JuntARQ

The rural reform issue, the housing deficit, the subnormal agglomerates problem and the dramatic life conditions of the poorest rural communities of the Federal District are some of the more urgent debates in Brazil. The work analyses Brazilian rural settlements, aiming to find a new way of living them, both on territorial and architectural scales.

Brazil has huge natural resources, but so far their exploitation benefited only few people. Corruption, and inefficiency in all public sectors contribute to the problem. Despite being one of the richest countries in natural resources, most of its population lives in extreme poverty. Social imbalances and classes differences represent some of the biggest problems in Brazil. Considering the vastness of the country, the suitable climate for agriculture, and the unbalanced distribution of the population, the government should provide a plan that strategically reserves much of the uncultivated and unused territories to the poor rural communities that inhabit informal settlements in the surrounding areas of big cities. This process would generate many benefits to the country: in addition to a more equitable distribution of lands, the development of rural realities would guarantee food, shelter and employment for a large part of the population, which during the years has poured out into the city, in search of fortune, causing the overpopulation of cities and the Brazilian housing deficit. The JuntARQ project, indeed, aims to systematically shape these new rural living spaces, not only on a territorial scale, but also considering the housing issue. The Minha Casa Minha Vida rural housing program, currently provided by the government, is, in fact, based on a obsolete system that is not able to meet rural dwellers’ real needs and does not considers all the aspects linked with a rural lifestyle. This is why the JuntARQ team focused on the elaboration of an alternative low income housing solution. The main goal was that of responding to both dwellers' and institutions' pivotal needs, through the realization of a unique, integrated and articulated solution. In regards to the architectural scale, indeed, the work not only describes the housing project, but also provides a simple method for its implementation and monitorization. This way, at the same time, the final project is able to meet dwellers' need for customization of domestic spaces, by giving the government a chance of controlling the process.