The Natural Lab is a design-build programme at the Architecture, Art and Design School at the Tecnologico de Monterrey in Queretaro, Mexico. Ethnographic research and participatory design methods were part of a collaborative process aimed at empowering students in creating a sustainable community for the residents of Tilaco, Mexico. Student teams discovered the real needs of the community through ethnographic research, and were involved in daily activities of the community, the important events, and the festivities. This built deep empathy with the people with whom students were designing, getting to understand who they are, what they do, what they think and feel. The attitude was about understanding the emotional needs of the users. In conjunction with the ethnographic information determined during the discovery phase, students applied participatory design methods throughout the process, beginning with activities that helped community members create a vision for their development. Students adapted participatory methods to all the phases of the design process, which were implemented through community workshops. These workshops helped to address complexities, empower community, and balance the need to preserve natural/cultural resources. The student and community's work culminated in co-design proposals of high social impact through key strategic actions including the construction of small-scale and environmentally responsible projects.
