Self-construction: a window of opportunity
- Arq. MUTRO
- Jul 17, 2025
- 2 min read
As we mentioned in the previous article, self-construction is a consequence of a system that does not provide opportunities.
But what if there was a chance to help and learn at the same time?
We all, at some point, do community service and professional internships.
What if all of this could be done while changing the way people in greatest need live?
Here a phrase by Alejandro Aravena applies perfectly:
Good architecture isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. And those who need it most are the poorest.
Although it may sound complicated and seem like it would overwhelm students—given the large number of people with similar needs—the truth is that there are already organizations and programs that have been successful in this area.
International Organizations
International organization with presence in more than 70 countries.
It promotes participatory construction with technical support, involving volunteers, students, and professionals.
Offers field experience, from design to construction.
It has been particularly active in Latin America, Asia and Africa.
Studio working with marginalized communities in Thailand, Indonesia and Uganda.
It promotes real practices of community architecture and self-construction, under an ethical and participatory approach.
National Initiatives
Connects social organizations, government, and universities around social housing and public space projects.
She has developed participatory interventions in Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Mexico City, offering direct technical support to communities.
Participatory architecture office with a social and ecological focus.
He has supported self-construction projects with technical assistance, promoting the participation of students and young professionals.
Government Programs
“Your House” (formerly “Rural Housing”) – Mexico
Federal program that operated between 2008 and 2011, with the participation of CONAVI and SEDATU.
Public information about its impact is limited, but it has been linked to opacity schemes similar to the post-earthquake reconstruction program, where the Federal Audit Office detected irregularities totaling hundreds of millions of pesos.
Who really benefited?
Progressive Housing Program – Chile
Model with a participatory approach and technical design from the State.
Families start with a well-designed basic home and expand it as needed.
It emerged in the 1990s, around the same time that INFONAVIT stopped building and began financing housing.
And INFONAVIT?
Founded in 1972, INFONAVIT in its first decades did build modest housing directly (or in conjunction with state governments and cooperatives), but designed for growth.
It supported assisted or directed self-construction processes, both in urban and rural areas.
His approach was more closely linked to minimum habitability and urban quality, although the problem has always been the minimum dimensions, which remain insufficient for decent housing.
Beginning in the 1990s, INFONAVIT transformed into a financial intermediary, shifting from construction to a mortgage lending channel.
In short: they turned it into a real estate agency with an institutional logo.
What if internships weren't just about renderings?
What if students of architecture, urban planning, engineering, sociology, or social work could go into the field, understand the reality of communities, and design with and for people?
Self-construction is a widespread reality, not an exception.
It's time to stop seeing it as "the problem" and start seeing it as the most honest classroom we have.
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