Designer, activist, academic,
and author of Lo—TEK,
Design by Radical Indigenism.
A leading expert of Lo—TEK nature-based technologies for climate-resilience.
Her eponymously named studio brings creative and conceptual, interdisciplinary thinking to urban projects and corporate clients interested in systemic and sustainable change. Julia regularly teaches urban design at Harvard and Columbia University.
Lo—TEK Water
A Field Guide for TEKnology
The follow-up in the Lo—TEK series, this field guide dives into water-based Indigenous technologies that have sustained communities for millennia. From floating farms in Bangladesh to water cleansing wetlands in China, Watson illuminates how water is not just a resource, but a living teacher.
Lo—TEK Water Book Tour
“Lo—TEK Water is a vital and beautifully illustrated guide that reveals Indigenous knowledge as essential for building climate-resilient futures.”
— Architectural Digest
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Lo—TEK
Design by Radical Indigenism
A global exploration of Indigenous ingenuity, Lo—TEK showcases traditional ecological knowledge systems from 18 countries, revealing how ancient ways of living offer contemporary solutions to the climate crisis. With vivid imagery and deep research, this book reframes what it means to be innovative.
Lo—TEK
Design By Radical Indigenism
Available as an Audiobook
Experience Lo—TEK like never before.
Now available as an immersive audiobook, Lo—TEK: Design by Radical Indigenism is narrated by author Julia Watson and National Geographic Explorer Wade Davis. This powerful pairing sets the stage for a journey through Indigenous technologies, ancestral knowledge systems, and ecological design.
Listen deeply. Design radically.
“A visual masterpiece and manifesto that urges us to rethink progress.”
— The Guardian
JULIA WATSON
Author and designer Julia Watson is a global advocate for Indigenous ecological knowledge and the bestselling author of Lo—TEK, Design by Radical Indigenism. Of Greco-Egyptian-English descent and Australian-born, Julia studied landscape architecture at Harvard and has taught at Columbia, Harvard, and RISD. Her work is inspired by travels across the globe and a lifelong mission to uplift ancestral technologies through storytelling. She co-founded the Lo—TEK Institute, launched the Living Earth Curriculum, and co-leads the Lo—TEK Office for Intercultural Urbanism, leading the way in regenerative design—merging Indigenous science, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), and cutting-edge urban innovation.
“Watson is helping shape a vision of the future that draws from the deep past.”
— Domus Magazine
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