Interview with Andrea Cecilia Alcocer Carrillo

We like to describe our studio as a vital space, one that is open to all the possibilities in which our work can transcend in life itself. We started to work together in the midst of our career whereas we began to find opportunities of change, not with an intention of designing a product, but with the goal of getting a new way to reformulate approaches to find different alternatives to the conventional products.

It’s an opportunity to create a change from life itself, since problems are solved from a change within the reality of a living being.

Spaces which create different atmospheres and sensory experiences.

Our favorite design would be this life, the one that we are building through design. And it’s because the object itself, the space, the drawing or the final product isn’t the most important thing. The most important thing is the fact that life gets transformed from the design itself.

The winning logo of the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán’s 43rd anniversary Architecture School contest, which aims to celebrate the student spirit and the future’s professionists. All of this because rather than celebrating history or legacy, the important thing is betting on the institution’s future stripped of all its vices.

Our favorite material would be “space”, since space it’s always in the making of multisensory experiences.

Our most creative moment emerges during the understanding process of the assigned project and from questioning the project’s particular problem and it’s existing solutions.

We believe that design can not be segmented into different aspects, because if we aim that the final product succeeds, must always be intact and organic. The first scheme is as important as the final details. Even so, for us, the most important thing would be always the added value that we give to the final result.

Passion for what we do since we believe that with our passion we can change the world.

Enormous happiness when we prove that the result satisfies and makes users happy, but also looking forward to starting over again when this doesn’t happen.

The happiness within all the people who interact with it.

The project’s capacity to provoke something in people’s lives.

This happened during the framework of the “Expo Mueble Internacional de verano 2016” in the city of Guadalajara, Mexico. And we would like soon to be held within the framework of the Design Week of a world design capital.

It comes from the situations and behaviors in people’s lives and their surroundings.

Evolutionist. It’s all about questioning the current arguments and betting on the prospective vision of the world. This is what makes us bet and want to explore so much more about evolution in all its aspects and translate it into design.

We live in the city of Mérida in México. The political, social and economic problems that Mexico and Latin America are facing these days have made us realize of all the challenges of our reality, which is why we put a lot of emphasis on betting on the future.

The experience and training of a designer is always beneficial, especially when design isn’t the companies’ main field. This is why the external and professional look of a designer will always bring an important added value.

Our design process is never a linear one, however, most of the time we start with a research and an approach to the subject indeed; then the most important part of the process begins. It’s about questioning the existing models and repertoires in order to generate the approach of a conceptual idea that offers new alternatives. In order to mature the idea, it’s important to make a self-critic and to get an external opinion that help feeding the proposal into a conception of a general scheme, leading later to the detailed definition of it. If the proposal gets materialized, it’s important to carry out the verification and evaluation of the thesis, if the results aren’t satisfying, it’s necessary to generate a new approach.

Netflix. In addition to distracting and amusing us, it is useful to see how other people around the world understand, conceptualize, describe and capture reality.
Benjamin. Our cat is also an indispensable part of the design team.
Food and sweets. Which are always good for energy.
Paper and pencils. As allies to not forget anything.
Whiteboard. It is always good to have a space to capture and see the complete image, the general outline, its details, the thing to do and the relation that time has with all of this and our lives.

Never lose the desire to want to change the world making use of our vitality and inexperience, but above all do not be afraid of failure.

The fun of being a designer lies in always having in mind a complete image of the reality that surrounds us, which allows us to have a wide field of work; And the negative thing is that when you do not have all this you are out.

Always doubt everything.

The ability to be critical and analytical at all times.

A lot of paper sheets and pencils to express ideas, which are complemented and detailed through drawing software, modeling and rendering.

Always visualizing the complete image of things. The day is like a dish full of food, when you serve you add ingredients and complements.

It may take minutes, or it may take years.

We are frequently asked why did we decide to become designers

The realization of architectural projects in which a community is involved, such as the project we are developing in the "Science Park of the Scientific Society” in the town of Dzán, in Yucatan, Mexico.

We like to do social projects, that is why we have worked architectural projects in mainly rural communities, however, we have done housing and residential projects for different types of families.

Projects of conceptual experimentation, in which the most important thing is not its feasibility to be realized today, but in approaching to make possible the utopia, since they are the most creative projects that feed the evolution and the future.

To develop, enrich and promote the evolutionary ideology, because what we want is to contribute to the improvement of the world.

Our studio is led by us, Cecilia and Diego, and we love working on the creative process and development of the proposals in collaborations with other architects, multidisciplinary teams and people of the local community.

We are currently developing architectural works of social nature in our native communities: The Science Park in Dzán, Yucatan, Mexico, which is a botanical garden whose aim is to teach science, culture and nature to young people of the Local community. The Great Garden of Xcalakdzonot located in Chancom, Yucatan, Mexico whose purpose is to create a playful space of well-being in which the inhabitants can consolidate a community participatory clinic and at the same time celebrate their collective identity. Both projects are currently under construction.

Through our website: www.laar.mx and by our email: laar.mx@gmail.com

Not for the moment.