Architecture in an unstable territory

This thesis argues that traditional architectural practice is insufficient to respond to the instabilities of rapid informal urbanization in Latin America. Traditional practice has mostly focused on designing objects, but informal territories instead need architects able to embrace complex social agendas, environmental risks, the lack of infrastructure and constant migration. Under these circumstances, this thesis proposes four new design protocols that constitute a new design process: 1. architects start by building trust and empathy with the community, 2. architects' responsibility extends beyond designing objects to designing systems, 3. architects rethink the use of materials and get involved in their projects' production process and 4. architects acknowledge that design is by necessity incomplete.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2018

Author dc:creator

• Uribe Buitrago, Manuela.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Lorena Bello Gómez.

• Architecture.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/118569

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/118569