By Felipe Mesa, Ana Valderrama & Gustavo Diéguez

This publication documents the work carried out by 14 design-build studios in Latin America over the past 20 years, compiling a total of 39 projects that place an emphasis on teaching with a social agenda and the impact that the construction experience has on students and communities. In contrast to architecture teaching around the world that places the emphasis on individual work, these studios stimulate collaboration and produce small-format buildings with flexible programs that have immediate impact. While global architecture often feels remote from people, the courses that take this approach manage resources sustainably and build projects with high intensity usage. In the context of the most unequal region on the planet, this kind of studio enables students to interact positively in response to social, environmental, and architectural constraints.