“A socially ambitious vision to provide affordable housing in areas where temporary shelters prevail” – Holcim Awards Jury
The project is given distinction for its socially ambitious vision to provide affordable housing in areas where temporary shelters prevail. The authors demonstrate keen awareness of the fact that due to political and financial limitations in the region, almost all provisional shelters become permanent houses, yielding as a result very unsustainable conditions for human settlement.
Last updated: July 07, 2005 São Paulo, Brazil
To counter this tendency, the project convincingly demonstrates the potential of introducing sustainable construction techniques, proposing to utilize industrialized modular wooden volumes that are upgradeable to a permanent house through the addition of new modules.
Consequently, a new human settlement can be generated from a former emergency shelter area. High ethical standards are evidenced by the foreseeable integration of the inhabitants in the construction process. Ecologically, the project is also manifests a very responsible disposition by promoting the use of recycled wood and effective treatment of water and solid wastes. Socially, the work promotes collective interaction among community members while also providing zones necessary for individual privacy. The simplicity of the structures presents an economically feasible solution to low cost housing that is also applicable to other regions.