RE-THINKING THE EDGE. Sustainable redevelopment of Serrinha favela in Florianopolis, Brazil.

The Health Centre planned for the Serrinha area is housed in containers to keep building costs to a minimum. Ventilation, green roof and wood façade guarantee insulation. Inspiring criteria: social, economic and environmental sustainability, improvement of the quality of life of the inhabitants.

On the occasion of the participation in the seminar “Habitability in risk areas, sustainable requalification of a urban area”, held in October 2015 at the Federal University of Santa Catarina Brazil, thanks to an agreement between that University and the University of Architecture in Florence, I had the opportunity to witness the real living conditions in a favela. The idea for my degree thesis comes out from the analysis of the needs of the community of Serrinha, Florianopolis favela. A good Health System contributes to the improvement of people’s living conditions: that’s the reason for planning a Health Centre in the absence of such a kind of structure in that area. The Health Center is housed in containers. The purpose is bringing affordable structures to the favela in the form of a modular cargotecture built with organic materials and upcycled shipping containers. Such ecofriendly shelters offer a housing solution that can be moved and installed everywhere. Shipping containers marry local craftsmanship with ecofriendly materials. They are chosen for ease, affordability of transport and to keep building costs to a minimum. The layout allows natural light to fill the interior reducing reliance on artificial lighting. Ventilation, green roof and wood façade contribute to the insulation of the containers. In a scenery characterized by precarious houses, lack of facilities and poor living conditions, I hope that this project may give a contribution to the realization of a Health Centre for the community. The inspiring criteria of my planning have been the social, economic and environmental sustainability of the Health Center, the promotion of the development of social dynamics and the improvement of the quality of life of the Serrinha inhabitants.