The Project
The project focused on creating a design code (or urban design guidelines) for social and affordable housing developments in Brazil. A design code is a planning instrument that can be used for ensuring urban design quality in urban developments. Our design codes are represented as a website (http://lnovoa1.wix.com/ buds-website ) and are a combination of mandatory and optional design principles covering blocks, plots, streets, building layout, materials, open spaces and so on. The test site was an area which combined a large informal mixed
Design Codes for Affordable Housing in Brazil
Location
Issues
Objectives
The group found that the solutions being applied to overcome the perceived lack of safety in current housing developments do not contribute for a safer environment. Instead they promote even more spatial and social segregation.
Test site in relation to Pelotas City Centre. The 2015 project was based in the city of Pelotas, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost Brazilian state, bordering Uruguay. The area is topographically flat and has strong links with a blue network made of natural lakes and creeks as well as artificial barrages (Barragem de Santa Barbara) and canals. The site is located in a strategic position within walking distance to the city centre, Universidade Federal de Pelotas campus and the city’s port.
Condominium: gated set of affordable flats.
use occupation, gated affordable condominiums and a polluted watercourse passing in front of houses and through public open spaces. The methodology involved a SWOT analysis, discussion with local residents and users, development of guidelines, testing by design and presentation for evaluation of the proposals. Local council officers and staff and students from our partner university in Pelotas (Universidade Fedeeral de Pelotas) worked in conjunction with BUDS students to help the development of the proposals.
The table below shows the four design qualities that the Oxford student group chose for guiding the development of the design principles. The overall vision is to achieve a good place for its residents which is well integrated to the surroundings and has high levels of environmental quality. A set of urban design qualities was agreed as guides for the development of the code: resilience (such as flood control and sanitation), integration (such as permeability, connectedness and a sense of community), security (like defensible space and local economy) and finally vitality (which can be seen through mixed use). The reasons for why these four qualities have been chosen are mentioned in the table in order for the reader to understand how this could be beneficiary to the site. In addition, the means of how they will be achieved are also stated giving an insight into how the group would implement them to the area.
Condominium: gated set of affordable flats. The main characteristics of the project area are: 1) large set of affordable flats completely segregated from the surroundings by a high wall (gated), 2) informal settlement (favela) and 3) unkept and polluted waterways and open spaces with potential for development. The perceived lack of safety, spatial and social segregation, and lack environmental quality were the key identified issues.
Informal settlement (on streets provided by the council).
Expressions of violence.
Sample of Proposals from the Code
Public Space Design should support children’s activities.
Vision for the area.
The group proposed the adoption of a ‘plot passport’ which is a legal document issued by the Planning Office to guide development on each plot. The content is mostly related to built form but also includes topics of infrastructure and use.
Proposals for ‘re-naturalise’ a polluted waterway on the site.
Proposal for a flexible approach to the use of streets.
Testing alternative for the current ‘gated condominiums’.
Proposal for a flexible approach to the use of streets.
Guidance for the ‘building envelope’.
Facing buildings to public spaces to create active edges.
Overall masterplan as an alternative for the test site following the Design Code developed by BUDS 2015.
INFORMATION:
Brazil Urban Design Study
All details of the proposals developed by the four groups in Brazil can be found at BUDS website. Go to the adress http://lnovoa1.wix.com/buds-website or tscan the QR code.