RE-THINKING THE EDGE Sustainable redevelopment of Serrinha, favela in Florianópolis (Brazil) GROWTH BOUNDARIES

The work design a kindergarten for 50 children, in the favela Serrinha, with the aim to respond positively to the requests of national laws and the needs of community. Everything comes from the analysis of the context and want to get a sustainable project (environmental, economic, and social, through a direct involvement of local population).

Education is a basic right for every child and for every community. The school architecture can stimulate aggregation, imagination and creativity, being a promotional tool for the collective social progress. Childhood education is an issue that affects closely the inhabitants of Serrinha: currently in Serrinha there are only an after-school and a primary school nearby, but outside the community. The construction of a school building is therefore essential. The strong demand from the inhabitants supports the idea of creating a structure that can accommodate children from 0 to 6 years, as expected from education Brazilian, representing a safe space, a place for development, recreation and socializing. The choice of the site where the school will be built is not accidental: the presence of a large green area that borders the east side of Serrinha and the project of the Prefecture for a new road that will connect the Serrinha and the formal city, were the key factors for the choice of the project site. The school, furthermore, can be achieved not only by the new road but also by new pedestrian ramps that will link the infrastructure with the community center. In this way, the education center will become a focal point for the community and the surrounding neighborhoods. The design of the school It is not limited only to the construction of the building, but presents a careful chronological program capable of adapting to the concept of space’s appropriation of community. The process starts from a participatory construction of outdoor play spaces until the construction of the building itself. Through workshops and meetings, children and families can play a decisive role in the process of appropriation of the architectural work, and can be leaders of community life. The shared construction is proposed as experience to help children stimulate their curiosity and discover the environments around, teaching them to value the spaces in which they live.