M I C H E L L E PA C H E C O
PORTFOLIO
CONTENTS
REVITALIZATION Beira Rio community: context and area 1. DIAGNOSIS Method, place, problems and potentialities 2. GUIDELINES Housing, landscape and river 3. PLAN Strategies 3.1 HOUSING: BUILDING TYPOLOGIES 3.2 LANDSCAPE: ELEMENTS 3.3 RIVER: FILTERING PROCESS 4. DESIGN Method and concept 4.1 MASTERPLAN 4.2 AXONOMETRIC 4.3 VISUALS
CO
REVITALIZATION B EIRA
RIO
COM MUNIT Y
CONTEXT
The information presented in this portfolio is part of the Urban Design and City Spaces Project Studio of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Sao Paulo, located in the city of Sao Paulo, in the southest of Brazil. The objective of this studio was to study the relationships between built spaces and open spaces. It aims to prepare the student to elaborate the urban project in a comprehensive way that considers the different interactions between the built environment of the city and the citizens, having to consider the aspects related to economic activities, social use, its relation with the natural environment, spatial perception, urban legislation and the history of the architecture and urbanism.
THE AREA
Sao Paulo on the world map
In this discipline, I had an “area of intervention”, in which I could propose changes in the urban legislation and design. I could choose one of the six sectors of this area and design a urban requalification for a specific part of this sector.
I chose the Jabaquara sector, the most vulnerable part of the area, and designed a requalification for a place called “Favela Beira Rio”.
The area of intervention
One of my visits to the Beira Rio community, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
1. DIAGNOSIS BEIR A
R IO
COMMUNITY
METHOD
To identify the needs of the area of intervention, I researched some indicators, such as urban density, land use, hydrography, vegetation and income on the databases of the city hall and on the national census surveys. Besides that, I visited the area to examine its problems and its potentialities directly. I also interviewed some residents and workers there for better understanding of which place needed more an intervention.
THE PLACE
During the visits, many aspects of the area caught my attention. One of them was the unsanitary condition of a slum near a river, where it was possible to see children playing in the garbage trown in the water. So, I planned and designed a urban requalification of this area, called then “Favela Beira Rio”, meaning something like “Riverside Slum”.
POOR HOUSING CONDITIONS
Low quality sanitation and water supply High population density with undersized infrastructure
LACK OF LEISURE AREAS
No environment for children to play No places for community interaction
HIGHLY POLLUTED RIVER
Sewage being dumped in the river The river has a layer of floating plastics and other wastes
PROBLEMS
The main problem of the Beira Rio community is the poor housing conditions, with low quality sanitation, lack of clean water and high population density with an inadequate infrastructure. Besides that, in the urban context of this community, there is a lack of recreation areas, and that is why it is possible to see many children playing in the polluted river nearby. This river is also an issue, since it is highly contamined by the community sewage.
POTENTIAL ITIES
Although the river definitely can be seen as a problem, it can also be seen as a potentiality of the area, because water can bring more than umidity and refresh: it can be a cool and natural environment to welcome new businesses. Another potentiality of the region is the good climate and soil, which makes easy the use of many kinds of vegetation in landscape projects.
POOR HOUSING CONDITIONS MEET HOUSING DEMAND
Different typologies can be design to meet the local housing demand Buildings with mixed use are an interesting solution to connect comercial and residential areas
LACK OF LEISURE AREAS
R E C R E AT I O N A R E A S A N D L A N D S C A P E D E S I G N
Design open and safe spaces for social interaction and playing Integrate different areas of the intervention through landscape elements
HIGHLY POLLUTED RIVER F I LT E R I N G T H E R I V E R W AT E R
Green infrastructure can be used to filter the water The river should not be seen as an obstacle, but as a potential
2. GUIDELINES BEIR A
R IO
COMMUNITY
HOUSING
To tackle the housing issue, I started researching how many families lives in the Beira Rio community. This number is high: 640 families. To meet this demand, it is important to design different building typologies and connect comercial and residential sectors with mixed usage. This would bring fresh businesses and a new dynamic to the area.
LANDSCAPE
Designing spaces for community interaction is also fundamental to requalificate the area. In this context, landscape design can be helpful to integrate and improve social spaces.
RIVER
The river should not be seen as a problem that needs a canalization, for example. The river must be seen and used as a natural potentiality of the region. In order to do that, green infrastructure elements, among with other solutions, can be used to filter its water.
POOR HOUSING CONDITIONS MEET HOUSING DEMAND 5 BUILDING TYPOLOGIES FOR 640 FAMILIES, WITH RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL USE
LACK OF LEISURE AREAS
RECREATION AREAS AND LANDSCAPE DESIGN U R B A N F U R N I T U R E I N T E G R AT E D W I T H V E G E TAT I O N, LIVING STREETS (WOONERF) AND INTITUTIONS
HIGHLY POLLUTED RIVER FILTERING THE RIVER WATER G R E E N I N F R A S T R U C T U R E E L E M E N T S T O F I LT E R T H E R I V E R A N D I N C R E A S E T H E R A I N W AT E R P E R M E A B I L I T Y
3. PLAN BEIR A
S T R AT E G I E S
R IO
COMMUNITY
To meet the housing demand, I started outlining five different building typologies, acommodating a total of 642 families, more than the demand. The ground floor of the buildings is destined to commercial use. In the sorroundings, an institucional area with school and sports facilities was planned, for community education and recreation.
Improving the quality of the environment is fundamental to attract businesses, so I designed urban furniture elements integrated with vegetation and living streets. The river is an important part of this environment. To filter the river, I researched natural methods and also planned the use of some green infrastructure elements in the area to increase the soil permeability and avoid floodings.
TIPOLOGY “A”
TIPOLOGY “B”
TIPOLOGY “C”
TIPOLOGY “D”
Accommodates 30 families
Accommodates 2 families
Accommodates 20 families
Accommodates 50 families
3 families/story
Two-storey house
4 families/story
5 families/story
Ground floor + 10 stories
Housing in the second floor
Ground floor + 5 stories
Ground floor + 10 stories
Commercial ground floor
Commercial ground floor
Commercial ground floor
Commercial ground floor
3.1 HOUSING BUILDIN G
T Y P O LO G IES
Five different buillding typologies were designed, in a basic approach, in order to meet the housing demand, always complying with the zoning laws of the city.
TIPOLOGY “E” Accommodates 90 families
All of them have a ground floor for commercial use with public access. This is fundamental to create a new dynamic for the area, attracting new businesses and increasing the safety and quality of living in the neighboorhood. The other floors are destined to housing, with private access.
9 families/story Ground floor + 10 stories Commercial ground floor
Almost all of the typologies are buildings, but one of them is a twostorey house. It was designed to be constructed in the sorroundings of the river and the living street, consenting with the zoning and preservation laws applicable in the area.
URBAN FURNITURE
LIVING STREETS
STORMWATER PLANTERS
Own design associating benches with vegetation, with public access
Shared spaces among pedestrians, ciclysts and cars with low speed inspired in the Dutch woonerfs
Green infrastructure element designed to capture rainwater in order to increase soil permeability
3.2 LANDSCAPE ELEM ENTS
BIOSWALES
To deal with the problem of the lack of leisure areas, I designed urban furniture elements, such as benches with vegetation, in the transitional spaces of the residential areas. Living streets inspired in the Dutch woonerfs are a good option to prioritize the interests and the mobility of pedestrians and cyclists. These streets function as a social space where people can meet and where children may also be able to play legally and safely.
Another element caractherized by a ditch with vegetation and a porous bottom to transmit rainwater runoff
Green infrastructure solutions, such as stormwater planters and bioswales were designed to increase soil permeability and rainwater runoff. These elements can avoid floodings in the sorroundings of the river.
1. STONE PATH
2. AQUATIC PLANTS
3. CLEAN WATER
The first filtering area is a stone path, with the intention to create obstacles and collect floating plastics and other wastes
The second path is filled with aquatic plants in order to purify the water and increase the health and cleaning of the river
The third area also has aquatic plants, but its water is cleaner than the second path, allowing fishes and aquatic life to prosper
3.3 RIVER F I LT E R I N G
PR OCESS
The approaching to the river as a natural potential of the region is important to make it a fresh and nice environment able to attract new businesses and visitants. But the river is highly polluted, and its treatment is essential to the overall success of the masterplan. The process of filtering the river was divided in 3 parts: firstly it is necessary to clear the water, and this can be done with obstacles and stones collecting floating plastics and other wastes. After that it is important to clean the river with aquatic plants that can purify contamined water, such as oxygenating and floating pond plants. The last path is where it is possible to see clean water and aquatic life growing.
4. DESIGN BEIR A
R IO
COMMUNITY
METHOD
To design this new urban area, I used different softwares. Firstly, the masterplan was created using sketches in paper and later using AutoCAD. Then, I designed the residential buildings in Revit, with a basic approach, to have the volume of the dwellings. I also designed an institutional area including a school and sports fields in Revit. The urban furniture and landscape elements were designed using SketchUp. And finally, Adobe Photoshop was used to make the finishing touches in the rendered images.
CONCEPT
The project intention is not only provide housing, infrastructure, green areas and a clean river to the Beira Rio community. The concept of this design is more than that: it relies on integrating different human activities through urban and landscape design.
5 1
6
4
1 1 2 3
1 . RES ID EN TIAL AREA
2 . INS TITU TION AL AREA 3 . S TON E PATH 4 . AQUATIC PL AN TS 5 . CL EAN W ATER 6 . L IV IN G S TREET
4.1 MASTERPLAN BEIR A
R IO
COMMUNITY
Firstly, my main worry was the housing problem, so I started with the implementation of the buildings volumes. I also studied the river and its required margin according to the environmental preservation laws. The institutional space was designed and its implementation got a big part of the total available area. Besides that, green permeable soil was essential to avoid floodings in the region. Considering all that, residential buildings could not occupy a large piece of land and needed to be integrated to transitional urban spaces. In order to do that, I imagined that the whole area was one large urban lot and designed buildings with no outside walls, to preserve the sense of a community.
INTEGRATED RIVER
LIVING STREET
MIXED USE BUILDINGS
URBAN FURNITURE
OPEN PUBLIC SPACES
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
4.2 AXONOMETRIC BEIR A
R IO
COMMUNITY
According to the zoning laws applicable in the region, there is a restriction of the buildings height because this region is close to the Congonhas Airport, that is why the buildings have 10 stories at maximum. In this design, I considered the importance of interactions between the built environment of the city and the citizens, and how it can increase economic activities, social living, safety and preservation of natural resources in a community. The design of the residential buildings reflects that intention, prioritizing interactions of citizens in the ground level and elevating the private realm to the second floor upward.
The living street inspired by the Dutch woonerfs, with cars, bicycles and pedestrians sharing the same space
4.3 VISUALS The living street at night
BEIR A
R IO
COMMUNITY
The next set of images represent the areas designed for this community. It is possible to see the intention of the design, which is to promote interactions among people, nature and the built environment. This interaction is enabled by open public spaces, with vegetation, urban furniture, efficient lightning and contact with the nature resources, like natural plants and the river. One of this open public spaces is the living street, where cars, bikes and people can share the same space with respect and safety. This strategy can make the street more than just a place to pass, but also, a place to stay.
The living street by the eye of the pedestrian
The living street
Residential buildings and sports fields
The river Urban furniture integrated with vegetation
THANK YOU michelle.pacheco@usp.br