The project is an initiative of the Comité Ixtepecano and the Universidad de la Tierra de Oaxaca, who in 2018 contacted us to initiate a collaborative post-earthquake reconstruction process with the aim of designing, through participatory social processes, a model of housing that arose from traditional ways of living, culture and vernacular materials.

 

The project began with participatory diagnostic workshops and active participatory research to analyze traditional construction systems and local materials. The next step was to collectively design the house to create a structural support based on the traditional house that would work for the group but was flexible enough to adapt to the specific needs of each family. Once the support was made, a participatory tool was designed so that each family could choose the spaces and operation of their home.

 

The project had the support of the National Reconstruction Program of CONAVI and began its construction in 2020 through self-production schemes.

 

To accompany this process, technical training workshops were given and a self-construction manual was designed for families, whom we continue to accompany in the process.