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For assistance or clarifications please contact info@holcimfoundation.org |  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas | |
|  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas | |
|  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas | |
|  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas | |
|  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas | |
|  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas | |
|  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas | |
|  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas | |
|  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas | |
|  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas | |
|  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas | |
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Photographs in the section below feature in the publication "Holcim Awards 2005 2006" (see below). |  | | Silvia Soonets, Isabel Pocaterra and Maria Ines Pocaterra (from left): The architects of Proyectos Arqui 5 on one of the stairways of their project. | |
|  | | Roughly half of the 4 to 5 million residents of Caracas live in barrios, or slums. | |
|  | | Most of the residents of the barrios have to struggle up the hill, carrying their purchases home – and carry their trash back down to the street. | |
|  | | Like all barrios of Caracas, San Rafael-Unido is extremely steep. The higher up the house sits, the poorer the family – because the few streets are all in the valley. | |
|  | | “This is our home” – Consensus is gradually forming that the barrios should not be demolished but improved. | |
|  | | Because there are no public spaces where people can meet or children can play, the 3 architects integrated every open space, regardless of size, into the walkway system, and using modest means developed these into public places. | |
|  | | Originally there were no public places in the district where people could meet or children could play – the project created such urgently needed spaces. | |
|  | | Stairs in San Rafael-Unido – after renovation. | |
|  | | Stairs in San Rafael-Unido – before renovation. | |
|  | | The residents are not simply beneficiaries of the upgrading strategy, but partners of the architects. | |
|  | | In the barrios everything goes unbelievably slow, and projects are often suddenly stopped: This street was torn open to replace the sewer line. Now the people have to make do with half a street for the time being. | |
|  | | Compared with its neighborhood, the little square is remarkably clean and in good condition. The people use it and take care of it. From here one not only overlooks all of San Rafael-Unido, but also looks across to the next barrio, situated on the opposite hillside. | |
|  | | The construction of the community center designed by Proyectos Arqui 5 was stopped – the half-built structure is a symbol of how parts of the project have been stalled. | |
|  | | For many families the district of San Rafael-Unido has been ‘home’ for generations. | |
|  | | The people here form a functioning community. They help each other,watch out for each other’s children, they are there for each other. These structures must be maintained! But we also want the people here to get an infrastructure similar to that of the formal city. | |
|  | | The people here are poor, but not without possessions – they have cars, toys, cell phones and of course televisions. | |
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In 2001, several stairs were built, as pilot projects. They show to what extent the environment can be improved. The lessons learned in these stairs were used later in the integral project. The major lessons were about construction processes and materials use. The improvement is not only physical, the community takes and uses the new stairs immediately, and the houses in the neighborhood are also enhanced. (see below) |  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas. Before and After: Path "La Loma" | |
|  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas. Before and After: "Sucre" Stair | |
|  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas. Before and After: "Las Marias" Square | |
|  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas. Before and After: "12 de Octubre" Stair | |
|  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas. Before and After: "Las Torres" Stair | |
|  | | Global Holcim Awards Gold 2006 - Venezuela: “San Rafael-Unido, Urban Integration Project”, Caracas. Before and After: "El Muro" Square | |
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 |  | | Media contact | | Edward Schwarz
Holcim Foundation
for Sustainable Construction
Hagenholzstrasse 85
CH-8050 Zurich
Switzerland
Phone +41 58 858 8292
Fax +41 58 858 8299
 Email
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| Global Holcim Awards 2006 |  | |
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