The current trend for constructing experimental structures is now an international phenomenon. It has been taken up worldwide by design professionals, researchers, educators and students alike. There exists, however, distinct and significant tendencies within this development that require further investigation. This issue of ad takes on this task by examining one of the most promising trajectories in this area, the rise of intensely local architectures. In his seminal essay of 1983 kenneth frampton re-defined critical regionalism by calling for an intensely local approach to architectural design. He avoided a nostalgic or backward-looking attitude to regional traditions by placing an emphasis on contemporary construction and design techniques. Today, framptons legacy is regaining relevance for a specific body of work in practice and education focused on the construction of experimental structures.