VILA DO RECANTO

Vila do Recanto is a mixed-use development, created to address multiple needs of a small but growing community, located in the countryside of São Paulo, Brazil. By using local materials, design, and construction techniques, Vila do Recanto creates a warm and inviting space for the community to gather, a space that harbors well-being, and addresses the community’s need for affordable housing. The project emphasizes the need for balance with the existing surrounding architecture as well as creating a community-focused design that includes the input of the local people so as to better address the needs of the community itself. This project also aims to create and provide opportunities for local businesses to establish themselves in a growing community that requires nearby amenities, in turn creating jobs for the community. 

In doing research for this development, the project La Proveedora by Natura Futura was a big source of inspiration. The project’s goals in tackling challenges within the community and the use of local materials and construction techniques were all things that I found inspiring and wanted to incorporate into Vila do Recanto, addressing the challenges in this community. It was important to me to create a project that maintained the culture and overall vernacular of the local community, which I found Natura Futura did well in their project.

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Architectural Form:

Intent: To create a structure, shape, or arrangement of forms that is oriented to the site’s angular boundaries, creates a fluid circulation path, and creates a central focus within the site. 

 

Architectural Expression: An open structure that is functional to the local community with its uses. Feelings of movement, fluidity, dynamic energy, community engagement, liveliness, variability, vibrant nature. 

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Project Goals:

• Creation of new jobs

• Creation of more public spaces

• Address the need for more affordable housing

• Creation of an additional gathering space for those living near the outskirts of town