TUU.

The name TUU comes from a Polynesian root meaning “to stand” or “to arise.” It speaks to the fundamental condition of the project: to rise with the tides, to stand resilient in the face of weather, and to remain grounded in cultural and ecological continuity. TUU is both a home and a gesture—one that embraces, rather than resists, the dynamic landscape of Tuvalu.

TUU is a small-footprint, climate-adapted dwelling designed for the low-lying islands of Tuvalu—a nation on the front lines of sea level rise and environmental change. The project began not as a stylistic gesture, but as a response: to climate, to culture, to the shifting edge where land meets ocean. In this fragile context, the building needed to do more than shelter—it needed to stand lightly, breathe deeply, and adapt continually.