Climate-Friendly Construction in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s first wooden model house shows how low-carbon, climate-resilient buildings can be built with local materials.

The IKI-funded project “Improving energy efficiency in the building sector” has reached a major milestone for sustainable construction in Central Asia. On the campus of the “Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers” National Research University (TIIAME NRU), project partners completed Uzbekistan’s first wooden model house, demonstrating how low-carbon and climate-resilient construction can be achieved. 

A tangible response to a high-emission construction sector

Uzbekistan’s booming construction industry is currently dominated by carbon-intensive materials such as concrete and fired bricks. The model house provides a concrete alternative. By replacing conventional materials with locally available timber, straw and clay, the building significantly reduces embodied carbon while also lowering future energy demand.

The structure combines a timber log frame, straw-clay-wood infill walls and a low-cement foundation. Passive solar design and research-based insulation solutions further enhance energy efficiency and thermal comfort, proving that climate-adaptive buildings are technically feasible and economically realistic under local conditions.

From research to real-world application

Developed by the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE), TIIAME NRU, the Center for International Forestry Research-World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), and the Natural Building Lab at Technische Universität Berlin, the model house serves as a real-world testing ground for sustainable construction methods. Throughout the process, safety, durability, aesthetics and replicability were systematically assessed to build trust in timber as a modern and reliable construction material.

Today, the completed building functions as an educational and training space. Students, academic staff and professionals use the house for engineering and architecture courses, vocational trainings and outreach events, strengthening local capacities for a more sustainable construction sector.

Scaling impact through digital learning

The IKI-project extends its impact beyond the physical building through a comprehensive set of online educational materials. A series of video lectures, produced through the open-source World Lecture Project, is available in Uzbek, Russian and English.

The lectures cover climate change impacts in the region, agroforestry, low-carbon construction, wood engineering and climate-adaptive design. Together with the model house, these resources form a digital learning hub that reaches students, practitioners and decision-makers far beyond the TIIAME campus.

A replicable model for climate change mitigation and resilience 

In addition to practical demonstration and training, the project developed a policy paper and training content that help integrate sustainable construction principles into academic programmes. 

By linking hands-on implementation with research-based guidance and capacity building, the IKI-project offers a replicable model for regions aiming to reduce emissions, enhance climate resilience and reconnect traditional building knowledge with modern sustainable development goals.

About the IKI Medium Grants

With the IKI Medium Grants the German federal government supports projects for climate action and biodiversity conservation that particularly involve smaller civil society actors in developing and emerging countries. The IKI Medium Grants funding instruments is implemented by Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH.

Together with the IKI Large Grants and IKI Small Grants, the IKI Medium Grants complete the competitive funding instrument form IKI Compete.

Click here for all IMG details