Experts from Real Estate and Planning to support Red Puna

Experts from REP are setting out this month to support Red Puna, a group of rural farmer and weaver communities in Argentina. The project will start with the Business School leading community workshops to design sustainable buildings and clean water supply.

This initiative follows successful workshops in July 2013 where experts gathered information on social and economic backgrounds, building and infrastructure needs, and brainstormed designs. The key challenge is that current water access is limited and often polluted and existing buildings are too small and run-down to effectively support the communities’ livelihoods.

Business School experts will showcase designs for sustainable, earthquake-proof community buildings and work together with Red Puna to finalise plans.

This collaborative design process aims to encourage community involvement and use of local building materials. Alongside this project, experts will develop research into the differences between regional and local sustainability needs and impact that international support has on indigenous communities.

Dr Claudia Murray, Research Fellow in Real Estate & Planning at Henley Business School, comments:

“This project is about helping Red Puna to help themselves. The indigenous people have lived on this land for 10,000 years but they now need support to improve water access and guidance in sustainable building for working, gathering, and developing their livelihoods. Better infrastructure and space will improve the living and working conditions for the people who live in these communities and enable Red Puna to increase their members and productivity, and therefore improve their future.

The project is important to us and has close links with Henley’s values of sustainability and supporting individuals, organisations and society to take positive steps forward in economic and social progress. It is just one part of the support we are providing in Latin America to governments, organisations and communities to improve social, environmental and developmental circumstances for a sustainable future.”

Red Puna and Henley Business School, together with the University of Reading, The Walker Institute, Reading Real Estate Foundation (RREF) and Architecture for Humanity are now working together on the project and seeking further funding for the building stage of the project and to initiate discussions between the communities and government about securing land rights and community support.

For more information about the Red Puna project or funding support, contact Claudia Murray.