Studying the urban conditions and programmatic typologies of the Rio das Pedras favela, an adjacent site is populated.
Rio das Pedras is homogeneous in its built elements but heterogeneous in its open spaces, the spaces that constantly shrink due to the augmented occupation. The use of decorative elements, especially ceramic tiles, is prevalent.
Tiles are a guiding element of the analysis and the design process. Tiles imply elevation differentiation but also different densities when they are scaled up to a neighborhood and treated as programmatic plan elements. Different tiles are created, each according to design guidelines developed specific for Rio das Pedras. Their interweaving according to multiple scales and orientations creates a fabric that incorporates the heterogeneous and open qualities of the Brazilian favela.
GSAPP, Spring 2014, studio critic: Hilary Sample
