides very useful insights into how more responsible and equitable design might unfold within current precarious conditions."" Jeremy Till, Professor of Architecture, University of the Arts London ""Designing for a fragile world inherently means designing for dignity and hope. These outstanding projects testify of how humanitarian architecture upholds the values of our profession, linking entire communities to the prospects of better lives. Whether these are schools withstanding floods or cyclones, maternal wards welcoming newborns in healthier conditions or designing shelter for refugees or indigenous populations, all contribute to building pathways to protect and empower the most unprivileged. The book is a source of inspiration of what can be achieved despite disasters and crises. As long as the problems remain endless, so do the solutions."" Sandra D’Urzo, Humanitarian Architect"