Architecture is undergoing a fundamental transformation as the traditional model of singular visionary design gives way to collaborative, community-driven approaches. This shift represents a significant departure from the historically top-down method where architects designed unilaterally for users, communities, and cities, often prioritizing formal coherence and conceptual clarity over meaningful engagement with those who would inhabit the spaces.
The conventional approach to architectural practice has long celebrated iconic buildings shaped by individual vision, where architects created environments for communities with whom they may have had little personal or cultural connection. While this distance could offer valuable objectivity and enable architects to engage diverse perspectives with fresh eyes, it frequently resulted in projects that, despite being celebrated as visionary, felt disconnected from the everyday realities of their users. Success in this model was never guaranteed, and even when projects aligned with visionary briefs and strong execution, they often encountered criticism for failing to satisfy stakeholders with diverging expectations and values.
Today's architectural landscape reflects a quiet but profound transformation driven by increased transparency in building processes and greater institutional accountability. New actors including community groups, non-governmental organizations, and advocacy groups are stepping forward to actively shape the built environment. In response, architects are increasingly embracing participatory design—a collaborative model that directly engages the people who will use, maintain, and inhabit spaces throughout the design process.
This evolving approach brings both significant opportunities and inherent challenges. Participatory design invites multiple voices into the creative process, offering the potential for deeper community engagement and more socially responsive outcomes. It compels architects to balance their professional vision with humility, combining technical expertise with genuine empathy for user needs. However, this methodology also demands careful consideration of power dynamics, as not every voice will be heard equally, and cultural, institutional, or economic factors can distort the co-design process, potentially privileging certain perspectives while marginalizing others.
Three distinct approaches to collaborative design are emerging in contemporary practice, each illustrated by specific project examples that reveal both the potential benefits and inherent tensions in designing with communities rather than simply for them. The first approach involves participatory consultation, where community voices are integrated from the project's earliest stages, often before architects have finalized their initial concepts.
A compelling example of this early-engagement model is the recently concluded LAGI 2025 Fiji Design Competition, which announced Alberto Roncelli and Young Kang as finalists. This competition challenged participants to envision renewable infrastructure that could simultaneously provide clean energy and water while serving as spaces for community gathering, learning, and sustainable economic development. The competition's most notable feature was its co-design methodology, which invited local community members to serve as jury members alongside design professionals.
This approach empowered residents not only to review and select entries that would shape their physical environment but also to participate meaningfully in defining the values and aspirations embedded within the proposals. By engaging with a diverse range of submissions, community members gained exposure to various architectural possibilities, broadening their imagination for their community's future potential. The co-design process thus functioned not merely as an inclusion mechanism but as an educational tool for inspiration and long-term community empowerment.
The second approach involves structured collaboration through mid-process co-design, which has become more widely adopted due to its flexibility and scalability. This method incorporates participatory elements at various stages—sometimes during early concept development and programming phases, and other times during design development to refine spatial qualities. Its popularity stems from the fact that project progress doesn't depend entirely on continuous community input, allowing design teams to maintain momentum while still integrating valuable stakeholder feedback.
Rizvi Hassan, architect of the CSF Center for People With Disabilities, exemplifies this approach in his description of the design process: "We started by sitting down with the families and children, sharing thoughts, ideas, and dreams. Through a series of discussions, sketches, and even walking on large-scale printed plans, we co-created a space that reflected the needs and aspirations of everyone involved. This process allowed us to listen, to understand, and to design a place that was not just functional, but deeply meaningful."
This structured approach offers a balanced platform for community members to express concerns, share insights, and propose ideas without creating project bottlenecks. Because it doesn't require complete consensus to proceed, this method reduces risks of delays, stakeholder tensions, or conflicting opinions stalling progress. Projects like the Housing Unit Infonavit CTM Culhuacán Square by AMASA Estudio and the Urban Living Lab by Su Chang Design Research Office demonstrate how this methodology helps ensure projects remain both efficient and executable while giving voice to those who will inhabit the resulting environments.
The third approach focuses on building long-term flexibility into architectural frameworks, empowering users and communities to take active roles in design, adaptation, and even construction of their own spaces. This method gained prominence through Alejandro Aravena's Quinta Monroy housing project with ELEMENTAL, where architects provide robust structural frameworks while intentionally leaving portions of the architecture unfinished, allowing residents to customize and complete spaces according to their specific needs and available resources.
The Resilient House: Multi-Generational Housing by etal. demonstrates how this approach can extend beyond final project stages to influence the fundamental architectural framework. In this project, residents were involved early in the process, and the design embedded long-term adaptability features. For instance, the layout allows kitchens to be installed in any of six designated rooms within an apartment without requiring major alterations, empowering residents to adapt their homes to different family structures or evolving living arrangements over time.
While co-designing with current users can yield deeply responsive spaces, it raises important questions about longevity and adaptability when original co-designers relocate. The Resilient House addresses this challenge by building flexibility directly into the architectural structure itself, ensuring that future occupants—regardless of their background or household configuration—can continue adapting spaces to meet their needs. This approach transforms the legacy of co-design from merely a product of immediate collaboration into a framework for ongoing resilience and adaptability.
As architectural practice continues evolving, the central challenge lies in refining these collaborative methodologies to ensure they are genuinely inclusive rather than performative. The profession must grapple with fundamental questions: How do we design with communities rather than simply for them? How do we ensure that co-design processes are truly inclusive without becoming merely symbolic gestures? The path forward will not be linear, but it holds significant promise for creating more democratic, responsive architecture that serves both individual needs and broader community aspirations.
The transformation toward participatory design represents more than just a methodological shift—it reflects a fundamental reimagining of the architect's role from singular visionary to collaborative facilitator. As this evolution continues, the most successful projects will likely be those that thoughtfully balance professional expertise with community wisdom, creating spaces that are both technically excellent and deeply meaningful to those who call them home.
