In a world where high-tech solutions are practically synonymous with development, Watson has taken a contrarian approach. The New York-based designer has spent a good part of her career traveling to Indigenous communities in the most remote parts of the world — from Benin to Iraq — to study how we can apply their innovations to our planet’s contemporary environmental problems.

As the world races to curb greenhouse gas emissions and limit the most extreme consequences of climate change, Watson believes we can look to ancient wisdom to help us design more sustainable infrastructure without exploiting nature.