Architectural Design Archive
Entrelazando Ecosistemas
This project is meant to change the way in which the inhabitants of Rocinha, one of the largest favelas in Brazil, interact with their surroundings. Located in the border between the urban area and the rainforest, it renaturalizes degraded areas by integrating various species autochthonous to the region, including primates, birds, butterflies, and different plant families. This creates a symbiotic relationship that benefits both people and the new ecosystems. Concerning its formal aspects, it is built using a process of addition. Its main modules are obtained by bending parallel bands to enclose a variety of spaces destined to the interaction between humans and the environment, while the thinner ones are dedicated to connections (platforms and stairs). This system allows for a certain flexibility, giving the intervention the capacity to adapt itself to the steep slopes of the mountains and create a new landscape over the topography.