By María Angélica Troncoso |
Rio de Janeiro, Feb 13 (EFE).- A modest house in a Brazilian favela aspires to be chosen as the best house in the world in a renowned international architecture competition and also seeks to demonstrate that it is possible to have quality housing conditions in a poor neighborhood.
The ‘barraco’, as the houses in the country’s poorest communities are popularly called, was nominated by Archdaily, the world’s leading architecture portal, to the contest, in which it will compete with splendid and expensive mansions.
Without frills and practically blending in with its surroundings, the “casa do pomar do cafezal” stands on an unpaved road, in a steep alleyway in the Aglomerado da Serra, on the outskirts of Belo Horizonte, capital of the state of Minas Gerais.
The house was built with the same materials with which the houses have been built in this gigantic favela complex, which in the midst of its narrow streets is home to some 100,000 inhabitants.
The brick and cement facade is not covered in paint, the water pipes are external, as are the electrical connections, and its windows are made of iron, like those of the neighboring houses.
It is a house that can have a cost very similar to that of others in the favela, but the difference is in the way in which the elements were used, with design specifications and construction techniques that allowed the creation of an efficient space with environmental quality.
A joint work
The project was directed and signed by the architects Fernando Maculan and Joana Magalhães, members of Levante, a collective that volunteers in favelas and includes various professionals including engineers, electricians, landscape designers and designers, as well as students.
This initiative shares the knowledge and experience acquired with the people of the communities, whose lessons have been essential for those responsible for the project.
“We have to learn with them, listen to them a lot to be able to build through the perspectives they have,” Maculan told EFE.
The Archdaily team saw photos of the house that were on the architect’s account on a social network and first published the project on their portal and then selected it for the competition.
Now, the simple house rubs shoulders with luxurious and modern mansions that are also competing to be the best in the world and it hopes to continue adding votes on the portal until February 15, when the deadline expires.
With the sweat of the brow
The house, which has an area of 66 square meters and two levels, stands on a strong structure whose foundations also help support other houses in the alley.
Its walls were built with hollow bricks used horizontally, a subtle change that turned the façade on its head and provided additional benefits.
“Being horizontal, they give shape to a wider wall and with greater thermal inertia, which translates into an environment that will take longer to heat up when there are high temperatures and to preserve the internal climate a little more when it’s cold,” he explained. The architect.
Something similar is seen with the design of windows and doors, which in addition to allowing natural light to enter and giving more light to the room, generate cross ventilation that cools the environment. Already the external water pipes help to avoid leaks.
Getting the project off the ground, however, involved some difficulties.
The house, which could have been completed in six months, took two years – it began in 2018 and finished in 2020 – and had a final cost of 150,000 reais (about 28,846 dollars, at current exchange rates), a value that was higher than expected by the need to repair some works damaged by the rains.
Favela leader and winner
Kdu dos Anjos, a favela community leader and homeowner, is the biggest winner with this project.
Born and raised in that community, together with Maculan he promoted the formation of the Levante collective that made his dream come true.
With two dogs, a cat and 60 plants, this artist not only feels blessed by his house and what it represents, but is also grateful that the project helps show another face of his favela.
“Generally they seek us out to talk about violence, about shootings, about death (…) and we are now talking about the exact opposite, about life, about hope, creativity and entrepreneurship,” he told EFE.
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