Architecture meets health in Tanzania’s rural landscape through an interdisciplinary housing project

TThe Star Homes* project, designed, Design, Conservation, was featured at Milan Design Week 2025 through the invitation of the LABÒ Cultural Project. Spanning 60 villages in Mtwara, Tanzania, this initiative built 110 identical single-family homes in areas with high rates of malaria, respiratory infections, and diarrheal disease. The homes form part of a randomized clinical trial to evaluate how housing design can directly impact public health.

Star Homes, Mtwara, Tanzania
Photo credit: Julien Lanoo

Led by architect Jakob Knudsen, public health expert Salum Mshamu, and epidemiologist Lorenz von Seidlein, the homes integrate architecture, social research, and medical science. The exhibition features data-driven findings, personal testimonies, and photographs by Julien Lanoo, offering a comprehensive view of the project's human and scientific dimensions.

Star Homes, Mtwara, Tanzania
Photo credit: Julien Lanoo

Each home is a two-story structure, reducing the roof and foundation footprint—typically the most costly parts. A monolithic concrete plinth is backfilled with compacted earth to save on materials. Lightweight galvanized steel (LGS) frames are prefabricated and assembled in two days by local crews. The hollow walls, made of cement render and wire mesh, reduce concrete use by 70% and embodied energy by 40%. Energy-saving strategies include a smoke-expelling stove, ventilated shadenet facades, a 40W solar lighting and charging system, and a 2000L rainwater tank. These upgrades enhance comfort while maintaining affordability.

Star Homes - Design Strategies
Photo credit: Ingvartsen Architects

Star Homes, Mtwara, Tanzania
Photo credit: Julien Lanoo

Construction was fully localized—using Tanzanian labor and materials—to support skills training and sustainable community development. Components such as the foundation, LGS frame, and facade panels are reusable or recyclable, extending the design’s impact beyond the home’s lifespan. Residents were selected via a transparent lottery in 2019, targeting households with children under 13. After construction concluded in June 2021, families began a three-year health monitoring program. The trial, supported by multidisciplinary teams, uses interviews, surveys, and insect collection methods to evaluate performance and health outcomes. This project demonstrates how architecture can save lives and offers a scalable, replicable housing model for Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.

Star Homes, Mtwara, Tanzania
Photo credit: Julien Lanoo

Star Homes, Mtwara, Tanzania
Photo credit: Julien Lanoo

About Star Homes* Project

The Star Homes* Project has been in development for over a decade, exploring ways to develop novel, low-cost, comfortable, and insect-proof housing to enhance the health of people in rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. The project consists of 110 identical, single family ’Star Homes’ constructed across 60 different villages in rural Mtwara, one of the more underdeveloped regions of Tanzania, with a high incidence of malaria, respiratory tract infections, and diarrhea. These houses form the basis of a trial, which aims to provide robust data to show whether improved housing can improve family health.