Like most good ideas, basin was conceived out of necessity. There was a need in the building sector for more information on appropriate and cost-efficient building materials and construction technologies in the developing countries, while the flow of knowledge between North and South and within the South was sparse. Research and development activities were duplicated, and the knowledge of well meaning organisations was insufficient. A hub for collecting and distributing knowledge did not exist. This factsheet describes the activities and evolution of basin from 1988 to 2004.