CEDTI (Centre d’Etudes sur le Développement Territorial Indo-océanique), in partnership with XXXX, launches its second edition of architectural design competition focusing on ambiances of affordable houses as part of the Colloquium 2026.

Architecture has long distanced itself from the lived qualities of place and in a recent study (Kan et al., 2022) it has been shown that worsening living conditions tend to contribute to a higher probability of mental illness. The atmosphere - a space-time that is being experienced sensorially through sound, smell, light ,color, heat and airflows - is widely neglected in affordable housing. Augoyard (1998) reminds us that ambiance is a situated phenomenon shaped by physical signals, cultural meanings, and perception, not a sum of isolated technical parameters. ented peri‑urban territory with strong sensory markers — open landscapes, mountain silhouettes, prevailing winds, and community soundscapes. The Land Drainage Masterplan also identifies recurrent flooding pockets, revealing how hydrology and micro‑topography actively shape daily life.

This competition invites participants to design dwellings and shared spaces in Bambous that are economically viable, climatically resilient, and sensorially grounded — restoring ambiance as a central driver of architectural conception. How can affordable housing become a model of climate-ready, ambiance-rich, socially cohesive living - while remaining financially viable for builders?

Bambous, once a village structured around sugarcane fields, has grown into a fragmented peri‑urban territory with strong sensory markers — open landscapes, mountain silhouettes, prevailing winds, and community soundscapes. The Land Drainage Masterplan also identifies recurrent flooding pockets, revealing how hydrology and micro‑topography actively shape daily life.