Javiera Mesa López

I was born in 1991 and am a Chilean architect specializing in universal design and accessibility. I am Secretary of the Universal Accessibility Committee of the Chilean College of Architects. My life as the mother of a teenager with autism has guided me through the cognitive and sensory perception of space. I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and ASD, and perhaps for this reason, since I was a child, I have been interested in how space impacts feelings and sensations.
My academic training took place at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Chile. Since 2017, I have researched the influence of space and visual configuration in Educational Spaces with the Integration Program (Special Educational Needs) through my Research Seminar. I completed an internship at a renowned Universal Accessibility office in Chile. My main interests are related to abstract arts applied to architecture, investigating the relationship between the representation of forms and the cognitive perception of intangible/abstract concepts.

I have worked in housing design, heritage rehabilitation, public spaces, and healthcare services (relocation of the Dr. A. Asenjo Neurosurgery Institute), as a universal accessibility analyst for the Santiago 2023 Pan American and Parapan American Games, and currently as an accessibility architect on a construction project. I am also developing my own practice, “Tenemos que hablar” or “We have to talk”, related to cognitive accessibility, to support schools and families with neurodivergent needs.