I remember clearly when I began to question the types of images and architecture we consumed and debated at university, contrasting them with the actual built environment of the city I live in (CDMX). This is a type of architecture that seeks to delineate certain biased, curated aesthetic principles, disseminated through academia, digital platforms, magazines, books, and real estate developers, among others.
According to some estimates, around 80% of construction worldwide is unregulated by the market and built without formally trained architects1. Self-construction is the most common way to build. Yet very little has been written or questioned about its aesthetic qualities—from the processes of its production to the simplistic appraisal of its appearance.
