Watch Iwan Baan’s TED talk: Ingenious homes in unexpected places

In the center of Caracas, Venezuela, stands the 45-story ‘Tower of David,’ an unfinished, abandoned skyscraper. But about eight years ago, people started moving in. Photographer Iwan Baan shows how people build homes in unlikely places, touring us through the family apartments of Torre David, a city on the water in Nigeria, and an underground village in China. Glorious images celebrate humanity’s ability to survive and make a home anywhere.

Photographer Iwan Baan captures the many ways people shape their shared built environment from glossy starchitecture to handmade homes.

News coverage:

• ArchDaily: The 20 Most Inspiring TED Talks for Architects, May 27, 2014
• LA Times: Moment of Friday: Jeff Allsbrook digs Iwan Baan’s TED Talk on DIY design, October 17, 2014
• Archdaily: Why Iwan Baan’s TED Talk Was Right, November 8, 2013
• Archdaily, October 16, 2013
• Metropolis Magazine, October 23, 2013
• TED.com (blog), October 16, 2013