united4design is an international architectural design collective founded in 2013 during the design and construction of the Gohar Khatoon Girls’ School in Afghanistan, a project initiated by the

Balkh Ministry of Education and implemented by Sahar, a not-for-profit organisation. Since that time, united design has expanded their scope to include projects in Afghanistan, Niger and India. With four members from four continents, there is a focus on collective values and exchange of ideas, utilising connectivity and the expanding territory of architectural design to engage in work that is in

dialogue with diverse cultural, political and geographical contexts. With their collaborative and community-based approach, united design has worked to advance non-industrial and traditional building techniques – specifically earth-based methods – by devising new, more efficient methods for construction. Through the reinterpretation of place-based cultural patterns and spatial qualities, the firm strives to create contemporary buildings that challenge the long-held belief that earthen architecture is provincial and outdated.