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MAAK and architects

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MAAK and architects

[MAAK] and architects are a cross-territorial practice eorking on architecture and urbanism. Paris - Rabat - Mérida

10/07/2026

Current research at [maak] architects
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This research draws on a comparative reading of two territories: Bécal, Mexico, and Goulmima, Morocco. Though geographically distant and culturally distinct, both territories reveal similar forms of collective intelligence embedded in everyday practices — in resource management, social organisation, and inherited knowledge. This knowledge is a tool that has allowed these communities to adapt, endure, and transform over time.

The research asks whether situated knowledge like this can enter into dialogue across distance. Rather than comparing buildings, it compares the conditions that produce them, placing the two territories side by side to see how different places respond to similar questions while remaining rooted in their own realities.

We are interested in how these conditions — while sometimes similar — produce different built forms.

+ And the comparison is expanding: Japan and France are entering the conversation, thanks to a new member joining our team. Tune in to our next post to discover who !

25/06/2026

Community Kitchen — Becal, Campeche

Following a participatory workshop and dialogue with the people of Becal, we visited a site proposed by one of the residents, located at the entrance to the town. We found this location especially compelling for its visibility and its potential to become a shared meeting place for the entire community.

From there, we developed a proposal for a space that is welcoming, open, and easy to navigate—a place designed to bring people together through workshops, communal cooking, talks, celebrations, and other collective activities. At the heart of the project is a circular kitchen, conceived as both a functional workspace and a social gathering point. Seating steps rise along the higher side, a continuous kitchen counter defines the lower edge, and a central stage creates a flexible space for cooking demonstrations, performances, and community events. A lattice screen filters sunlight over the seating area, while the kitchen itself remains fully open, reinforcing its role as the project’s social core.

The proposal also embraces simple, locally available materials and construction techniques—including guano palm, reclaimed wood, and stone—that can be built collectively with the people of Becal. In this way, the project is not only intended for the community, but made by the community from its very beginning.

18/06/2026

Bécal, a community in the state of Campeche, faces challenges related to the availability of collective spaces for social interaction and community activities. Through dialogue with community members, we sought to understand the ways in which people inhabit and collectively shape their territory.

With this purpose, we organized a participatory workshop at the Bécal market, an everyday meeting place where residents and families shared reflections on community life and the needs of the town. This activity was part of the Weeks of Latin America and the Caribbean (SALC), an initiative promoted by the French government that fosters cultural exchange and dialogue between regions.

Throughout these conversations, the importance of the kitchen as a space for gathering, learning, and intergenerational exchange emerged repeatedly. Participants also emphasized the need for appropriate spaces to preserve and transmit the culinary knowledge of the Maya tradition, while accommodating other community activities, celebrations, and workshops.

From these reflections, the possibility of a community kitchen began to take shape—not as a proposal defined from the outside, but as an idea built together with those who inhabit and know the territory.

This process reaffirms a fundamental conviction: spatial proposals gain greater meaning when they emerge from dialogue, respect for local knowledge, and collaboration with the community.

Collaboration: Taller&Patrimoine Macayucateca
https://www.semainesameriquelatinecaraibes.fr/Atelier-participatif-concevoir-une-cuisine-communautaire-5730

09/06/2026

What if the future of circular cities is already being practiced in rural territories?

This question was at the heart of the paper we recently presented in Germany.

By studying the oasis of Goulmima in Morocco and the rural community of Bécal in Mexico, our research reveals how circular systems emerge through collective governance, local knowledge, repair cultures, and long-term stewardship of resources.

Rather than viewing circularity as a purely technological challenge, we argue that resilience depends on something deeper: the continuity of knowledge, relationships, and territorial practices across generations.

The paper introduces the concept of Circular Intelligence — a framework that recognizes rural territories as living laboratories of adaptation, reciprocity, and regeneration.

As architects, urbanists, and researchers, we believe that creating sustainable futures requires learning not only from innovation, but also from the wisdom embedded in places that have practiced circularity for centuries.

Proud to share this research on an international stage and contribute to rethinking how we design the cities of tomorrow.

07/06/2026

Last week we were invited by Cid Innovation Alliance to Hannover, Germany, to discuss circular design through our current research.
We’re so happy about the time we spent there; the conferences, the discussions, and the city nourished our research so much!

And we felt a funny honour seeing our beloved hometowns being talked about, many many km away from them.🩷

We are happy to share with you our Lines of Actions!Contact us at : maakandarchitects@gmail.com

19/05/2026

We are happy to share with you our Lines of Actions!

Contact us at : [email protected]

07/05/2026

This is why today it is primordial for us to always ask people’s needs before any project.

25/04/2026

A new adventure begins!
We are [Maak] and architects - four architects, four territories, one shared conviction: architecture starts with listening.
Every territory speaks. Its history, its logic, its way of managing resources. We believe the architect's role is to hear it - and to accompany the people who already know it.
Maak means 'artisan' in Mayan, 'to create' in Dutch, 'with you' in Moroccan. The bracket [ ] holds space for what comes before and after us - artisans, farmers, grandmothers, communities, builders.

From Mexico to Colombia, France to Morocco, we search for the situated intelligence of each territory - reactivating local knowledge while learning from each other across borders. Every project is a node in an already existing network: architecture and urban design as tools for social and economic revitalization.
We meet on calls, we travel to each other's countries, we run participatory workshops, we learn together.
This is [Maak] and architects.

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Hanover

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