Hola! Next Jan-Feb there´s a really interesting course about Participative Design in Lima and the southern earthquake damaged areas of Peru. I would really like to go, but am a bit afraid of going alone with my zero knowledge in spanish. Maybe one of you or someone you know would also like to study in Peru next spring?

Just email me and I´d be happy to forward all the info I´ve recieved from the organisers! inari.virkkala(a)hut.fi

PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA DEL PERU SUMMER COURSE

Relational Processes for a social and physical occupation: Participative Design

Department Architecture Faculty Interdisciplinary course: Faculty of Arts, Media Studies Faculty, Psychology Faculty Curso interdisciplinario: Facultad Arte, Faculty of Anthropology. Academia Semester: Summer 2008 Credits: 4 Requirements: 45 passed credits Course duration: 6 1/2 weeks Teachers Architect Claudia Amico (39 hours) Architect Maria Paz Ballen (39 hours) Architect Mariana Leguia (20 hours)

The idea of participation is basically understood as the user’s intervention in the design process. In communities in need such as El Carmen, this process has the potential of creating an inexistent cohesion amongst its members, which could help in the development of future processes and efficient overcoming of the disaster. Detaching participation as a patronised form of social help, and rather proposing a new responsibility and commitment on behalf of the user; it is important to acquire at university the necessary skills and notions in order to proceed in processes of this nature.
Participation in architecture has a long history; however there are few experiences which have theorised over this process. This is an experimental course which explores architectural tools and participative methods in order to generate contemporary knowledge on this practice.