Buoyant Housing in Brazil

Riverside living and community complex

Buoyant Housing in Brazil

Riverside living and community complex

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    Buoyant Housing in Brazil

    Northeast facade view.

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    Holcim Awards Next Generation prize handover, Códoba, Argentina - September 2022

    Danielle Gregorio (centre), a student at the University of São Paulo, Brazil congratulated by Laura Viscovich, Executive Director of the Holcim Foundation (Switzerland), and Loreta Castro Reguera, Taller Capital (Mexico) and Head of the Holcim Awards jury for Latin America.

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    Buoyant Housing in Brazil

    Section in perspective showing the 3 distinct levels of the complex. A floating level built on logs of Açacu (low density local wood) offers a space for a diverse use (resting, events, fishing). At the street level there are collective spaces (markets, education center, restaurant). On the upper floor the dwellings are located.

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    Buoyant Housing in Brazil

    Concept diagram and site plan.

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    Buoyant Housing in Brazil

    Plans.

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    Buoyant Housing in Brazil

    Plans.

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    Buoyant Housing in Brazil

    Sections, elevations and isometric.

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    Buoyant Housing in Brazil

    Water cycle and thermal solution diagram.

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    Buoyant Housing in Brazil

    Structure.

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    Buoyant Housing in Brazil

    Floating level and outdoor areas.

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    Buoyant Housing in Brazil

    Collective spaces and internal views of the apartments.

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    Buoyant Housing in Brazil

    Danielle Gregorio

  • Next generation Next Generation 1st prize 2020–2021 Latin America

The project’s objective is to provide housing for the low-income riverside population of Manaus currently living in precarious and risky conditions. The design takes inspiration from the traditional stilt and floating house typology to not only suit the local environmental conditions (including the seasonal fluctuation in water levels of the river) but also to recover and recognize the value of indigenous cultural identity.

By Danielle Gregorio - Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil

A housing project inspired by indigenous vernacular architecture to empower riverside communities of Manaus. The complex is organized on three different levels: a primary floating level mainly used for fishing and resting, a second floor above the water where collective commercial and cultural spaces are located, and an upper level occupied by dwellings.

Buoyant Housing in Brazil

Project authors

  • Danielle Gregorio

    Universidade de São Paulo (USP)

    Brazil

The high quality of this resilient architecture was unanimously acknowledged and considered an inspiration for similar projects elsewhere in the world. Holcim Awards jury for Latin America 2020

The project also includes a landscape intervention that connects with public leisure areas. Particular attention is paid to the optimization of natural resources through the adoption of water reuse and solar energy systems. To strengthen the local economy, material supply consists almost exclusively of local wood, and the local labor force is involved in the construction.

Buoyant Housing in Brazil

Collective spaces and internal views of the apartments.

Project updates

Statements on Sustainability by Project Author

  • Throughout the project execution, the local population will assume a protagonist role. Starting from the supply of building materials to the engineering and use of labour force, hence strengthening the local economy.

    Once completed, the complex will not only offer quality housing but also a space that fosters culture and leisure activities. As a result, a sense of community is created and empowered.

    The access to those activities is intended for not only the residents of the complex, but also the surrounding communities. In that way, the complex generates a micro local economy and cultural center for the region. All the public spaces within the project are accessible to physically impaired people.

  • Amazon basin water levels vary throughout the seasons and, therefore, the building structure needs to adapt according to those changes. The design of the housing complex was inspired by the traditional Amazon architecture in such a manner that is in harmony with the people and its environment. 

    The way this is done is by elevating the complex from the ground, as a reference to the popular stilt house. A floating floor, that varies in accordance with flood and ebb seasons, is also created, which is a common technique found in floating houses of the region, that allows for a continuous dialog with the local landscape.

    A requalification of the landscape is also done through the creation of a park that dialogues with the cultural and leisure spaces of the project.

  • Aiming environmental sustainability, the project makes the best of available natural resources:

    • The rainwater is harvested and utilized in toilets. Sewage water is treated so it does not further pollute rivers and can eventually be reutilized.
    • The solar energy is an alternative renewable energy used to provide electricity to the complex.
    • Thermal comfort is done naturally by the dissipation of heat through cross ventilation. Also, the roof protects the interior spaces from direct rays of sunlight.
    • The main structure of the building is made of reforested wood, which, during growth, absorbs carbon dioxide and generates less residues during construction phase.
    • The building does not touch the ground, causing a smaller impact on the existing land and vegetation.