In the Jardim Colombo community, in the West Zone of São Paulo, Neusa da Silva lived in a
13 m² house in a very unsanitary situation: without windows, with a broken door and infested with rodents and insects. Because she made a living from recycling to earn an income, she used the space to collect various materials. It was in this scenario that the
Fazendinhando Institute came into play. “This scenario scared us so much that we realized the
need for immediate intervention ,” recalls
Ester Carro , social activist and architect responsible for the project. To carry out the works, given the complexity of the housing, the Institute had the help of a multidisciplinary team.
In this way, the team – made up of professionals from the Jardim Colombo health center, community agents and
farmers – helped to remove the accumulated garbage from the house and prevent future infestations.
Bathroom expansion and addition of frames
The house also received new frames, with a more resistant aluminum door and a window –
an intervention that allowed for ventilation and natural light . The facade, in turn, had to be redone from scratch, and received strong and cheerful colors, very characteristic of the residents of the communities.
Furniture with different functions
Adding
multifunctional furniture was the solution found to store as many items as possible in the small space. Thus, the bookcase that serves as a wardrobe in the bedroom can also be used to store food and utensils in the kitchen. “We thought of something that would serve both as a
functional item and as a way to
divide the space ,” says the architect. The inauguration of the new residence took place last week, on January 15th. “I look at the wall and it’s beautiful. I really like it,” says Neusa. The result of the project was achieved through the efforts of bricklayers and farmers, in addition to the reuse of materials donated by
CASACOR 2023 and Prospexit, such as ceramics and porcelain tiles. “If I could define this entire process in her life in one word, it would be ‘a new beginning’. I believe that
this delivery represents a transformation that begins inside Neusa and then moves outward ,” reflects Ester.
