SOCIAL HOUSING AND SUSTAINABLE

DESIGN: GETTING THE UNIVERSITY

INVOLVED
Doris C.C.K. KOWALTOWSKI; Silvia A. Mikami G. PINA;
Valéria T. de PAIVA; Evandro Z. MONTEIRO; Ana Maria G.
MONTEIRO; Camila R. ARIAS and Edilene T DONADON.

Department of Architecture and Construction, School of Civil

Engineering, Architecture and Urban Design, State University of
Campinas, UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil e-mail:
doris@fec.unicamp.br

Abstract
The concepts of design that must be attended, especially in developing countries,
are social and cultural concerns as well as questions of environmental comfort
and sustainability. This paper describes the involvement of a University study
group with urban realities in a Brazilian setting. A research project is described
which looks at open areas in self-built neighborhoods and their needs for thermal
comfort and sustainability improvements through vegetation and a participation
process. An interview method with images of “prospective visions” of the
specific reality was devised. This method caused an immediate identification of
the inhabitants with their present situation and created interest in a “greener”
neighborhood. The research experience also furthered an educational experience
where urban design was the driving force of addressing sustainability in the built
environment in a social interest context. The same residential area was chosen
and students identified the potentials of the place, as well as the populations’
needs and desires. Interventions were proposed and justified through
sustainability principles. Results of the teaching experience showed that the
concrete example was fundamental to the creative process in design, challenging
students to develop viable solutions. Reality also stimulated responsibility and a
more profound social and environmental perception.
Keywords: SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGIES, SELF-BUILT HOUSES, OPEN
SPACE

1 Introduction
The discussion between architects and urban planners on appropriate forms for
future cities and their populations must touch on environmental variables,
especially if one reflects on the size of a large number of cities with over a
million inhabitants and the problems that such large conglomerations may
induce. Design recommendations should address many varied issues, be place
specific and sensitive to the natural environment. Preserving open space and the
quality of both air and water in urban conglomerations must be a primary goal.
Comfort is another concern, as is accessibility for all. To attend all these
complex issues the designer needs innovative strategies, especially to avoid
negative effects of the “ecological footprint” that individual projects may cause.
Historically speaking most cities, and in Brazil this is also the case, grow in
locations where geographical, climatic and other natural aspects favour human
use. However, large urban conglomerations have caused severe environmental
problems, often with direct consequences on human health and the pre-existing
ecosystem and cities must regain respect for natural resources, for the sake of the
quality of urban life and economic health and growth of its population
(Kowaltowski et. al, 2006). Most large cities combat problems of traffic
congestion, air and water pollution under the heading of sustainable
development.
To address quality of life in urban situations open green areas also need more
attention. The lack of such areas may add to negative conditions when poverty is
added to the problem, common in cities of the developing world including
Brazil. A crucial question is the quality of housing, demanding wider strategies
and efficient policies to attenuate not only the specific conditions of the house,
but also the neighborhood and the services and opportunities it offers. Thus,
housing questions must include sanitary conditions of an urban area and the
recreational, cultural possibilities of its population.
This paper presents two strategies of university involvement to improve the
quality of self-built neighborhoods in the region of Campinas in the State of São
Paulo, Brazil. One experience presents a research and pro-active involvement to
improve open spaces in such areas. The second experience follows with a
teaching experiment, involving architectural design students with a low-income
housing reality of their urban habitat.

2 Owner-built houses and their neighborhoods

In countries like Brazil the houses built by owner families represent a large
percentage of residential constructions. In the literature they are often termed the
“new vernacular” (Nolasco, 1995; Pina, 1998; Labaki & Kowaltowski, 1998).
Most owner-built settlements start out in outlying suburbs of typical growing
Brazilian cities. They are occupied with few essential urban infra-structures.
Thus, roads are not paved, sidewalks are missing, street lighting is only minimal
and parks and public green areas are merely reserved, small, fragmented open
spaces. Owner-builders are primarily concerned with providing a home for their
families and will quickly, after acquiring a residential lot, invest energy and
resources in the construction of small houses. Attention is not shown to public
open spaces. Functional indoor area is the primary concern of the self-builder
population. The self-built neighborhoods can be shown to have poor
environmental comfort (thermal, acoustic and lighting) conditions (Labaki &
Kowaltowski, 1998). Most self-built houses are one to two story constructions on
lots with a high built-over area, thus the neighborhoods lack gardens, both
private and public. The few open spaces in owner-built residential urban areas in
Brazil are mostly places with undefined uses. Any significant vegetation in the
form of shade trees is lacking and the small residential lots are devoid of quality
open spaces. A self-built suburb called “São José”, seen in figures 1 and 2, can
well represent typical examples of owner-built developments around cities like
Campinas.

Fig. 1: Aerial view and drawing representing the reality of a street of the “São
José” neighborhood in the city of Campinas
Fig. 2 Typical street, yard and open area scenes of the “São José” neighborhood

Campinas is a city of around one million inhabitants, one hundred kilometers

from the major metropolitan area of São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil. Owner-
built subdivisions have grown since the 1980s in Brazil, when the country
abandoned its national housing policy. Owner-built settlements are situated
mostly in outlying areas of a municipality and are often not part of the
continuous urban tissue. The area of “São José” was subdivided and sold by the
city’s social housing company (COHAB-Campinas) in 2000 and regulated by
special codes for low-income families. These regulations permit subdivisions
based on small lots of 125m2 with an eight meter front. The development
occupies a square kilometre area, which is divided into around 20 residential
blocks. The centre of the subdivision has public areas reserved for institutional
uses (schools and day-care centre). Smaller open spaces are located at the fringe
of the settlement and are intended for a health centre and public green areas.
These reserved areas are triangular and narrow in form, thus not ideal for the
intended use.

2.1 Open space, Vegetation and Neighborhood Quality

The proper distribution of and detailing of built-up areas (houses, apartment and
office buildings, shops, schools, factories etc..), open spaces (parks, rivers, urban
squares, plazas and unused land or lots) and urban integration spaces (roads,
streets, walkways, railroads, etc..) determine in part the quality of life of a city’s
inhabitants (Lawrence, 2002). Urban vegetation and landscaping, thus the
amount of natural elements and the form with which they permeate urban tissues
influence directly thermal conditions in large urban conglomerations especially
in tropical climates and relate indirectly to the quality of life in cities (Sukopp et
al, 1979; Labaki & Santos, 1996).
Open spaces may be defined as urban open-air areas, used primarily by
pedestrians for circulation, recreational and relaxation activities (Llardent, 1982).
These have an aesthetic function in the urban landscape and if essentially
composed of vegetation (trees, bushes, flowers and ground cover) they may be
considered green areas. Open urban space and its environmental quality
influences urban climate and ventilation conditions in cities. These in turn affect
pollution levels and relate to health conditions of inhabitants (Raja & Virk,
2001). In tropical climates good natural ventilation conditions can improve
thermal comfort. Buildings in such regions should thus be positioned to capture
predominant winds and provide indoor spaces with cross ventilation. Recently
sustainability indicators have dealt with open and built-up space proportions as
well as proper orientations of buildings, including distances between
constructions (da Silva, 2003). Standards for impermeability of urban soils are
set and many indicators are related to green areas, their relative size and
distribution in urban built-up areas (de Schiller et. al., 2003).
Natural elements in the built environment are considered important and the
literature on urban landscapes is rich in detail data (Llardent, 1982; Kaplan,
1984; Burgess et al., 1988; Ardone & Bonnes, 1991). Nature, especially in the
form of vegetation contributes to a feeling of well-being and improves health and
comfort conditions of the population in urban communities. Vegetation can be
shown to be a prime factor for urban thermal comfort conditions, especially in
tropical regions. In hot climates trees can provide shade, reduce solar radiation
and affect positively CO2 levels. Roots avoid erosion on steep slopes and
increase the permeability of soil, replenishing the natural water table. Vegetation,
as an element in bioclimatic architectural design, can help passive cooling.
The importance of the natural element in relation to the comfort conditions of
buildings and urban areas depends on the types of plants (species), the foliage,
the area of treetop and tree distribution density. The preservation of the
vegetation cover in urban areas, on the other hand, depends on the population’s
attitudes towards natural elements, the stimulus to plant, maintain and care for
gardens and parks. In Brazil some studies have shown that urban vegetation is
not valued or preserved and the population attributes problems to trees (Portella,
2002). They cause damage to garden walls and foundations, invade sewage and
water systems and clog drains. Trees produce “dirt” in yards, which increases
domestic chores. Most of these problems may be traced to the wrong choice of
plants and their proximity to buildings. This type of evidence called for an
investigation to ascertain the low-income population’s attitudes towards open
space and vegetation, and develop programs to improve the urban landscape and
its comfort conditions.
A continuing study of the self-built housing phenomena in the region of the city
of Campinas/SP, Brazil investigates the comfort conditions and sustainability
levels of outlying neighborhoods (Labaki & Kowaltowski, 1998). A house
design assistance program was devised for the self-building process in the region
of Campinas as a direct result of these studies (Kowaltowski et al., 2005).
In a recent project the presence of vegetation was documented and the use of
public open areas observed. Thermal comfort conditions were measured
(Monteiro et al., 2006). The study also evaluated the potential for pro-active
programs to improve the comfort conditions and urban landscape of such
settlements, especially through the planting of shade giving trees and heat
absorbing ground covers in private and public open areas. Observations
ascertained that trees are rare on sidewalks and absent on public land. The
settlement investigated (“São José”) also has no provision for recreational
activities; since the so-called green areas do not have playing fields or play
equipment, sand boxes, benches, walkways and landscaping.

3 PRO-ACTIVE STRATEGIES
To develop participatory and pro-active programs and test their potential for
bringing about a change in attitude towards open space (private or public) two
distinct programs were devised to improve the University’s involvement with
social interest areas of the city. The first study assessed the population’s relation
to green areas involving mainly Graduate students and Faculty members of the
School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urban Design of the State
University of Campinas. The second program was a teaching experiment
involving Undergraduate Architecture students directly with the local population
in a social interest class.

3.1 PRO-ACTIVE RESEARCH STRATEGY

For the first program a questionnaire was applied in the “São José” owner-built
community. The main goal of the study was the development of a community
action methodology to improve environmental comfort and the urban landscape
in owner-built residential areas, through increased integration of open spaces.
The methodology introduced a concept termed “spaces without” and “spaces
within” and iconography of “prospective visions” of the communities. These
concepts are seen as alternatives to formal green areas in cities like Campinas
and to participatory methods based on analogies, often employed in pro-active
strategies (Kliass, 1986; Sanoff, 1991).
The study initially surveyed the population’s relation to natural elements, their
use of parks and their perception and knowledge about environmental comfort.
The survey results showed that the population felt that tree planting is an
obligation put upon them by the local city administration, thus a chore they do
not like or value. Spontaneous intervention on bare open spaces was extremely
rare and inconsistent. Open areas on private lots are seen as potential
construction opportunities. However, most people recognized that they feel
uncomfortably hot most of the time and were able to identify the basic elements
of indoor thermal comfort (good ventilation and vegetation).
As a continuing activity the first program, through aerial photographs,
characterized the area morphologically. From this data, CAD (Computer Aided
Design) based drawings (Fig 3.) were produced and were later rendered by hand.
Three scenarios were created: 1. the current situation of the area with its present
built-up condition; 2. a probable future development of the area without green
areas and lacking vegetation and 3. a simulation of a future urban condition with
vegetation distributed in profusion, creating what might be called the "fully
green" vision. Images were individualized for each lot and street, to obtain a
better user identity with the situation and allow for a closer potential of
improving the urban condition. In these views the known condition is
emphasized and can be explored through participatory actions. The method
avoided analogy images.
The results of this first study show that the method caused an immediate
identification of the inhabitants with their present situation and alerted the
population as to their role in improving their own communities. Analysis of this
data indicates specific community action processes which may lead to the
creation of “greener” residential self-built developments in the region of
Campinas and similar urban areas. These pro-active programs need two distinct
objectives. The first goal should be to create an awareness of users (families) in
relation to of their role in preserving open space and the second goal is to
stimulate gardens and the planting of trees, thus valuing vegetation as an
aesthetic and comfort element. Educational folders and posters with instructive
iconography can be used for this purpose and specific events are necessary to
star the process.

Fig. 3: Two “prospective visions”: high construction density and a “greener”

possibility

3.2 PRO-ACTIVE TEACHING STRATEGY

Design education has been largely based on the studio method with students
developing, under faculty guidance, design projects with hypothetical problems,
users and locations. Many studies have examined the typical studio design
teaching method in relation to diverse aspects (learning experiences, efficiency,
quality of design). Schön (1983) and later Brawn (2003) describe design as a
reflective conversation with the design situation, thus addressing the human
thought-processes and the language (drawings, models) used to make decisions
in the process. Viewing architecture as pure art has been identified as a problem
in architectural education, with architects often failing to address users’ needs
(SALAMA, 1997). As well, studies have questioned the traditional view that
creativity is a psychological phenomenon, which is vague and mysterious
depending on inspiration, talent and intuition, therefore not able to be taught
formally (Silva, 1986).
To discuss and question traditional paradigms in architectural education and
propose new approaches to design studio activities, this paper presents an
academic initiative. A teaching experience of the discipline called “Theory and
Design: Social Interest Projects” of the State University of Campinas’s
Architecture course is presented here. Students worked with the outlying suburb
“São José” to learn about owner-built neighborhoods and ascertain the desires
and needs of its inhabitants. One of the goals of the course was to help students
gain a deeper local urban experience and to construct an architectural program
(brief) for the area. From this, the student proposals had to attend to requirements
of sustainability, bioclimatic architecture, Universal Design (UD) and be applied
through a participatory design process. Creativity was considered important
especially regarding the students sensibility towards the problems encountered in
the specific urban area and creative proposals were seen as coming from a
conscious design process and culminating in concrete solutions.
The described course was given in the second semester of 2006. Theoretical
classes and practical activities were part of the course. These stimulated the
students in their quest to be creative and heightened their social
conscientiousness. Three distinct phases occurred. First, students got to know the
neighborhood of “São José”. They questioned the population on their needs,
desires and fears through numerous visits. The second phase culminated in a
clear diagnostic of the site situation. This activity was developed with the local
population, and students learned that the families are aware of their city, as a
whole, and have very clear insights and critical views on urban problems and
solution spheres. As the third phase, models of the housing area were produced
(Fig. 4 & 5) and proposals (Fig. 6) were presented as posters. The class, as a
whole, produced a volumetric model, with the SketchUp - CAD software, of the
urban area, using images of Google Earth as a base (Fig. 4). This precise
documentation represented the reality truthfully and could then be part of a
participatory design process, where the population could identify their
environment and give opinions on the solution realm. This teaching experiences,
adopted visual design methods presented in Sanoff (1991), where design
solutions are extracted from a continuous dialog with real situations and its
beneficiaries.
Results showed that the concrete example was fundamental to the creative
process, challenging students to develop viable solutions. Many student projects
concentrated their efforts on the collective spaces, sidewalks, urban
infrastructure and services (school, health and child care centers), which are
absent in the neighborhood. All proposals were coherent in their representation
of the reality, and addressed the questions of sustainability through proposals of
rational use of energy and water. Also involvement of the population in grasping
opportunities for financial gain through recycling trash in the neighborhood was
seen as a sustainable proposal. Accessibility (UD) was another issue
incorporated into the student proposals with redesign of paving details, and urban
furniture and a more generous approach to the dimension of new architectural
spaces. Thus, the reality incorporated into the design decision realm, strongly
stimulated responsibility and a more profound social and environmental
perception of students.
 Fig. 4: Student Sketch-Up models

Fig. 5: Student models of the “São José” neighborhood

 Fig 6: Student design proposals (school building, health center, street design and
recreational park) for the “São José” neighborhood

4 Concluding Remarks
This paper presented two efforts to involve the University in urban conditions of
owner-built neighborhoods and introduce quality of life improvements to such
urban areas. These efforts are part of a continuing study of such housing areas in
the region of the city of Campinas, Brazil by faculty of the State University of
Campinas, UNICAMP. Both research and teaching activities are shown to have
the potential to involve the population with their community needs though
realistic participatory methods.
Although many studies exist which explore participatory methods in urban
planning and design processes, few examples have explored the personalized
approach through drawings as presented in the pro-active strategies. From pre-
tests we have obtained a good response and understanding of such strategies.
Increased awareness of the population’s role in their community and its physical
setting was gained. Most participatory processes create unattainable expectations
and often cannot bridge the gap between population (users) and professionals
(designers and planners). Understanding of intervention proposals is often
erroneous or very low and detail information is lost in the conversation or written
material presented in such processes. As Kaplan (1984, p. 124) showed: “The
discrepancies between what experts know and take for granted and what people
know and hold dear must be examined. Incorporating participation is an effective
way to recognize that experts and affected groups have different knowledge,
perceptions, and needs.”
Thus, as a result of the experiences presented here we believe that the
presentation of a specific individual situation (familiarity), in its present and
future form, can increase interest and bring clarity to urban issues. Also
community issues may become apparent when the individual situation is shown
as an accumulative process. Actions can be detailed to intervene positively and
simply in the known physical environment. With our approach we also believe
we have made a step in the direction of closing the gap between different
knowledge and perceptions and provided a means of simple but effective ways of
improving owner-built communities through the preservation of open space and
introduction of valuable urban vegetation.
With regard to the teaching experiment, the real life situation brought to the
design studio, created a direct and deeper understanding of students of theoretical
issues and heightened interest in their design proposals. Reflecting on a social
interest context was seen as important for a more mature outlook of students on
the users in question. Essential concepts could be absorbed and valued, so that
future architects should be able to develop professional activities according to
Brazilian city necessities.

Acknowledgements
The authors of this paper would like to thank FAPESP – Fundação de Amparo à
Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo and FINEP - Fundação de Estudos e Projetos
for their support as well as the students of the class of Au114, Teoria e Projeto
IV: projeto de interesse social, of the School of Civil Engineering, Architecture
and Urban Design/UNICAMP for their contributions.

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