Suha Ozkan begins by reviewing essential principals of architecture from Vitruvius to Ken Yeang. He discusses projects that creatively respond to difficult environments in Saudi Arabia, India, Bangladesh, and Egypt. He reviews recent projects that employ locally-available materials, including work by Hassan Fathy, the Association pour le Développement d'une Architecture et d'un Urbanisme Africains (ADAUA), Cal-Earth, Balkrishna V. Doshi, Charles Correa, Jean Nouvel, and Foster + Partners. He concludes with innovative approaches to urban preservation in Mostar Old Town, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Asilah, Morocco.