In this course, we are going to look at some of the most fundamental questions with regard to the vernacular built-environment – the everyday environment of the peoples. Asia is a fascinating continent that has seen dramatic changes over the past 30 years, especially socially and economically. With the impact of these changes often come the challenge of redefining one’s identity, on a personal, regional, even national level, and part of this identity comes from the environment we live in. The whole idea of this course is to stimulate students to look around the environment they live in and to think about the valuable assets that surround them. How does the environment they live in affect their sense of identity? What about the changes in their living environment, do these changes have an impact of their sense of identity? Should they or can they, do something about it? This course will explore the role of vernacular architecture in the geographical, economic, social, anthropological and political context of modern Asia and to discover the ways in which the traditional built-form can survive in the modern metropolis, their cultural identity, values, and the meaning. This course will introduce in each topic the relevant theoretical foundations to substantiate the arguments.