The AA

Excess and Experiment

Programmes

AA Visiting School

Excess and Experiment

The House / the Workshop: Work in progress on the 20 October 2024 at 14:36. Photo: Geraz Ato

Dates

27 July 2026 - 7 August 2026

Brief

This is a call to all you architects who are fierce makers, self-builders, wild craftspeople to explore the untamed design methods of contemporary Mexican builders! These are the methods and processes by which those outside the discipline of architecture appropriate and interprets construction. Learning from Geraz is a hands-on course in collaboration with local experts and participants. We will discover innovative techniques of sculpting and decorating through as broad spectrum of materials. We will transform these experiments into spatial compositions by building ‘tiny chapels’ which we will install in the city.

The course offers a unique opportunity for architecture and design students to explore architectural ornamentation and self-building techniques in Mexico City’s unregulated settlements, adjacent to the Teotihuacán pyramids. We will first discover Mexico City’s architecture through the lens of Geraz Ato, a master craftsman, expert masonry artist and selfbuilder living and working in the area who will be a guest tutor on the course. Ato’s work will also serve as a case study for our research into the intriguing architecture produced in this region, particularly in areas where non-professionals are actively shaping the built environment.

Ato's work transcends self-construction in terms of scale and ambition, standing out from anything else seen in architectural practice. His skill in working with industrial materials such as cinder block, concrete and plaster, while incorporating pre-Hispanic motifs, speaks to the highly creative individuals contributing to the built environment who are often overlooked in our profession.

The course aims to teach and practice these innovative techniques in architectural ornamentation while highlighting and giving recognition to those producing work outside the traditional canon. In exploring architectural cultures in the context of Mexico City, students will develop both conceptual insights and practical, hands-on skills.

PROGRAMME:

We will start the workshop with guided tours and hands on carving techniques with Geraz Ato in Teotihuacan.
We will visit prominent examples of extreme and unique architecture in Mexico City where the builders have expressed their identity through spatial composition and decoration in the vein of Geraz Ato’s works.
We will then design and make our own tiny chapels that we will place in the public realm in Mexico City.
The course will finish with an event showing the work at Proyector - a platform and gallery dedicated to the promotion of architectural research based in Mexico City.

PROMINENT FEATURES OF THE WORKSHOP/ SKILLS DEVELOPED:

Gain experience of hands-on construction with a master craftsman
Knowledge of local crafts and vernacular construction
Knowledge of concepts relating architecture and popular culture
Design concept development skills
Experience working individually and in teams
Experience collaborating with local participants
Knowledge from local experts in construction
Exposure to the architectural culture of Mexico City
Experience with local Mexican community
Exposure through an exhibition and public discussions

Applications

Applications for this program will open soon.

Eligibility

The programme is open to current architecture and design students, PhD candidates and young professionals.

Software Requirements: Any 3D modeling software

Other requirements: Some basic experience handling power tools

Visas

All participants travelling from abroad are responsible for securing any visa required and are advised to contact their home embassy early. An official letter can be issued by AA Visiting School confirming enrolment onto the programme once an applicant has settled their deposit payment, this letter can be used when applying for a visa as supporting documents when entering the UK.

Insurance

All participants are responsible for securing their own travel and health insurance. Please ensure that your travel insurance also covers your personal belongings i.e. laptop, equipment, tools, passport etc. The AA takes no responsibility for lost/ stolen property.

Biographies

Andrés Souto Vilaros, Programme Head

Andrés is the director of mUcHo estudio/taller, where he investigates architecture created outside the parameters of official culture, exploring the methods and processes in which popular culture interprets and appropriates official architecture, and speculating on how these might evolve.

mUcHo estudio/taller was founded by Andrés in 2017 after completing his master's at the Royal College of Art in London. There, the focus of his practice was shaped and defined through his research project titled "The Aesthetics of Hope."

Andrés is also a lecturer in the Department of Architecture at Universidad Iberoamericana, where he has been teaching the project workshop "Architecture of Popular Culture" (@arqdelaculpop) since 2017.

https://muchomuchomucho.mx/about

Elliot Rogosin, Co-Head

Elliot is an architect and maker exploring the essential stories between place, manufacture and making, and the process of design. He cofounded the architectural practice House of Bricoleurs with Albane Duvillier in 2024.

He teaches Intermediate 12 at the AA and the Digital Craft in Architecture Master’s at Oxford Brookes University.

https://www.aaschool.ac.uk/academicprogrammes/inte...

https://houseofbricoleurs.xyz/

Juan Cuock, Guest Tutor

Juan is an architect, researcher and urban planner. He is currently Technical Manager at the Institute of the National Housing Fund for Workers (INFONAVIT). He is a professor at the Universidad Iberoamericana and Training Partner at Tecnológico de Monterrey, and a member of the Board of Trustees of Arquitectura Moderna Estudio y Conservación en México Patronage (AMEC).

Juan is also the co-founder and Director of Research at Proyector, a curatorial platform based in Mexico City dedicated to the promotion of research projects in architecture. As an urban planner, he developed his research at the Institute for Urban Futures in Montreal, the Open-Output Foundation in New York, and while a member of the Center for Sustainable Design Strategies at the Pratt Institute. He has been a consultant for UN-Habitat and Ministry of Urban Development SEDATU in Mexico, and is currently a PhD Candidate at UNAM.

Geraz Ato, Guest Tutor

Geraz grew up immersed in the world of construction as the son of a master builder in Teotihuacán. From an early age, he was surrounded by traditional Mexican building materials and techniques, which gave him a deep understanding of the craft. However, beyond the technical aspects, Geraz developed a keen artistic interest in applying these skills. Today, he has evolved from a builder into a virtuoso of ornamentation and decoration, combining his mastery of construction techniques with a highly detailed and expressive approach. His work is characterised by pre-Hispanic motifs that evoke the rich history of his hometown, alongside religious symbolism that reflects his cultural surroundings. With this unique blend of technical expertise and artistic sensitivity, Geraz has redefined the role of the builder, elevating his craft to an aesthetic level that dialogues with the past while looking to the future.