'do more with less', a documentary rethinking the social role of architects in latin america

the documentary ‘do more with less’ shows how young architects in latin america are bringing about a change in paradigm by offering a new understanding of the way this profession interacts with society. exploring ways in which the future of architecture in the area can be improved and provide an alternative economic model, the film looks at the construction of real projects with students, users, and architects themselves.

in recent years, the latin american context and the portrayal of new perspectives in the social context of architecture have attracted international attention; they have become priorities in the investigation of the discipline and the understanding of the architect’s role. the appointment of the internationally renowned chilean architect alejandro aravena — the founder of elemental studio and the pritzker prize winner in 2016 — as curator of the venice biennale is a reflection of this and an indication as to where architecture will be heading in the coming years.

journalist katerina kliwadenko (chile, 1985) and architect mario novas (spain, 1977) felt the need to document the action, the theory and the practice of how to do more with less, and thus started their work on the first feature film. aware of the great international attention latin america has attracted, the creators of the movie KLIWADENKO NOVAS studio decided to portray the scene of contemporary architecture in ecuador as an example of a possible alternative new outlook on architectural practice.

in 2017 quito-based al borde studio was invited to participate in the main exhibition in the 15th edition of the biennale. never before had an ecuadorian studio been invited to showcase its work in the most important architecture exhibition in the world. thanks to al borde,  KLIWADENKO NOVAS discovered a series of projects and studios, all of them part of a unique ‘architectural movement’ which seeks to address real issues, to be part of society and to change the established role of the architect, thus opening windows to a global export of a different kind of architecture.

project info:

financed by: the competitive funds (fondos concursables 2016-2017)
granted by: the ministry of culture and heritage of the government of ecuador 
selected to participate in the 2018 editions of arq[in]film in barcelona, the lisbon architecture triennale, and mextrópoli in mexico city
cast: wilfried wang, solano benitez, jose maría sáez, al borde, patricio cevallos, carlos espinoza, florencio compte
year: 2017
runtime: 86 min
country: ecuador, spain
script, direction, and edition: katerina kliwadenko, mario novas
production: KLIWADENKO NOVAS and al borde
sound design: claudi dosta ivanow
music: kkelectrónica

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: maria erman | designboom