In today's rapidly changing world, architects are taking on roles that extend far beyond traditional building design. They are becoming cultural translators, social facilitators, and advocates for collective rights, particularly in regions marked by inequality, environmental crises, and territorial disputes. Three groundbreaking architectural practices from the Global South demonstrate how design professionals can effectively mediate between communities, governments, and private enterprises to create meaningful change.
These architects are transforming how we understand the profession by positioning architecture not just as a technical service, but as a tool for negotiation and social transformation. In societies where community voices are often overshadowed by market pressures or centralized public policies, these practitioners have moved beyond technical drawings to engage in both symbolic and material dialogue with diverse stakeholders.
SEALAB, based in Ahmedabad, India, exemplifies this mediating approach through their community-focused projects that emphasize slow, participatory processes respectful of local cultural identity. Founded by Anand Sonecha and Mariana Paisana, the studio gained recognition in the 5th edition of the ArchDaily Next Practices Awards for their innovative methodology. Their most notable project, the School for Blind and Visually Impaired Children in Gandhinagar, required creating an accessible educational environment for students from remote areas while meeting teachers' needs for quality education and social integration opportunities.
The school project showcased revolutionary communication and engagement tools throughout the design process. Initial cardboard models allowed students to explore spaces with their hands, but the team quickly discovered limitations in conveying internal volumes and architectural details. They introduced 3D-printed models that provided robust, tactile representations including furniture and human figures, helping students understand the building's scale and functional layout. A specially developed texture code was applied to plans and models to differentiate interior and exterior areas, circulation zones, and classrooms, complemented by Braille signage for each space.
Before construction began, SEALAB organized a full-scale simulation on-site, allowing administrators, teachers, and students to walk through the spaces and provide feedback on circulation, spatial perception, and organization. During construction, the team tested specific building techniques with students, including different plaster textures for floors and walls, to assess their effectiveness for tactile orientation and navigation. This participatory, multisensory approach proved essential for creating an inclusive educational environment where users could understand, navigate, and independently use the space.
In Pakistan, architect Yasmeen Lari has transformed humanitarian architecture through her zero carbon, zero waste, and zero dependency approach. As the first woman to practice architecture in Pakistan, Lari shifted from designing corporate buildings to social practice through the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, responding to environmental disasters and humanitarian crises. Her most significant work emerged after the devastating 2022 floods that left millions homeless.
While government and private companies proposed industrialized solutions that were costly and disconnected from rural realities, Lari championed a model based on community autonomy. Using bamboo, earth, and other vernacular techniques, she developed elevated shelters resistant to floods and earthquakes. Her mediation occurred primarily in negotiations among international donors, private companies, and local communities, persuading funders to invest in local materials and community training rather than accepting ready-made models imposed from outside.
A crucial element of Lari's approach was the formation of "barefoot entrepreneurs" – residents trained to build homes and teach others in the community, multiplying the project's impact while strengthening the local economy. This required extensive dialogue with the Pakistani government, which initially did not recognize the technical validity of vernacular construction. The Heritage Foundation acted as a political mediator, advocating for regulatory changes to legitimize these methods. The result was the construction of over 40,000 sustainable homes with minimal environmental impact and strong community empowerment, especially for women.
In Mexico, Comunal Taller de Arquitectura, based in Oaxaca, develops projects rooted in direct community participation while respecting cultural traditions and reinforcing local autonomy. Their Rural House project in Puebla, designed in collaboration with residents of the Sierra Norte de Puebla, addressed a region with strong indigenous identity and significant socioeconomic challenges. The goal was to propose housing solutions that responded to local needs without imposing external, industrialized models that often characterize Mexican government housing programs.
Comunal's role involved bridging the gap between formal government requirements and traditional ways of life. The process included participatory workshops where residents mapped their needs and shared construction knowledge passed down through generations. Real-scale prototyping allowed solutions to be tested while ensuring that local materials and techniques were valued. In Puebla, this resulted in using wood, earth, and traditional construction systems, reinterpreted to meet technical and safety requirements while remaining culturally appropriate.
Construction relied largely on community labor, reducing costs and fostering a sense of ownership among residents. The project produced environmentally sensitive housing adapted to the local climate and rooted in indigenous culture. Beyond creating houses, the process generated collective empowerment, encouraging communities to actively shape their spaces and challenge standardized state models that often ignore cultural diversity and communities' rights to participate in shaping their territories.
Despite operating in distinct contexts across India, Pakistan, and Mexico, these three cases reveal clear convergences in their approach to architectural mediation. Prototyping became a key tool for dialogue between architects and communities, while valuing local materials and knowledge reinforced cultural identity and sustainability principles. Negotiation among diverse actors proved critical for project feasibility, and community autonomy emerged as a vital legacy of each intervention.
These experiences demonstrate that architecture can transcend its traditional boundaries to become more than a technical service. It can build bridges between different worlds, fostering social inclusion, cultural preservation, and sustainable innovation. In the Global South, where inequalities and tensions are most pronounced, this mediating role is not just desirable but essential for addressing contemporary challenges and creating meaningful, lasting change in communities that need it most.
