Alejandro Aravena, tasked with building housing for 100 families in Chile, found inspiration in favelas and slums. Rather than conventional small units, he designed flexible "half-homes" that

Alejandro Aravena, tasked with building housing for 100 families in Chile, found inspiration in favelas and slums. Rather than conventional small units, he designed flexible "half-homes" that families could expand. This innovative, simple solution arose from direct collaboration with the families themselves.

Aravena presents three projects demonstrating how clever rethinking leads to beautiful, beneficial design. He emphasizes, "With the right design, sustainability is nothing but the rigorous use of common sense."

Find closed captions and translated subtitles for this talk at ted.com/translate.

Alejandro Aravena's architectural philosophy is to "bring the community into the process." Ten years ago, when tasked with building housing for 100 families in Chile, he found inspiration in

Alejandro Aravena's architectural philosophy is to "bring the community into the process." Ten years ago, when tasked with building housing for 100 families in Chile, he found inspiration in favelas. Instead of small units in large buildings, he designed flexible "half-homes" that each family could expand. This complex problem found a simple solution through direct collaboration with the families themselves.

Aravena showcases three projects where clever rethinking led to beautiful, beneficial design. Learn more at Alejandro Aravena's website, or follow TED on Twitter and Facebook.

Don Alejandro Cirilo Pérez, known as Wakatel Utiw (Wandering Wolf), is a Quiche Maya spiritual leader from the highlands of Guatemala. He leads the National Mayan Council of Elders, serves as Day

Don Alejandro Cirilo Pérez, known as Wakatel Utiw (Wandering Wolf), is a Quiche Maya spiritual leader from the highlands of Guatemala. He leads the National Mayan Council of Elders, serves as Day Keeper of the Mayan Calendar, and is a 13th-generation spiritual guide. Grandfather Cirilo is also a founder and Grand Elder of the Continental Council of Elders & Spiritual Guides of the Americas, and an Extraordinary Ambassador for indigenous pueblos in the Guatemalan government.

An international lecturer on Mayan culture, he is renowned for his expertise in the Mayan Long Count Calendar, which culminated around the year “Zero” in 2012. Don Alejandro is dedicated to preserving the sacred teachings, visions, ceremonies, and prophecies of the Maya people, as honored in celebrations like the Wajxaqib Baatz.