Slumvolution Rocinha
Research project
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
250.000m2
2010
Jan Kudlicka, Jan Mlecka, Viktor Odstrcilik, Zdena Lhotakova, Monika Petrickova
The strategies developed prioritize the need to preserve the space already built up and protect it from the vehicular traffic. The desire is to regenerate the existing conditions rather than demolishing homes to begin anew. The environmental conditions of Rocinha made this especially difficult because the site is built up to its limit, crowded on all sides by mountains from one end and the urban center of Rio de Janeiro on the other. The natural development of the favela has produced overpopulated and dangerous conditions that do not account for emergencies or the general safety of the inhabitants. The organization of the dwellings create dead ends and very few passages in case of fire or medical emergencies. DWELLINGS The process of regeneration begins with selecting particular dwellings for intervention to push the residences up one floor and develop the street level as a space for commerce and services. This strategy creates spaces that contribute to the social and economic development of the community while protecting the living spaces from conditions on the street level. In the first stage of the evolution of these dwellings the original concrete
construction would stripped of its brick facade and reinforced with steel u-profiles, with a strengthened foundation to support the new structure. Next the facades would be regenerated using traditional Brazilian glazed tiles and perforated brick. The tiles provide a ornamental and cultural identity to the neighborhood while the perforated brick ventilates the interior spaces by allowing fresh air to enter. URBAN STRATIFICATION The second part of the process divides the neighborhood into horizontal zones, stratifying where certain functions of the
neighborhood take place. The ground level of the selected dwellings become
commercial and service spaces. These include medical centers, education centers, food markets, animal breeding areas, pharmacies, and pottery shops. The rest of the building is devoted to living quarters and their roofs become public assembly and recreational spaces. The space of the roof becomes an extension of the ground, allowing people to move from roof to roof away from the noise, pollution and density of the street level.
