An intervention carried out in Heliópolis, the largest slum in São Paulo, this project is part of the Slum Reurbanization Program of the City of São Paulo, through the Department of Housing. Our office collaborated with the Secretariat in the elaboration of this project of social interest on a site located at the entrance of the community, in a position of connection between the formal city and the informal city. At the confluence of Avenida Comandante Taylor and Avenida das Juntas Provisórias, in an area of an old temporary accommodation, 420 housing units of 50 m² each will be built, totaling approximately 31,000 m² of construction.

Social housing is thought of in this case as the construction of the urban block, as the construction of the city, privileging the public spaces of interest to the resident, therefore protected from the street, and the provision of a commercial program and services on the ground level.
The space/city relationship is based on the model of the "European block", with implantation without setbacks and with an internal courtyard, which establishes an articulating character between the formal and informal fabric of the city, accessed through the porticoes, creating a fluid connection enhanced by the landscape design. The natural unevenness of the geography of the place allowed the construction of up to 8 floors without the use of elevators, with access at different levels and in compliance with the maximum ascent legislation. For this reason, the project required the construction of a set of walkways, bridges connecting blocks that allowed the maximum use of the construction coefficients.
The demand for a low-cost project led to a well-known and easy-to-execute construction system, concrete block masonry. Constructive solutions in general aim at rationality and repetition, without prejudice to the expressiveness of architecture as a whole. Only the construction of the access porticoes represents a non-repetitive aspect of the project, which required a mixed structure, in reinforced concrete.
The very configuration of the housing units produces a volumetry of singular rhythm, which leads to the interpretation of the architectural ensemble as a series of independent buildings, which is reinforced by the use of color.
In the design of the units, care with the layouts of the environments prevails, ensuring flexibility of configurations, as the future families that will occupy them vary from 5 to 11 people, a demand raised by the SEHAB social team. The houses also have space for small jobs, such as seamstresses, small repairs, as many of the families do this work at home as a source of complementary income.
There are 420 apartments that vary between two types, with 2 bedrooms, integrated kitchen, living and balcony space. The complexes also have units adapted to people with special needs, located on the ground floor, with direct access from the street. The landscaping project foresees the integration of the two sets, through the porticoes, with variation of floors and vegetation, equipped with gym and recreational equipment, enhancing the space of the internal courtyard. The areas intended for covered leisure are located precisely on the arrival floors, which allow access to the complexes through Comandante Taylor Street, in addition to the covered spaces of the porticoes, which received special lighting.