The AA

Location	Course Title	Dates	Programme Heads
Bangalore, India	Carbon Ecologies	25 September – 4 October 2026	Tejas Sidnal
India, India	BambooLab India	28 September – 5 December 2026	John Naylor, Andry Widyowijatnoko
Sydney, Australia	For the term of your natural life	Winter 2026	Oskar Frederick Johanson, Adolfo Del Valle Neira
Bedford Square, London, UK	AA Spring Semester: Exchange Programme	4 January – 14 May 2027	Reiner de Graaf, Alex Retegan

Excess and Experiment

Programmes

AA Visiting School

Excess and Experiment

Location

Mexico City, Mexico

Programme

Excess and Experiment

Dates

20–31 July 2026

Programme Heads

Andrés Souto Vilaros, Elliot Rogosin

Brief

This is a call to all you architects who are fierce makers, self-builders and wild craftspeople to explore the untamed design methods of contemporary Mexican builders. These are the methods and processes by which those outside the discipline of architecture appropriate and interprets construction.

This summer, Excess and Experiments will continue as a hands-on course in collaboration with local experts and participants. We will discover innovative techniques of sculpting and decorating through a broad spectrum of materials. We will reuse and transform these experiments into spatial compositions by building ‘tiny chapels’ which we will install in the city and in Zyanya, a workshop and cultural art centre, and our collaborators.

The course offers a unique opportunity for architects, designers and artists to explore architectural ornamentation and self-building techniques in Mexico City. We will discover its influence through several site visits out of the tourist routes: totally extravagant architectures which experiment with notions of popular culture, identity and decoration, spatial and material qualities. This will be exemplified when we meet with Geraz Ato, a master craftsman, expert masonry artist and selfbuilder living and working in Teotihuacan. Ato’s workshop will also serve as one of our case studies for our research into the intriguing architecture produced in this region, particularly in areas where non-professionals are actively shaping the built environment.

The course aims to practice and reflect on these innovative techniques in architectural ornamentation while highlighting and giving recognition to those producing work outside the traditional canon. It will be a fun and intense exploration of architectural culture in the context of Mexico City, where we will develop both conceptual insights and practical, hands-on skills through building 1:1 interventions.

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Biographies

Andrés Souto Vilaros (Programme Head) is the director of mUcHo estudio/taller, where he investigates architecture created outside the parameters of official culture, exploring the methods and processes in which popular culture interprets and appropriates official architecture, and speculating on how these might evolve. mUcHo estudio/taller was founded by Andrés in 2017 after completing his master's at the Royal College of Art in London. Andrés is also a lecturer in the Department of Architecture at Universidad Iberoamericana, where he has been teaching the project workshop Architecture of Popular Culture (@arqdelaculpop) since 2017.

Elliot Rogosin (Programme Head) is an architect and maker exploring the essential stories between place, manufacture and making, and the process of design. He cofounded the architectural practice House of Bricoleurs with Albane Duvillier in 2024. He previously taught Intermediate 12 at the AA and is now teaching a studio on the topics of outsider architecture, 1:1 making and improvisation at Oxford Brookes University. He is also teaching on the Digital Craft in Architecture Master’sat Oxford Brookes University

Juan Cuock (Guest Tutor) is an architect, researcher and urban planner. He is currently Technical Manager at the Institute of the National Housing Fund for Workers (INFONAVIT). He is a professor at the Universidad Iberoamericana and Training Partner at Tecnológico de Monterrey, and a member of the Board of Trustees of Arquitectura Moderna Estudio y Conservación en México Patronage (AMEC). Juan is also the co-founder and Director of Research at Proyector, a curatorial platform based in Mexico City dedicated to the promotion of research projects in architecture. As an urban planner, he developed his research at the Institute for Urban Futures in Montreal, the Open-Output Foundation in New York, and while a member of the Center for Sustainable Design Strategies at the Pratt Institute. He has been a consultant for UN-Habitat and Ministry of Urban Development SEDATU in Mexico, and is currently a PhD Candidate at UNAM.

Geraz Ato (Guest Tutor) grew up immersed in the world of construction as the son of a master builder in Teotihuacán. From an early age, he was surrounded by traditional Mexican building materials and techniques, which gave him a deep understanding of the craft. However, beyond the technical aspects, Geraz developed a keen artistic interest in applying these skills. Today, he has evolved from a builder into an expert of ornamentation and decoration, combining his mastery of construction techniques with a highly detailed and expressive approach. His work is characterised by pre-Hispanic motifs that evoke the rich history of his hometown, alongside religious symbolism that reflects his cultural surroundings. With this unique blend of technical expertise and artistic sensitivity, Geraz has redefined the role of the builder, elevating his craft to an aesthetic level that dialogues with the past while looking to the future.

Skills

Gain experience of hands-on construction with a master craftsman
Knowledge of local crafts and vernacular construction
Knowledge of concepts relating architecture and popular culture
Design concept development skills
Experience working individually and in teams
Experience collaborating with local participants
Knowledge from local experts in construction
Exposure to the architectural culture of Mexico City
Experience with local Mexican community
Exposure through an exhibition and public discussions

Other features of the programme include:

We will visit prominent examples of extreme and unique architecture in Mexico City where the builders have expressed their identity through spatial composition and decoration.
We will start the workshop with guided tours and hands on carving techniques with Geraz Ato in Teotihuacan.
We will then design and make our own tiny chapels at Zyanya, that we will place in the public realm in Mexico City.
The course will finish with an event showcasing the work.

Eligibility

The programme is open to current architecture and design students, PhD candidates and young professionals.

Software Requirements: Any 3D modeling software.

Other requirements: Some basic experience handling power tools.

Fees

£60 non-refundable deposit is required from all applicants. This amount will be deducted from the total fees listed below:

£890 – Full fee plus £60 AA digital membership
£770 – AA Members. Full fee no membership
£664 – AA full-time Students and Staff. 20% off full fee, no membership
£765 – Melbourne University Students.15% off full fee plus £60 AA digital membership

Fees do not include flights or accommodation, but accommodation options can be advised.

Students need to bring their own laptops, digital equipment and model making tools.

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Excess and Experiment

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