Capstone: Centro de Democracia Participativa
Center for Participatory Democracy
Hato Rey, Puerto Rico
In the midst of strikes, resistance, and protests, politicians continue to legislate without fully considering the voices and concerns of the people. Currently, no permanent space exists where citizens can gather to organize, discuss, and develop alternative strategies to address socio-economic, environmental, and political challenges. Instead, opposition movements occupy temporary spaces in reaction to specific crises, limiting long-term civic engagement.
This project proposes the creation of a dedicated venue for participatory democracy—independent of partisan politics and traditional government structures—where citizens can collaborate on solutions beyond the electoral process. Strategically located in the heart of San Juan, the site is adjacent to the Judicial Court and within close proximity to the Financial District, community organizations, major universities, and office buildings, making it an accessible hub for civic action.
*All documentation created in Archicad 19
Hato Rey, Puerto Rico
In the midst of strikes, resistance, and protests, politicians continue to legislate without fully considering the voices and concerns of the people. Currently, no permanent space exists where citizens can gather to organize, discuss, and develop alternative strategies to address socio-economic, environmental, and political challenges. Instead, opposition movements occupy temporary spaces in reaction to specific crises, limiting long-term civic engagement.
This project proposes the creation of a dedicated venue for participatory democracy—independent of partisan politics and traditional government structures—where citizens can collaborate on solutions beyond the electoral process. Strategically located in the heart of San Juan, the site is adjacent to the Judicial Court and within close proximity to the Financial District, community organizations, major universities, and office buildings, making it an accessible hub for civic action.
*All documentation created in Archicad 19
CIUDADLAB: Berlin
Study Abroad Research Collective
CIUDADLAB is a nonprofit (PR) research, design, and action-driven platform about the contemporary city. Since its beginning in 2004, it has researched a variety of city contexts such as Orlando, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia, and Santiago. In 2012, CIUDADLAB founder Oscar-Oliver Didier and sixteen researchers traveled to Berlin to evaluate a city whose heavy historical past has rendered it a case study for understanding new modes of handling crisis. The team's findings were presented in an exhibition in written, graphed, and video form, highlighting Berlin's economy, urban landscape, aesthetic, demographics, memory, and body at the Cuartel de Ballajá in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. The research project was divided into three parts: a three-month research & planning effort from Puerto Rico, three weeks of in-field documentation in Berlin where we interviewed different professionals (urban planners, historians, curators, architects, and professors), and concluded with three months of developing the content for the exhibition and publication. My responsibilities in this project included researching; recording, co-directing, and editing of the documentaries; content creator in the form of photographs, infographics, and a 7’x7’ map stitching that was printed and mounted at the exhibition displaying our investigation routes and findings.
CIUDADLAB is a nonprofit (PR) research, design, and action-driven platform about the contemporary city. Since its beginning in 2004, it has researched a variety of city contexts such as Orlando, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia, and Santiago. In 2012, CIUDADLAB founder Oscar-Oliver Didier and sixteen researchers traveled to Berlin to evaluate a city whose heavy historical past has rendered it a case study for understanding new modes of handling crisis. The team's findings were presented in an exhibition in written, graphed, and video form, highlighting Berlin's economy, urban landscape, aesthetic, demographics, memory, and body at the Cuartel de Ballajá in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. The research project was divided into three parts: a three-month research & planning effort from Puerto Rico, three weeks of in-field documentation in Berlin where we interviewed different professionals (urban planners, historians, curators, architects, and professors), and concluded with three months of developing the content for the exhibition and publication. My responsibilities in this project included researching; recording, co-directing, and editing of the documentaries; content creator in the form of photographs, infographics, and a 7’x7’ map stitching that was printed and mounted at the exhibition displaying our investigation routes and findings.
©Ciudadlab Click for Publication
Chemaquetas Inc.
Model Making Workshop Internship
Chemaquetas is an architecture model and props studio where I worked as part of a team to complete architectural models. I learned how to operate a 3D printer and laser cutter in addition to improving my model building abilities under the guidance of one of the best architectural model makers in Puerto Rico.
Chemaquetas is an architecture model and props studio where I worked as part of a team to complete architectural models. I learned how to operate a 3D printer and laser cutter in addition to improving my model building abilities under the guidance of one of the best architectural model makers in Puerto Rico.
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