Who doesn't have ugly friends?

 I want to focus my post on the Rebel Architecture - Guerilla Architecture video. The video was about the architect Santiago Cirugeda and his way of reclaiming urban spaces. Santiago had some interesting philosophies and I wondered how and when these could be applied in an American context. The political climate of Spain, where the architect practices, was in the recession and most of his work, if not all, is illegal. Further, Santiago works on reclaiming abandoned structures and using them to give back to the public.

 The first quote from him that stuck out to me was "People tell me my buildings are ugly, but who doesn't have ugly friends". This relates directly to the architectural discourse of beauty vs function, and how ordinary architecture should not be special, but should be crafted with love. Santiago does not care so much about aesthetics to compromise the purpose of the building/space. 

The biggest theme of the video was his use of collaboration to actually build projects. Collaboration is essential and the only way that his works can exist. One example was an addition to a school that did not have a permit to build. Under the umbrella of a 'student learning workshop' Santiago got around this rule while using the partnership with the students to build their own school. This building process was effective and the kids loved the hands on learning. Santiago comments about the project
"We did it, unlawfully, true, but it exists". 

Do y'all see any cases for this approach to architecture within America? Should we be moving towards a less formal, more interactive mode of designing and building for those who need it?