Participatory design: The Livingston Method. Estetexto summarizes the essentials of the method.

diseño partcipatvo desarrollado por el arquitecto Rodolfo Livingston, a partr de una

systematization of your experience. We recommend reading the general book, very
rich in the description of cases that will undoubtedly serve as inspiration to young people
architects Esteban de Manuel Jerez Livingston, Rodolfo: Architects of the Community.
The method. Kliezkouski, Buenos Aires, 2002 Introduction The book by Rodolfo Livingston, The
community architect is based on a participatory design method for the
structural modification of housing based on the relationship between the architect and the
client-family through a detailed study of the place and interrogates the members of the
family, using psychological techniques that aim to deconstruct the real or latent demand
what the client performs of their needs, which is normally hidden in the demand
explicit, usually translated in the client's project. This method takes the
metaphor of the medical office and develops the ability to listen, to dialogue and to
to educate, breaking in this way the usual conflict between two owners
of the project: the intellectual (architect) and the self-promoter who is going to finance the construction of
his house. The method of the architect Rodolfo Livingston establishes a very
close relationship between the architect and his family-client. The professional conducts a detailed study of the
place and question all family members (adults and
adolescents) using psychological techniques to identify their needs and
aspirations. This information (site and family) becomes during the creativity stage in
various alternative responses to the problems encountered with a view to achieving satisfaction
from the family with the lowest possible investment.

If one starts from the individuality of each case and, therefore, from the characteristics of each
family, it can be concluded that each problem, even with similar manifestations
requires different responses, which eliminates the possibility of projecting topics for
abstract personas, of predefined or repetitive solutions. It is also taken into account,
the progressive execution, that is, the future evolution of the family's needs
and its adaptation to the available resources. This method gains particular relevance from
face the current situation in which the work of architects will be oriented to the
rehabilitation, renovation and expansion of buildings, applying criteria of eco-efficiency and
bioclimatic adaptation, which translates into decisions regarding the use of materials,
in energy-saving measures throughout the life cycle of the building and in the building itself
configuration of spaces and the elements of lighting and shadow. Between 60% and the
80% of the total volume of built houses undergo modifications or renovations
or more times during your useful life, such as: extensions, divisions, resignations of
locales, all of that with very little or no technical advice that makes solutions possible
suitable, which implies that they suffer from a wide range of problems among which
highlight: •Worsening of functional problems. •Deficiencies in lighting, ventilation and
Orientation. • Total or partial elimination of free areas. • Solutions not in accordance with the
urban environment. •Conflicts with neighboring houses. These realities highlighted the
need to incorporate the architect into this phenomenon by integrating their technical know-how into the
community, in the social framework where these events occur, which could revert in the
current situation. However, for this, a profound change in the
the minds of architecture professionals, more inclined towards the realization of projects
of significance, which are the exception, underestimating the attention to these reforms and the
attention to users.

The Method The method of architect Livingston includes two stages prior to the
from the project comotal: 1. Primary information 2. Creativity or feasibility studies
Primary information Site information The architect visits the house or the land,
Locate the lot in its urban context and determine its geographical situation.
detailed survey, review the general technical status of the land or property, and in
generally all the information that may be important when projecting. Information from
clientIn the interview, which lasts one or two hours, with the participation of the adults who
They live in the house, interruptions will be avoided and plans will be provided.
drawing elements within reach of hand. The data on types of house is reviewed,
history (of the family's house) and family. The client is informed that he is the architect
Who will conduct the interrogation through a series of games, which are: 1. More-less. 2.
Fiscal.3. Proyecto del Cliente.4. Casa Final Deseada.

1. More or less: The attendees must answer the question: What is the most
Do you like the house? The instruction: You can respond with just one thing. Less: What is it?
What do they like the least about the house? They must also answer just one thing. With this game.
The priorities of the different family members are established. FiscalConsign of
game: Customers must imagine that the house is before a court as the accused and
that they are the prosecutors. Their role is not to be fair (for that there would be the nonexistent judge in
in this case), they should only attack even if the accusations against them are not
solvable. With this game, the problems that the house has are established. If not
If approached this way, like a game, the client would limit themselves to only complaining about what bothers them the most.

it hurts him/her. 3. Client project The client has become an architect. The true
the architect will be your draftsman, as submissive as possible. This exercise is decisive for
start to resolve the main conflict between the architect and the client: 'My idea versus their
idea", "The house is mine and I know what I want", "The one who lives in the house is me". But it's not just about
from a strategy in front of the client. The client's project and the other exercises will be useful
to think during the next stage, that of creativity. 4. Desired Final House Instructions:
Completely forget about your own house. The architect redraws the previous plan. "Dream (he says)
describe your ideal house
American movie house but better than what could be built.
architect in a dream notebook.
This game, if done well, allows for the establishment of a good needs program.
ask the customer simply about their wishes, without approaching the exercise as a game,
this will be limited to recording those wishes that he considers achievable, that is to say, those that
the client expressed in their project, and in this way our information would be limited
This will be the manifest demand. By applying the method.
we access the latent demand. Creativity or feasibility studies This work is
realiza en el estudio y persigue abrir el campo de posibles soluciones al problema
proposed, generating all the variants we can think of. First stage: Creation of the
FieldIn the face of the challenge of the blank page, the architect must install in their mind a
first prompt: I will not look for the solution, I am not trying to solve the problem; just
I will do some exercises, some games. The board is placed against the wall and the ...
elements studied previously. All these elements, sometimes interacting with
random way, they form the conducive field for creation. The blank paper
has been replaced by the information that, displayed before our eyes,
It will stimulate the creative process. Second stage: Fireworks. Exercises applying: 1.
["Accentuate the problem.","Formulate the question correctly.","Change the perspective."]
Question the constant.

5. Look for models elsewhere. 6. Synthesis of the variants. What is obtained? Multitude of
partial solutions that would have never been thought of when trying to obtain the
logical solution proceeding, as is customary, in a straight line. The mind has been stimulated with
ideas, has been liberated through different paths, with the aim of breaking the idea
dominant. Third stage: Sensibility Having all the information in view, including the site,
the client's project and the proposals of the First Stage, the process of drawing is developed
the possible solutions. Then, the obtained variants will be confronted with the
problemas y deseos de la familia, seleccionando los hallazgos. Las alternatvas encontradas
They are discussed with the other members of the group and only then should the client be summoned to
make the presentation of the Feasibility Studies to the family. Presentation of the
Feasibility Studies In addition to the adults in the family, they must be present
other colleagues to assess the results later. The architect will present
first the client's projects, asking clients if they were
correctly interpreted and they are invited to evaluate them against the problems and
desires. That is to say, the client does not confront the architect, they confront themselves,
dissolving the conflict 'my idea versus your idea'. Later, one by one, they will be presented calmly.
the selected variants, which are also evaluated against the Problems and
Wishes. From experience, the variants, which have been called studies of
feasibility, they should not be less than 3 or more than 5 and will be delivered to the family-client.
at this moment it is reminded that this stage does not
keep in mind because they are the ones who set the pace that will require them to reflect on the
presented variants. The client pays. Instruction Manual We have a preliminary project.
approved by the client-family that is called final adjustment of feasibility studies. The
work can end here because the questions that led to it have been answered
to the client to the architect. However, it is possible to advance to the next stage of the project.
executive that, in the method, is called Manual of Instructions because it lacks
some detail plans usually included in the project documentation
includes others that have not been considered before. The stage begins with a new
interrogation regarding details, endings, resources and also about the image
The work concludes with a plan 1:50 accompanied by cassettes where it is explained
the details of the environments. When recording it, three imaginary routes must be made: 1.
Structural, rough work, from the foundations to the roof. 2. Room by room
completing the instructions of the plans on measurements, finishes and
Openings. 3. Ambient: furniture, artificial light sources, switches,... In general,
por estetrabajo se cobra el 50% del valortotal del [Link] de las fases del
method: