How to create a sustainable living and preserve cultural heritage in the desert

Aziza Chaouni is a civil engineer and an architect. She creates sustainable, built environments in the developing world, focusing on the Middle East deserts. Aziza's design philosophy holds that it is not enough for sustainable buildings to have zero impact—they must give back to the community socially, economically, and environmentally. Aziza aspires to innovate through collaboration with local communities and experts from other disciplines to integrate architecture, landscape, and infrastructure. Having been born and raised in Fez, Morocco, Aziza has a deep fascination with the Fez River. What was once considered the city's soul and water supply became a toxic sewer because of overcrowding and pollution in the 1950s. This was covered and eventually became a dumping ground. With immense determination, Aziza has been working on this project for two decades, starting with a thesis she wrote about it as a graduate student and then making it her career.