Step one

Each project starts with a request by a community to construct a building that will support local self-development.

Step two

An initial investigation collects information for the development of the architectural project. An exchange of expectations and ideas for formal agreements with local authorities is initiated.

Step three

Collaboration between students and the host community happens during the architectural design process. The host community chooses one of the project ideas proposed by the students.

Step four

An exchange takes place between students and the community during the self-construction phase in Mexico. The objective is to propose culturally compatible innovations including materials, construction techniques and local culture and expertise. A key objective is that spontaneous cultural exchanges happen by sharing work and daily life over the course of a few months. The students also conduct a household survey to understand the lifestyles and culture of the host community.

Step five

Publication of the results through videos, publications, exhibitions and conferences.

With these projects Archintorno has developed a participatory process that involves the active involvement of all stakeholders during the five phases.

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PROJECT DETAILS

Site: Santa Cruz Tepetotutla, Chinantla Alta, Oaxaca, Mexico
Function: Guest house, assembly room, community kitchen
Client: Santa Cruz Tepetotutla community assembly
Use: public
Year of construction: 2006-2007
Fabrication: on site, recover old foundation
Materials: concrete, wood, metal sheets
Students involved in construction: 16
Local labor involved: 2 carpenters, 1 bricklayer, community labour
Local partner: CAMPO

PROJECT HISTORY

The village of Santa Cruz Tepetotutla is located in Chinantla Alta High Chinantla in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca state, Mexico. At an altitude of over 3,000 meters above sea level the area has one of the highest indices of biodiversity on the planet.

Archintorno coordinated the process/project working with the community and 16 DesignBuild students from University of Naples, Milan and Warsaw and a foreman from TU Berlin on the construction of a community center. The building supports a development program which focusses on ecotourism and the enhancement of cultural and natural resources of the area. In addition to a community centre, the building serves as a Guest House for tourists who are walking through the area on a well-known eco-tourism route through several indigenous communities.

Santa Cruz is included in the The Sustainable Territory Development Plan of Alta de Oaxaca. The spatial plan was drafted by the communities themselves, with the support of the Mexican NGO CAMPO and is made with an intent to generate alternative sources of income to agriculture.

The building is built on a pre-existing foundation and, at the community’s request, the floor is made of reinforced concrete. The second floor is built of wood according to local tradition, supplemented with building innovations that contribute to higher stablity of the structure. The building consists of five bedrooms, a kitchen and a dining room on the main floor and a large multi-purpose living room where community meetings take place on the upper floor.

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