This is the introduction to the catalogue of the exhibition, 'Empowerment: Social Change through Building', curated at Gallery One, The Lighthouse, Glasgow, 28.11.14-1.03.15.
The paper positions Orkidstudio's work within a particular western architectural perspective, whilst connecting it to a growing interest in architectural activism in the Global South by the emerging twenty-something generation, asking fundamental questions about the nature of architecture and the role of the architect in society in the 21st century..