Winner: Sustainable building of the year 2022.  Localworks has designed Mustardseed in Sentema, Uganda.

This project seeks to find local answers to the global problem of climate change caused by construction in Uganda.

To be truly ecological, alongside the application of extensive passive design systems, all building materials for Mustardseed were carefully selected; equally natural, tactile and local, be it stone, straw mats or eucalyptus poles.

Being an earthbag structure, most materials were sourced and harvested on or within a 2km radius of the site, keeping production costs low and carbon footprint close to zero.

Conservation agriculture, soil-regeneration and planting an on-site forestry program using fast-growing indigenous species made for a unique school with an ecologically-oriented curriculum.

Judges comments: "Mustardseed is a considered, creative and inspiring kindergarten and primary school set within a biodiverse landscape, the perfect environment for children to learn about the importance of ecology and sustainable building. It demonstrates that innovation doesn't need to be driven by technology; we need sensible solutions that adopt slow thinking and responsible design. The world needs more projects like this."

Architect: Localworks

Project: Mustardseed