Aalto LAB Mexico

In 2016, I joined Aalto LAB Mexico (ALM; from this year onwards to be called Action LAB Mexico), a design-led project that aims at advancing social justice and environmental sustainability in “20 de Noviembre” (El 20), a Mayan community located in Calakmul, Campeche, Mexico.

As part of the design team, I conducted qualitative and design-based research on sanitary services in El 20 in order to co-design a suitable alternative to conventional showers and toilets, considering that the community does not have a water supply system nor a proper sanitation service.

After 6 months of collaborative research, I continued working individually on the design of sanitary services for rural communities as part of my bachelor’s thesis, and in 2019 I went back to El 20 to iterate in the design process and validate the proposal. During this time, I was responsible for the design and project planning of the personal hygiene area of the Eco Hostel "La Casita", an experimental model suitable to be replicated by the community, besides being a means to increase tourism in the area and thus improve the local economy.

The result is a limited but realistic solution to the challenge of dignifying personal hygiene in El 20.