better futures

We design better futures

Habitat Unit is a design-led consultancy at the intersection of architecture, urbanism, and sustainable development.
We are a global collective of designers and built environment specialists committed to shaping cities, buildings, and communities that are not only resilient, but deeply human. Our work blends creative vision with technical precision, crafting responses to complexity with clarity.

Grounded in the principles of sustainable urban development, our practice translates research into form, systems into space, and purpose into built outcomes. Whether shaping civic visions, co-creating with communities, or leading transformative design projects, we strive for better futures.

We can help across a range of key areas:

  • We deliver:

    • Buildings and built form

    • Urban Design

    • Public space & Mixed Use

    • Streetscape

    • City planning

    • Behaviour and user experience analysis

    • Social Impact analysis

    • Urban technology consulting

  • We deliver:

    • Public realm strategy

    • Public space public life analysis and recommendations

    • Urban regeneration and densification strategy

    • Design guidelines, toolkits & policies

    • Leadership support and development

    • Organisational training and development

Our journey started in 2016 with the transformative study Weaving the Urban Fabric. This pioneering research across four continents , understanding cities to be a dynamic tapestry of — social, environmental and economic conditions — was awarded the prestigious 10th Royal Institute of British Architects NFTS.

News: HU Shortlisted for Grenfell Tower Memorial

Region: United Kingdom

HU is deeply honoured to find our team has been shortlisted as codesigners for the Grenfell Tower Memorial. With thanks to project partners New South and fellow project codesigners Black Females in Architecture, FBM Architects and Atelier Solstice.

We are humbled by the responsibility of the task and aim to serve the Grenfell Community to the best of our ability moving forward.

Highlighted Project: Planning Mountain Communities

Sector: Masterplanning & Advisory

Region: Central Asia

Our team members have been engaged by one of the world’s foremost international development agencies to support the advancement of master planning and climate adaptation strategies across a portfolio of projects in Central Asia’s mountainous regions. This work has been instrumental in informing master planning and planning frameworks implemented in partnership with regional and national governments with the aim of supporting sustainable urban development.

Credit: Video & Editing, Diana Sarvari

Producer, Emadsho Akdodshoev

Cities today face unprecedented challenges stemming from ecological degradation, resource depletion, and the pressing need to adapt to a changing climate.

We leverage data insights to craft urban environments that are both sustainable and resilient. By seamlessly integrating green infrastructure, biodiversity enhancement, and climate-sensitive strategies, we create spaces that work in harmony with nature. Our vision is to build for the long term.

Image Credit: NASA

Harnessing Data for Climate Resilience

Advocacy & Engagement

Sector: Strategy

Region: Middle East

During the 2020 Dubai Expo, our team members played a pivotal role in supporting a large international development agency by spearheading public engagement initiatives and managing the creation of all marketing materials. Leveraging the global platform of the Expo, the team developed dynamic strategies to effectively communicate the agency’s vision, ensuring that their message resonated with diverse audiences on the world stage.

Published Insights

“Apart from the vital need to ensure the health and security of communities, the pandemic has provided a moment to reassess the planning, development and organisation of the cities we inhabit, and for designers to reconsider tools and techniques aimed at supporting communities in need.

So how have designers continued to engage with communities? How have they improved their participatory planning tools? And what potential discoveries have been made?”

Written for the World Economic Forum in association with the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat.

Listen to the article or read it on the World Economic Forum here

HU?

At Habitat Unit (HU), our approach is deeply influenced by the enduring principles of sustainability and inclusivity. These values inform every project, as we draw on advanced technologies and sustainable methodologies to address complex challenges with care. Through design, we seek to foster places that are responsive to community needs and attuned to emerging forms of resilience, intelligence, and well-being.

HU thought leaders

  • Abel Feleke

  • Samrawit Yohannes Yoseph

  • Director

    "Abel is an international expert in design and urban development, working to support positive outcomes in the built environment. Educated at the University of Oxford and a recipient of the 10th Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Norman Foster Travelling Award, Abel is recognised as an Academician of the Academy of Urbanism (UK), Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (UK), a Norman Foster Foundation Scholar, World Economic Forum Global Shaper Alumni, has served as an Advisor to the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat and Senior Design Advisor (Design Excellence) to the New South Wales Government Australia.

    With a strong interest in the future of cities, Abel has delivered significant projects in large-scale infrastructure, master planning, architecture and sustainable urban developments projected to impact the lives of more than 285,000 people across a cumulative area in excess of 2,200 square kilometres. In 2022, he founded Habitat Unit, a consultancy focused on the intersection of design, cities, the built environment and climate adaptation."

    - 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲

  • Network Associate

    Samrawit, based in Addis Ababa, is an Ethiopian Architect and with a background as an urban designer and planner with a strong focus on sustainable and inclusive development in cities and urban settlements. She has extensive experience in spatial planning, urban design, and stakeholder engagement, working with national and local governments, multilateral organizations, and community-based initiatives.

    A 2023 Mandela Washington Fellow and 2024 AGYLE Fellow, Samrawit holds an MSc in Human Settlements and Urbanism & Strategic Planning from KU Leuven, Belgium. Her research interests include nature-based solutions, participatory design, and resilient urban futures. She is passionate about advancing equitable and healthy cities through collaborative and innovative approaches.

    Samrawit has contributed to major urban projects in Ethiopia, including the Beautifying Sheger River Development Project and strategic planning for Hawassa’s urban growth. Her roles with the African Development Bank’s Cities Program, UN-Habitat, and World Bank initiatives have focused on integrated planning, community empowerment, and investment mobilization. She co-authored State of Addis Vol. II: Toward a Healthier City, which examined the impacts of urban form on public health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    * Samrawit was first contracted into Habitat Unit’s Expert Pool in 2022. Network Associates are engaged on a project basis, and profiles reflect past as well as present collaborations.

Let’s begin the conversation…

Latest News

  • Article - World Economic Forum

    Habitat Unit teams up with the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat and Incremental Urbanism…read more

  • The Academy of Urbanism (UK)

    Habitat Unit’s Abel Feleke becomes AoU Academician.

  • abel feleke, business as unusua

    Business as Unusual

    Habitat Unit’s Abel Feleke invited to assist judging the Business as Unusual Competition.