ARCHITECTURE AND SAFETY

Safe social housing for the inhabitants of the periphery of São Paulo

Master thesis graduation report Huub Fenten (5273129)

Global Housing department Delft University of Technology
06-07-2023
Architecture & Safety
Safe social housing for the inhabitants of the periphery of São Paulo
Huub Fenten (5273129)

Master thesis MSc Architecture, Delft University of Technology

Global Housing studio ‘22/23: São Paulo, repair and consolidate (AR3AD105)
Main mentor: Harald Mooij
Second mentor: Frank Schnater
Third mentor: Nelson Mota

This graduation report was produced for the Global Housing department as part of
the MSc Architecture at Delft University of Technology. Copy and publication rights
belong to Delft University of Technology exclusively. Text and images were produced
by Huub Fenten, unless stated otherwise.

Delft, the Netherlands, 06-07-2023

2
Abstract

In São Paulo, Brazil, the urbanization of workers a contextual analysis, and research by design are
without education or a steady income has caused used. The design is made for Parque Cocaía, a
a large demand for social housing, with 800,000 greenfield site with environmental restrictions on
families forced to live in settlements and slums the outskirts of the city, in Grajaú. It shows how
without a legal basis. At the same time, the crime the design of building types that foster the cre-
rates of the past decades brought forth a standard ation of communities, public space that invites
of ‘enclavement’ of urban blocks, with fences pro- life into the streets, and dwelling types that
tecting shared outdoor spaces. These add to the allow watching over the public realm and shared
segregation of a city that already has immense spaces can all contribute to a safer living environ-
inequality. Although many have written about cre- ment. The design combines lessons learned from
ating a safe living environment with architecture Western theory, social housing precedents, and
in the Western world, applications in the global the local context and thereby offers an alternative
south are lagging behind. This thesis explores to enclavement as a means to assure safe living.
how architectural design can positively influence Future research and design can build on this to
safety in the periphery of São Paulo, taking into prevent further segregation of Brazilian society.
account socioeconomic segregation, local build-
ing practices, and social equity. For this, a litera-
ture review, a comparative analysis of precedents,

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4
Preface

In front of you are presented the results of ten traveled to Brazil, Antwerp, and Utrecht together,
months of graduation research. It has been a roll- and those moments are some of the highlights of
ercoaster of exploration, self-development, and the past academic year.
persistence. It marks the completion of my studies
toward becoming an architect, yet also highlights Thirdly, the students and teachers of the FAUUSP,
my growth as an individual over the course of for their assistance during the field trip and for
these five years at the university. All this, I could answering my hundreds of questions about the
not have done by myself and hence I would like Brazilian built environment, society, and politics.
to express my sincerest gratitude to everybody A special thanks to those who provided informa-
who supported and assisted in my development. tion even after returning from Brazil.

Firstly, my thesis tutors, Harald Mooij, Nelson Fourthly, all those who supported me while
Mota, Frank Schnater, and occasionally Dick van going through this eventful year. My parents and
Gameren, for dedicating time to each gradua- brother, for their unconditional love and for sup-
tion project and student on an individual basis, porting me wherever possible for me to solely
even when asked for extra tutoring sessions or focus on reaching deadlines. My friends, for pro-
rescheduling. Our sessions on Friday sometimes viding words of comfort and mental distraction
took a lot of time, but I was looking forward to when times were rough, and for staying in touch
them every week because of your enthusiasm, despite meeting up less often. Thank you from
dedication, and honesty. the bottom of my heart.

Secondly, to the other students of the Global Muito obrigado a todos,

Housing studio ‘22/23, for their mental support, Huub
design inspiration, feedback, and friendships that
have developed over the course of the year. We

5
Prologue

São Paulo, 24-10-2022 millions of inhabitants of this city, this is everyday

life.
I am working at a lunchroom 200 meters from our
AirBNB in São Paulo, alone, as I write down these After entering the country two weeks ago,
first lines of my graduation thesis. Although the we quickly felt at ease in the neighborhood
neighborhood I am in is considered one of the of Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro. With inhabit-
safest in the city and walking to the apartment ants and tourists walking around in their swim-
will take me just three minutes, I am setting an wear all day long, the police cars and military
alarm just before dusk to notify me of when I have police posting every couple hundred of meters
to start walking before it starts getting dark. are quickly assessed to be excessive. Though,
when visiting favela barrio (slum neighborhood)
Over the past two weeks, I have been traveling Rocinha a couple of days later, the taxi driver
around Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo with the strongly encouraged us to not leave the few main
other members of the graduation studio as part streets where it is busy and guides show tourists
of the field trip of the project. Making sure that around. When even locals warn you like that, it
everybody in the group and their belongings must be taken seriously.
stay safe has been a constant task since entering
Brazil. Having grown up in Houten, a prosperous Traveling to São Paulo the week after, the fragile
suburb of the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands, notion of safety becomes even clearer. On the first
staying aware of the constant threats has been an afternoon, we walk through the old city center
unparalleled experience. Though, for the tens of just before dawn. Over here, herds of homeless

6
people roam the streets. This is not a place one well, the notion of safety is constantly on our
should wander around – not for safety reasons minds. In the minivan back to our apartment, I
but also out of respect for the community. The have a thorough discussion with students of the
precarious living conditions are heartbreaking Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the Uni-
and make you aware of the unfairness of life. versity of São Paulo that have been accompany-
ing us over the past few days on how to revert
The next day, our visits to various transition pro- this situation of insecurity. I highly doubt there is
jects in the irregular settlements of São Paulo a single answer to the question, but over the past
start. Accompanied by local community leaders, two weeks, I have often found myself zoning out
we are visiting several social housing complexes wondering what the future will hold for the city.
that have been built on the periphery of the city.
Although these projects drastically improve the As the sun is setting behind the apartment build-
living conditions of its residents, they still feel ings of São Paulo, I am wrapping up this pro-
like enclaves in a city of injustice. Gates, guards, logue. Time to get back to our AirBNB before it
and cameras separate the shared outdoor spaces gets dark. The perception of safety in the city of
from the surroundings. São Paulo is on my mind, and it will probably con-
tinue to do so throughout the rest of my gradua-
On the fifth day in São Paulo, we visit Grajaú, tion thesis.
the most populous neighborhood of São Paulo,
which contains the site we are to analyze and
design an architectural intervention for. Here as

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Table of contents
Abstract������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
Abstract������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 3
Preface��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
Preface�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5
Prologue�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
Prologue����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6
Research plan�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
plan������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 11
Definitions��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 12
Introduction������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 14
Problem statement�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16
Research question��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20
Theoretical framework��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 21
Methodology���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 22
Relevance���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 25
Perspectives������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 25
Safety interventions catalog���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
catalog��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27
The perception of safety����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 28
Surveillance of the public realm from the private realm����������������������������������������������������������������� 30
Surveillance of the public realm from the public realm������������������������������������������������������������������� 32
Territoriality created within a community���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 34
Territoriality perceived by intruders������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 36
Physical barriers������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 38
Comparative analysis��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
analysis�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 41
Methodology���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 42
Settlements Grajaú�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 44
Chácara do Conde�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 50
Parque Novo Santo Amaro V���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 54

8
 Heliópolis Gleba A�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 58
Jardim Vicentina������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 60
Heliópolis Gleba G�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 62
Houten Noord-West������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 64
Amsterdam Plan Zuid���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 66
Contextual analysis�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
analysis����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 69
Geography�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 70
Connectivity������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 72
Urban Texture���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 74
Design Parque Cocaía������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
Cocaía������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 77
Program of requirements���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 78
Architecture������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 82
Site level�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 84
Block level������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 90
Dwelling level������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 98
Building technology���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 104
Materialization��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 104
Structural design������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 108
Building physics������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 110
Water management������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 114
Managerial strategy���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 120
Stakeholders������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 120
Phasing�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 124
Finances������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 126
Synthesis�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
Synthesis������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 133
Conclusion������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 134
Reflection�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 136
Process��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 136
Looking back������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 144

9
 Personal fascination Explorative reading

Preliminary research plan

Field trip observations

Problem statement

Research set-up

Comparative analysis Literature review

Precedents from Brazil and the Netherlands. Articles, books, reviews, and building cod

Design Parque Cocaía

Development of social housing on greenfield
land with environmental restrictions.

Contextual analysis Reflection

Demographics and urban relations. Biases and persp

Graduation report

Conclusions
 RESEARCH PLAN
goal: determine what problem the thesis is going to research, why, and how
Thesis architecture and safety | research plan | definitions

DEFINITIONS
In this thesis, terms specific to the design and thermore, it helps one to stay away from purely
development of transformation projects in the technical solutions.
irregular settlements of São Paulo will be used.
To prevent misunderstandings, the list below Enclavement
defines these terms, as taken from other research- “Fortified enclaves are privatized, enclosed,
ers writing on the topic. and monitored spaces for residence, con-
sumption, leisure, and work” (Caldeira, 1996b,
Autoconstruction p. 1). ‘Enclavement’ is the process of turning a
The process of workers building their own public space into an enclave.
houses and expanding or upgrading them
over time (Caldeira, 1996a). Favelas
The Portuguese word for slums. The munici-
CDHU pality defines the term as: “Precarious set-
Portuguese abbreviation for Companhia de tlements that arise from spontaneous occu-
Desenvolvimento Habitacional e Urbano, or pations carried out in a disorderly manner”
Housing and Urban Development Company (Prefeitura de São Paulo, 2017).
in English, being the part of the São Paulo
state government that is responsible for the Fortified enclaves
development of social housing. They provide “Fortified enclaves are privatized, enclosed,
investments and in-kind help. and monitored spaces for residence, con-
sumption, leisure, and work” (Caldeira, 1996).
Consolidate
Bhan (2019) argues that instead of using the HIS
terms build and engineer, consolidate should Portuguese abbreviation for Habitações de
be used as the method to reach the outcomes Interesse Social, translating to Social Interest
that we want. This is because in southern prac- Housing. These indicate the user group of a
tices, the network ideal might be far out of certain dwelling. HIS 1 dwellings are destined
reach, and therefore other alternatives might for dwellers earning 1-3 times the Brazilian
be more feasible for reaching outcomes. Fur- minimum wage, HIS 2 for those earning 3-6

São Paulo: repair and consolidate | Huub Fenten | 5273129 | 06-07-2023 12

Thesis architecture and safety | research plan | definitions

minimum wages, and HIS 3 for those earning SEHAB

7-10 minimum wages (Guerreiro et al., 2021). Portuguese abbreviation for Secretaria Munic-
ipal de Habitação, translating to Municipal
Irregular settlements Housing Secretariat. The part of the São Paulo
Settlements that are less temporary than the municipality responsible for the development
favelas, but also lack a legal status: “Settle- of social housing, like the CDHU is for São
ments in which the occupation took place Paulo state.
based on the initiative of a promoter or com-
mercialization agent, without prior approval Squatting
by the responsible public bodies or, when The process of occupying and building on
approved or in the process of approval, the land of which the builder does not hold
implanted in disagreement with the legisla- a legal status (Bhan, 2019). After five years of
tion or with the approved project” (Prefeitura squatting, Brazilian law (Art. 183) assigns own-
de São Paulo, 2017). Instead of timber, their ership of the land to the squatter (Constituent
building materials often consist of concrete Assembly, 2022).
and brickwork.
Upgrading
Minha Casa, Minha Vida (MCMV) program Compared to repair, Bhan (2019) states that
Brazilian federal housing program created by upgrading is “incremental improvement rather
the Lula government in 2009 investing heavily than transformative redevelopment”.
in the construction of social housing. The
program offers subsidies and below-market Usucapião
interest rates to Brazilians with a low income Roughly translated as urban adverse posses-
not owning property yet. sion. The right for families with a low income
and not owning other property to claim pos-
Peripheral urbanization session of a piece of land after inhabiting it
The process of city-making occurring in the for a certain duration, often being five years
peripheral areas of urban regions. It is related (Benschop et al.).
to a specific time and place and builders
engage in politics to claim land (Caldeira, ZEIS
2017). Portuguese abbreviation for Zona Especial de
Interesse Social, translating to Special Zone of
Repair Social Interest. These are zones earmarked for
A transformative redevelopment of the house the development of social housing. The project
one lives in, moving forward sometimes but site of this thesis is a ZEIS 4 area, meaning an
also falling behind (Bhan, 2019). area characterized by vacant land, suitable
for urbanization and construction, located in
SDGs watershed protection areas” (Prefeitura de
Abbreviation for Sustainable Development São Paulo, 2014).
Goals. Seventeen goals established by the
United Nations (UN) in 2015 for 2030.

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Thesis architecture and safety | research plan | introduction

INTRODUCTION
Walking through the streets of São Paulo, Brazil, and one can wonder whether this is desirable, in
one should constantly reevaluate the safety of the a city that is already highly segregated.
ongoing situation. During a two-week field trip to
the city, we frequently ran into residents provid- Over the past century, various architectural the-
ing us with unsolicited advice on how to safely get oreticians have touched upon the relationship
around. Coming from a prosperous Dutch suburb between architecture and safety. Although there
where criminality is almost non-existent, this con- is no consensus on a single method to design
stant assessment of risks was a completely new a ‘safe’ neighborhood, various design concepts
situation for me. In my mind, my experiences in are offered that deviate from the concepts imple-
Brazil will forever be associated with safety, and it mented in the Chácara do Conde project. In this
also makes me wonder how a safer future for the thesis, the relationship between architecture and
Brazilian megacity can be achieved. safety in the context of the Grajaú neighborhood
is analyzed. Through this analysis, an alternative
In Grajaú, a peripheral neighborhood of São design for transformation projects in Grajaú is
Paulo, the municipality has started transforming explored, that can hopefully offer safety to its
irregular settlements into social housing com- inhabitants, as well as prevent further segrega-
plexes as part of the Programa dos Mananci- tion of the city.
ais (Portuguese for Watersheds Program) (ISA,
2008). Chácara do Conde is the first project to be
completed, and therefore can be considered an
example for the other transformations to be real-
ized. In the design of Chácara do Conde, large
fences have been put around the shared court-
yard to create a feeling of protectiveness. This
trend of enclavement is visible all over the city,
with gates, security guards, and CCTV separating
the lives of inhabitants in hope of a safer living
environment (Coy, 2006). This trend also leads
to further segregation though (Caldeira, 1996b),

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Thesis architecture and safety | research plan | introduction

ENCLAVEMENT ALL OVER SÃO PAULO

Figure 1. Courtyard Chácara do Conde, Grajaú.

Figure 2. Conjunto Celso Garcia. Figure 3. Parque Novo Santo Amaro V. Figure 4. Gleba A Heliópolis.

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Thesis architecture and safety | problem statement | problem statement

PROBLEM STATEMENT
São Paulo has to deal with a big shortage of affordable housing and a widespread feeling of urban
unsafety, causing a growing percentage of public spaces to be enclaved, thereby adding to the segrega-
tion of its community.

Worldwide, one billion people lived in urban wage, therefore, they were forced to squat, a
slums in 2020, as reported by the UN (United process that is well-known in other cities in the
Nations) in their Sustainable Development Goals global South as well.
Report of 2022. Intensifying focus on providing São Paulo is with its 22.4 million inhabi-
adequate and affordable housing is the first step tants the largest city in Brazil and is considered its
in achieving SDG number 11, “Make cities and economic center (CIA, 2022; Marques & Saraiva,
human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and 2017). The city is also known for its housing prob-
sustainable” (p. 18). lems though (Marques & Saraiva, 2017). This situ-
For decades, Brazil, the largest and most ation brings forth social, economic, and environ-
populous country in Latin America at 215 million mental challenges for both the inhabitants and
inhabitants (CIA, 2022; UNFPA, 2022), has been the entire metropolis (Walker & Alarcón, 2018).
known for having a large urban precarity, along- To deal with this, the SEHAB has been invest-
side having one of the highest income inequal- ing heavenly in improving the living conditions
ities worldwide (Marques & Saraiva, 2017). In in irregular settlements, favelas, and watershed
2018, 16% of the urban population of Brazil areas since 2005 (Serapião, 2016). There is still
lived in favelas (The World Bank, 2018), despite a long way to go though, with the number of
the right to adequate housing being included in households in favelas and irregular settlements
the Brazilian constitution (Constituent Assembly, being estimated at almost four hundred thousand
2022). The creation of the favelas can be traced each and the slum dwellers making up 11.6% of
back to massive urban migration when Brazilian the population in 2017 (Prefeitura de São Paulo,
cities started to industrialize, with the urban pop- 2017; Marques & Saraiva, 2017).
ulation growing from 18 to 82 million between In Grajaú, one of the poorest and most
1950 and 1980 (Fix & Arantes, 2021). A large part populous neighborhoods of São Paulo (São Paulo
of the migrants did not manage to find a home Data-Driven Envirolab, n.d.; Pinheiro, 2021), the
in an official settlement or a job with a sufficing municipality had to remove the inhabitants of

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Thesis architecture and safety | problem statement | problem statement

5000 irregular lots in 2008 as part of the Cantinho 29% (Worldbank, 2022). What remains though,
do Céu project (Lara, 2019). The former settle- are fear, psychological health problems, and
ments of the inhabitants were built within close injuries (Andrade et al., 2012; Gawryszewski
vicinity of the waterfront of the Billings reservoir, & Rodrigues, 2006). These might well have an
one of the two large water bodies of São Paulo impact on Brazilian communities for decades to
providing the city with drinking water. Due to a come. The Chácara do Conde project in Grajaú
lack of sewerage and waste collection, the inhab- is an example of this, with the design setting a
itants were polluting the water of the reservoir. standard of enclavement for future transforma-
To relocate these inhabitants, as well as be able tion projects in the region.
to provide space to the influx of residents, the
neighborhood is in serious need of adequate
housing that is affordable for the lowest-income The problem statement was visualized using a
groups. Though, development is lagging due to video that can be watched via this link:
a lack of economic incentives – a trend that is https://youtu.be/SrZS7x6niXw
visible all over São Paulo (Ribeira et al., 2016).

At the same time, Brazil has been dealing with

crime and violence for decades. As a data anal-
ysis by Murray et al. (2013) shows, there were 1
million homicides in Brazil between 1980 and
2010. According to their research, these high
numbers stem from “rises in inequality, more
young men in the population, greater availability
of firearms, and increased drug use” (p. 1).
Since the 1970s, gated housing commu-
nities have appeared in various Latin American
cities, as noted by Coy (2006). Coy states that
at first, gated condominiums were designed as
exclusive housing projects that offer a more dis-
tinct contrast between private and public. These
first projects were taken as examples for designs
of future housing complexes. With crime and vio-
lence rising in the following decades, gated con-
dominiums became more popular for the middle
and upper class (Murray et al., 2013; Coy, 2006).
The physical barriers became a symbol of wealth,
thereby leading to further segregation of Brazil-
ian communities (Caldeira, 1996b).
From 2017 to 2020, the number of homi-
cides in Brazil has finally been dropping, by

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Thesis architecture and safety | problem statement | problem statement

SETTLEMENTS IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF SÃO PAULO

Figure 5. Irregular settlements near Cantinho do Ceú. Figure 6. Irregular settlements along the Billings reservoir.

Figure 7. Dump site along the Billings reservoir. Figure 8. Irregular settlements in Heliópolis.

Figure 9. Irregular settlements in Santo Amaro. Figure 10. Favelas in Grajaú.

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Thesis architecture and safety | problem statement | problem statement

Figure 11. Map irregular settlements in São Paulo (Prefeitura de São Paulo, 2017).
Favelas marked in yellow, irregular settlements in orange, project site demarcated in blue.

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Thesis architecture and safety | problem statement | research question

RESEARCH QUESTION
In this thesis, the relationship between architec- How can architectural design positively influence
tural design and safety is studied, to explore an safety in the development of social housing in
alternative design for the transformation projects the periphery of São Paulo, taking into account
in Grajaú. An alternative design that can hope- socioeconomic segregation, local building prac-
fully offer safety to future inhabitants, as well as tices, and social equity?
prevent further segregation of the city. The fol- i. Which architectural interventions have
lowing research question and sub-questions will proven to positively influence urban safety?
be used: ii. What lessons can be learned from the
development of housing in São Paulo and the
Netherlands on dealing with safety, segrega-
tion, and local building practices?
iii. How does the context of the project site
operate and which factors should be taken
into account when designing?

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Thesis architecture and safety | problem statement | theoretical framework

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
In the global north, a lot has been written on should be reconsidered when trying to grasp this
the relationship between architecture and safety. context, as argued by among others Caldeira
Jacobs her The Death and Life of the Great (2017), Medrano and Recaman (2018), Lejano
American Cities (1961), Jeffery his Crime Preven- and Del Bianco (208), and Bhan (2019). Examples
tion through Environmental Design (1971), and of this are the definitions listed on the first page
Newman his Defensible Space (1972) all remain of this report.
frequently quoted in research on the subject.
Over the past decades, new research has mostly
been on testing or elaborating these theories,
like the works by Macdonald & Gifford (1989),
Newman (1996), Tijerino (1998), Ham-Rowbottom
et al. (1999), Brunson et al. (2001), Sennett (2019),
and Cozens et al. (2019). Reynald & Elffers (2009)
point out that Newman his defensible space
theory still is largely ambiguous, especially when
taking into account the amendments he made
after applying the theory in three experiments in
the United States (Newman, 1996). Furthermore,
a critical review by Cozens et al. (2019) proves
that architectural design based on Jeffery his
theory is largely effective in reducing both crime
and fear of crime in a community. The fact that
CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental
Design) guidebooks and classes are offered still,
shows the lasting relevance of his work.
Urban areas in the global south, and more
specifically São Paulo, present a context totally
different from that of northern cities. Even ter-
minology and fundamental societal processes

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Thesis architecture and safety | problem statement | methodology

METHODOLOGY
The first part of the thesis will be analytical, for cover manifestations of public life, typical design
which literature is reviewed, a comparative study features of the area, and safety measures taken
of other transformation projects is made, and by inhabitants. The interviews give an insight into
the site is analyzed. During the second part, the how residents experience the projects. Though,
takeaways from these analyses are applied and with these interviews, biases and social limita-
tested in the design of a transformation project tions should be considered.
in Grajaú to answer the research question. The
design is made in a ZEIS 4 area, meaning unoccu-
pied land designated to develop social housing
with environmental restrictions. The site is marked
by low socio-economic values and a high density
compared to the rest of Grajaú (Prefeitura de São
Paulo, n.d.).
For the literature review, books and arti-
cles on the relationship between architecture and
safety from the 1960s until the present are dealt
with. From these, an overview of design interven-
tions is made, which can be tested in the design
phase of the project.
A comparative analysis between five
transformation projects in irregular settlements in
São Paulo and Chácara do Conde will be made
to determine how architecture influences safety,
focusing on the three themes covered in the
sub-questions.
During the field trip in October, these five
cases and Chácara do Conde have been visited.
At the sites, visual analyses have been made and
interviews have been held. The visual analyses

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 Personal fascination Explorative reading

Preliminary research plan

Field trip observations

Problem statement

Research set-up

Comparative analysis Literature review

Precedents from Brazil and the Netherlands. Articles, books, reviews, and building code.

Design Parque Cocaía

Development of social housing on greenfield
land with environmental restrictions.

Contextual analysis Reflection

Demographics and urban relations. Biases and perspectives.

Graduation report

Conclusions
Thesis architecture and safety | problem statement | methodology

IMAGES OF THE PROJECT SITE

Figure 12. Map project site. Walking path demarcated with arrow. Figure 13. Entrance site.

Figure 14. Settlements next to entrance. Figure 15. Backside settlements next to site.

Figure 16. Western part site. Figure 17. View over eastern part Grajaú.

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Thesis architecture and safety | problem statement | relevance & perspectives

RELEVANCE PERSPECTIVES
Though a lot of research has been done on the This thesis will be executed from a ‘northern
relationship between architectural design and perspective’, being the opposite of a ‘southern
safety in northern cities, not much literature was perspective’ – a perspective described by Shep-
found on this relationship in southern cities, nor pard, Leitner, and Maringanti (2013) as inherited
specifically for the irregular settlements of São by: “those, everywhere, whose livelihoods have
Paulo. Whether this is due to the language barrier, been made precarious by historical processes
availability of Brazilian literature in Dutch libraries, of colonialism and globalizing capitalism” (p. 7).
or accessibility of online Brazilian databases from This offers both opportunities to think outside of
the Netherlands, this thesis aims to contribute to the box compared to designers from the global
the collective knowledge of this relationship. south, and creates the danger of making assump-
Furthermore, the design made in the tions based on northern societies and their values,
second phase of the project can hopefully especially when assessing the ‘successfulness’ of
inspire project developers operating in Grajaú to design interventions. Throughout this thesis, this
explore an alternative design for transformation should be taken into account when drawing con-
projects. Ultimately, this involves a design that clusions or making decisions. Research papers by
achieves similar safety levels as the Chácara do professionals from the global south, like the ones
Conde project, without the public spaces being referred to in this research plan, alongside per-
enclaved. sonal experiences from the two-week field trip to
Brazil, should help to conceive an understanding
of the societal and architectural processes in the
global south.

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SAFETY INTERVENTIONS CATALOG
goal: find out which interventions have been thought of and proofed already
Thesis architecture and safety | safety interventions catalog | the perception of safety

THE PERCEPTION OF SAFETY

The creation of shelter is as old as humanity. It than fences at keeping people out. They do,
offers protection from the climate, seasons, and however, signal to outsiders that they are
predators. With the evolution of human beings, excluded not only from entering but also
shelter evolved along. The means and require- from seeing the walled territory. In densely
ments of shelter evolved and architecture, the populated areas, walls have been preferred
art of designing buildings, was invented. At the in fences since they are more effective at pre-
same time, shelter always remained its purpose venting targeted shooting.”
to offer safety to its users. From animals to oppos- This final note on the danger of arms is seconded
ing tribes, members of different societal classes, by the Belgian documentary producer Tom Waes,
nosy passersby, and intruders, humans still have a who took part in a course “prevention of carjack-
deeply-rooted desire to protect a claimed private ing” in São Paulo during the production of a fif-
space. Various contexts present completely dif- ty-minute documentary on the city as part of the
ferent manifestations of architecture aiming to do series Reizen Waes Wereldsteden (De Mensen,
so, however. In São Paulo, the conditions have 2023). The need for these courses is not taken
led to a norm of enclavement of space, leading away by introducing more walls in a city, yet it lies
to further segregation and disconnection of the in societal changes and more subtle design inter-
city. ventions. At the same time, Deutinger perfectly
describes the ambiguity of contemporary urban
The case studies of the gated community and design for safety with his concept of the Defen-
Chácara do Conde show how in large parts of sive City (p. 85):
São Paulo safety is assured by placing walls “Defensive measures adopted by today’s cities
and fences. Austrian architect Theo Deutinger mainly target the enemy within. Besides the
studies the architecture of walls and fences in his threat of terrorist attacks, there is a much less
award-winning book Handbook of Tyranny (2018). violent ‘enemy’ to the city: the ordinary citizen.
In the book, he describes walls as follows (p. 46): […] ‘Unwanted behavior’ is the accusatory
“Walls are the longest-lasting and most basis for the implementation of subtle design
expensive border barriers, as well as the most elements that try to influence the use of public
symbolic, physically and rhetorically. […] It is space […] others (ref.: examples of unwanted
highly doubtful that walls are more effective behavior) include lying down, sitting, standing

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Thesis architecture and safety | safety interventions catalog | the perception of safety

in a group, and walking. These are activities Although these design interventions have proven
that take place in public spaces – the same to positively influence safety in urban areas, it is
spaces advertised in real estate brochures as important to note that these together do not form
vivid, dynamic, and bustling with life. a safety utopia. As Souza Neto (2019) rightfully
It’s a battle of realities. The general public does mentions, there are an infinite number of factors
not want a Saturday morning at the shops to influencing the whether a crime will occur, with a
be marred by the reality of homeless people large part of these not being influenced by archi-
[…]. But the same general public likes to con- tectural design as well. Hence, it is impossible to
tribute to the image of an open, welcoming, design a completely crime-free neighborhood.
and unconstrained city. Thus, the smaller and Furthermore, crime is a heterogeneous concept.
less conspicuous the city’s protective ele- The circumstances under which theft occurs are
ments, the better. totally different from those under which homi-
[…] cide may take place (Souza Neto, 2019). Though,
The city against unwanted behavior is the taking these side notes into account should not
Western, capitalist city – a clean and bloodless hamper the intention of designing spaces that
construct that works optimally only until shops are less likely to be the stage of various sorts of
close. […] The question is: Are we willing to crime.
exchange feeling safe for being more alive?”
This leads up to the research question of this On the following pages, the twenty design inter-
thesis, on how architectural design can posi- ventions are explained and illustrated. They
tively influence safety in the complex context of are bundled into five categories, as to ease the
the periphery of São Paulo. With this literature process of integrating them into a design. These
review, design interventions are sought that have categories are:
proved to answer this requirement. i. Surveillance of the public realm from the
private realm;
By reviewing nearly fifty articles and books on the ii. Surveillance of the public realm from the
relationship between architecture and safety, a list public realm;
of twenty tangible design interventions positively iii. Territoriality created within a community;
influencing safety was compiled. The sources vary iv. Territoriality perceived by intruders;
greatly, from being written in the 60s or recently, v. Physical barriers.
and to being written in Latin America, the United In the chapter Design Parque Cocaía, these inter-
States, or Europe. The narrative differs between ventions are adapted to the São Paulo context,
these time periods and regions, though some to study their effectiveness and appropriateness.
founding theories remain frequently quoted. For
example, students of the FAUUSP are still recom-
mended to read the famous Life and Death of the
Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs, next to
more recent works by Brazilian architect Vicente
del Rio.

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Thesis architecture and safety | safety interventions catalog | surveillance public realm from private

SURVEILLANCE OF THE PUBLIC REALM FROM

THE PRIVATE REALM
Juxtaposition interior and exterior spaces Urban greenery
(Newman, 1972) (own reasoning; Li et al., 2015)
By placing much-used interior spaces close to Urban greenery, like trees, provides shade
the public realm, surveillance is allowed. The to facades, allowing for bigger windows and
living room and kitchen are perfect for this, therefore a better view over public space.
as these are not as private as a bedroom and Though, the greenery should not block the
they are occupied for larger parts of the day. view from the dwellings. Also, research by Li
et al. (2015) shows that urban green even has
Permeability front facade a direct positive impact on perceived safety
(Vivan & De Saboya, 2012) levels. Urban greenery also invites inhabitants
Windows, doors, porous facades, and other into the public realm, thereby making for a
openings all connect the private realm to the more vivid and thereby safer neighborhood.
public realm. They offer inhabitants the pos-
sibility to watch over space and they make Prevent blind-eyed corners
intruders aware that they are being watched. (Jacobs, 1961)
Especially the permeability of much-used Blind-eyed corners invite destructive and mali-
spaces is important. In hot climates, effective cious behavior and should therefore before
sun shading is needed to allow for this perme- prevented. Special care should be given to
ability. the design of the heads and tails of apartment
buildings, as they often contain blind facades.

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Thesis architecture and safety | safety interventions catalog | surveillance public realm from private

Figure 18. Design interventions “surveillance of the public realm from the private realm”

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Thesis architecture and safety | safety interventions catalog | surveillance public realm from public

SURVEILLANCE OF THE PUBLIC REALM FROM

THE PUBLIC REALM
Mixed-use development ture, like benches and water taps, will further
(Jacobs, 1961) add to the livelihood of these routes.
Shops, bars, restaurants, and other public
places invite sidewalk life, thereby providing Shared urban amenities
eyes on the street. Preferably, the amenities (own observations)
attract residents at various times of the day to Amenities like communal gardens, sports facil-
keep the street watched over all day long. ities, or a community center all add to the
At the same time, Vivan & Saboya (2012) number of eyes on the street. Furthermore,
also showed higher levels of crime being com- they also encourage territoriality among inhab-
mitted around commercial areas. These loca- itants, making them look out for intruders.
tions attract pickpockets due to the high flux
of visitors and a low catch rate. Short housing blocks
(Jacobs, 1961)
Lively sidewalks Every corner offers an opportunity of encoun-
(Jacobs, 1961) tering somebody or something. Also, short
Well-designed sidewalks act as a control blocks offer various paths for pedestrians to
mechanism for the city by inviting pedestri- take, increasing the connectivity of the area.
ans into the public realm, thereby providing Both add to the likeliness of pedestrians
eyes on the street. Streets can be made more roaming around. For intruders, the increased
attractive for pedestrians by having clearly chance of running into inhabitants makes it
defined pedestrian zones and by including less attractive to commit a crime.
speed humps or chicanes for cars.
Presence police stations
Welcoming pedestrian routes (De Souza Neto, 2019)
(own observations) The vicinity of a neighborhood to police sta-
Providing walking routes through urban green, tions influences the likelihood of crime to
along water bodies, or along urban amenities, occur since it influences the chance of crim-
will increase the number of citizens commut- inals getting caught. This factor is not in the
ing by foot for leisure purposes. Urban furni- hands of architects though.

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Thesis architecture and safety | safety interventions catalog | surveillance public realm from public

Figure 19. Design interventions “surveillance of the public realm from the public realm”

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Thesis architecture and safety | safety interventions catalog | territoriality created within a community

TERRITORIALITY CREATED WITHIN A

COMMUNITY
Appropriation possibilities dwelling Low-rise over high-rise
(Newman, 1972; Brunson et al., 2001) (Newman, 1972)
Newman (1972) states that by allowing resi- Residents of high-rise apartment buildings feel
dents to customize their houses, the sense of no sense of ownership over shared corridors,
ownership will be increased and they are more staircases, and galleries. Hence, they are less
likely to watch over the neighborhood. This likely to watch over these spaces. This can lead
theory was provided a backbone by Brunson to people feeling unsafe in the shared spaces,
et al. (2007), with their study showing that strangers entering the building, and (small)
residents that defend that near-home space crime happening in these spaces. In Newman
through appropriation experienced the neigh- his first book, Defensible Space, he proves
borhood as safer than those who did not. this by comparing two neighborhoods in New
York, one with high-rise apartment buildings
Unique design and the other with low-rise buildings, with the
(Vigliecca in Troncoso, 2015; Katchborian in Vic- high-rise showing significantly higher crime
toriano, 2015) rates.
Both Vigliecca, the architect of Gleba A, Santo
Amaro V, and Jardim Vicentina, and Katchbo-
rian, the architect of Gleba G, state that by
designing unique housing, owners will feel
responsible for and proud of their neighbor-
hood. Subconsciously, this will make them
more protective and watch out for intruders.

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Thesis architecture and safety | safety interventions catalog | territoriality created within a community

Figure 20. Design interventions “territoriality created within a community”

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Thesis architecture and safety | safety interventions catalog | territoriality perceived by intruders

TERRITORIALITY PERCEIVED BY INTRUDERS

Levels of openness Mix dwellings of various income groups
(Newman, 1972) (Newman, 1972)
A sequence of spaces with various levels of From his comparative analysis in New York,
openness makes intruders aware they are Newman derives that: “Public housing pro-
entering private space and may therefore jects surrounded by other public housing have
divert crime. A square feels more private than more crime in them than those surrounded
a wide street and a small courtyard is even by middle-income communities.” (p. 198).
more intimate. An explanation of this could be that a neigh-
borhood consisting of just social housing may
A clear demarcation between public and private seem more vulnerable than one with mixed
space income groups.
(Jacobs, 1961)
By creating mental and physical borders CCTV
between the two realms, the chance of crim- (Newman, 1972)
inal activity occurring is reduced. Instruments CCTV increases the chance to get caught,
to create this separation are front gardens, hence decreasing the chance of criminal activ-
stairs leading up to the door, or balustrades. ity occurring.
On the other hand, one could argue that CCTV
Adequate street lighting indicates that there is something of worth
(Jeffery, 1971; Newman, 1972) around and therefore attracts burglars.
At night, illumination indicates territoriality or
a place that does not welcome intruders and
therefore reduces crime. Also, intruders will
have a larger chance to be noted by by-pas-
sers or people inside dwellings when the
public spaces are well-lit.

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Thesis architecture and safety | safety interventions catalog | territoriality perceived by intruders

Figure 21. Design interventions “territoriality perceived by intruders”

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Thesis architecture and safety | safety interventions catalog | physical barriers

PHYSICAL BARRIERS
Safe building shapes and materials Broken windows theory (contested)
(Newman, 1972) (Wilson & Kelling, 1982)
Certain building shapes and materials are per- This theory from criminology states that
ceived safer than others, leading to intruders instances of social and physical disorder may
being impressed and less likely to commit a create an atmosphere of lawlessness that
crime. Also, certain building materials are liter- evokes more serious crime. When the build-
ally able to resist more force during a break-in. ings of a street are in a poor state, this might
suggest the chances of a successful break-in
Gates, fences, and walls are higher. The theory is contested though, as
(own observations) it should not impose a zero-tolerance policy
These complicate break-ins, intruding, and and total control on neighborhoods.
serious crime.

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Thesis architecture and safety | safety interventions catalog | physical barriers

Figure 22. Design interventions “physical barriers”

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 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
goal: analyse how precedents design for safety and the lifestyle of the user groups
Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | methodology

METHODOLOGY
To build a knowledge base of design interventions, A part of the analyses is made by fellow graduate
various projects in Brazil, but also in the Nether- students of the Global Housing studio, as part of
lands, and other places in the world were studied. an assignment to build a shared knowledge base
Although these contexts differ greatly, design on social housing projects in Brazil and the Neth-
interventions might offer solutions to problems erlands. I would like to express great gratitude
occurring in either context or inspire alternative for their efforts in producing and sharing these
problem-solving methods. In this chapter, various analyses. All images and drawings produced by
precedents will be shown and analyzed that pro- someone other than myself have been included
vided valuable inspiration for the final design of with the author’s permission and are referred to
Parque Cocaía. Projects that have been studied as such.
but have not directly influenced the design have
been eliminated for the sake of clarity. The pro-
jects that have been included are listed below.
Of these, the first six are located in São Paulo,
and the final two are in the Netherlands. All pro-
jects from São Paulo, apart from the settlements
of Grajaú, are social housing projects.
• The settlements of Grajaú;
• Chácara do Conde;
• Parque Novo Santo Amaro V;
• Heliópolis Gleba A;
• Jardim Vicentina;
• Heliópolis Gleba G;
• Amsterdam Plan Zuid;
• Houten Noord-West.

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | methodology

Grajaú Chácara do Conde Parque Novo Santo Amaro V Gleba A Heliópolis

auto-constructed JAA Arquitetos Vigliecca & Associados Vigliecca & Associados

Amsterdam-Zuid Jardim Vicentina Houten Conjunto Heliópolis Gleba G

Hendrik Petrus Berlage Vigliecca & Associados various architects Vigliecca & Associados

Figure 23. Overview projects comparative analysis

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | settlements Grajaú

SETTLEMENTS GRAJAÚ
Although settlements occur in greatly-varying Favelas
forms, describing and analyzing them should Favela dwellings are auto-constructed dwell-
help to build an image of the current urban tissue ings made from whatever material is available
of Grajaú. For this, the division is made between for cheap or free. Often, this means timber ele-
favelas and founded dwellings. With ‘founded ments combined with sheets of plywood and
dwellings’ auto-constructed dwellings made of corrugated steel sheets. Though, also cardboard,
brickwork, concrete, or other relatively durable plastic, and earth are used to provide shelter. The
materials are meant. Whether these have a legal fragile materialization of the dwellings makes
status (like in favela barrios) or not (being informal them vulnerable to heavy rainfall, flooding, and
settlements) is neglected here, since the focus is landslides.
on design in this chapter. The data in this analysis
was obtained empirically or by interviews during The favela dwellings are often built on leftover
the field trip, unless stated otherwise. space on public land. This can be along water
bodies, in green areas, or next to industrial areas.
Their dimensions depend on the available mate-
rials but are often limited to the minimum dimen-
sions needed to provide shelter. The temporary
status of the dwellings symbolizes the exclusion
and inequality favela dwellers are experienc-
ing. As stated by the UN (2022), ‘adequate and
affordable housing is key to improving their [slum
dwellers] living conditions.’

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | settlements Grajaú

Figure 24. Pictures of favelas in Grajaú - image 1 was taken close to the Hamada Farm, 2-6 in Anchieta

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | settlements Grajaú

Founded dwellings money is earned. In the informal settlements close

Once slum dwellers secure a higher and more to the project site, three stories are common. Not
stable income, they often start constructing a all these stories are necessarily used by a single
dwelling themselves. This is done in the same family, as sometimes parts of the building are put
location as their slum dwelling or in more organ- up for hire, used as a store, or shared with other
ized forms such as an association. These associa- family members.
tions are founded by groups of slum dwellers that
have been evicted from their previous living loca- In case the dwelling is connected to the water
tion and are in search of land to occupy with more system, as the majority of dwellings around the
rigid dwellings. By joining forces, they can claim site are, a blue water basin is often installed on
larger plots of land and apply for title deeds. the roof. This tank stores enough water for an
Furthermore, they can construct new dwellings entire day, allowing the household to stay up and
together, a process described as mutirão. running even during water outages, which happen
occasionally in São Paulo. Almost all dwellings
Founded dwellings are constructed using less have electricity too, with quite some dwellings
temporary materials. Often, a foundation is made boosting satellites to connect to the internet
of concrete poured on sandy subsoil. On top and television as well. An analysis by Marques
of this, the floor slabs are either carried by con- & Saraiva (2017) confirms that this situation is
crete columns and beams or load-carrying brick common among the São Paulo favelas, with 98%
walls. The column-beam structures have an infill being connected to the water supply network
of ceramic bricks and the load-carrying walls are in 2010. Though, the sewerage infrastructure is
made of concrete masonry units or structural lagging, as only 68% of the favela dwellings were
ceramic bricks. As a roofing material, corrugated connected in 2010 (Marques & Saraiva, 2017). In
metal sheets are popular, although ceramic comparison to electricity and water supply, con-
roofing tiles are also used. At first, facades are nection to the sewers is not needed to be able to
usually not clad, but as the family earns more survive. Hence, it is often up to the municipality
money, stucco is sometimes applied. The major- to connect new neighborhoods to the sewerage
ity of the money is spent on the interior of the system.
dwelling though, as expensive electronics are
much more common than cladding facades. Another common phenomenon is the ground
floor facade being porous, like a fence or breeze
The dwellings are often small yet deep, as are blocks. Behind this facade, there can be a tran-
the plots on which they reside. These long plots sition space between the more private spaces
are the result of land being distributed equally and the public space or a garage. When walking
among groups of evicted inhabitants during the through these neighborhoods, inhabitants often
squatting process. Among the dwellings close to came up to the facade to watch our movement
the project site, an average plot size would be as we passed by.
4.5x25m, with a house of approximately 4.5x15m
on it. The height of the building increase over
time, as new floors are constructed gradually as

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | settlements Grajaú

Figure 25. Pictures of founded dwellings in Grajaú

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 Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | settlements Grajaú

1 A small balcony can be used

to hang clothes to dry

2 The top apartment has

recently been built by the
dwelling owner to earn
money from rent
The sides of the building are 3
left undecorated 4 A separate bedroom still has
to be built for the children
The bathroom is equipped 5 6 There is no space for a sepa-
with a shower, sink, and toilet
rate kitchen or laundry space

7 An outdoor staircase leads

to the apartment on the
The bedroom of the parents is 8 top floor
on the more quiet backside
9 The two children share a
bedroom in the small apart-
Different windows used ment
10
during the extension of the
building

11 Left-over building materials

are stored on the balcony
On the backside of the 12 13 The two upper apartments
building, the owner and his share their staircase from
family has their two-storey GF to 1F
apartment
14 A small part of the ground
A small hallway leads to the 15 floor is rented by a shop
entrance of the GF apartment owner, who sells building
and the two apartments materials here
above

Figure 26. Typological analysis favela dwelling Grajaú

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 Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | settlements Grajaú

Storage room shop inside 1

apartment

2 Shop owner’s apartment

Air conditioning 3
4 Entrance to the apartment

Corrugated steel overhang for 5

protection against the sun
Different windows used 6
during the extension of the
building

7 The shop sells everyday

supplies to citizens living
Half-painted wall reveal 8 nearby
that the building has been
extended over time

CCTV security cameras watch- 9

ing over the sidewalks 10 Shop entrance that can be
barricaded at night
Large entrances on both 11
streets lure by-passers into
the shop

Figure 27. Typological analysis favela dwelling Grajaú

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Chácara do Conde

CHÁCARA DO CONDE
Fact sheet Key takeaways

Plot area 10.4 ha (+12 ha park) • The urban green around the complex could
Number of 1290 units have added more to the neighborhood with
dwellings better connections and urban furniture.
Density 124 units/ha (excl. park) • The isolation of the project site disconnects it
GSI 0.13 (excl. park) from surrounding areas.
FSI 0.66 (excl. park) • The fences around the courtyards provide
Unit sizes 45-51 m2 safety yet disconnect and isolate, thereby
Architect Marcos Carrilho (JAA adding to segregation.
arquitetura) • The simple construction method benefits
Client SEHAB / municipality of São from economies of scale and makes for fast
Paulo and cheap production using local knowledge.
Years of con- 2018-2022 • The apartments offer the basics, yet lack cus-
struction tomization and possibilities for appropriation.
Tenure Rent-to-own For families with more than two children, the
dwellings are probably too small.
• By combining the wet functions, the piping
distance is reduced.
• The small windows reduce the solar gains.

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 Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Chácara do Conde

Figure 28. Isometric drawing of a Chácara do Conde apartment

Stucco has been applied to 1

the walls and tiles have been
installed upon delivery

2 Shower, sink, toilet, and a

Small windows to provide 3 basic kitchen are included
daylight but prevent over-
heating 4 A small foggia laundry space
Furniture is not included in is included
5
the apartment

One variant of the apartment 6

has three bedrooms, the
other has two

8 The outside of the apartment

The apartments are entered offers little possibilities for
7
through a shared staircase, appropiation
two apartments per floor

Figure 29. Typological analysis of a Chácara do Conde apartment

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Chácara do Conde

Description existing urban tissue. Between the buildings,

The Chácara do Conde project is the first large- courtyards are filled with grass, playgrounds,
scale redevelopment in Grajaú. Hence, it can be sports fields, benches, and wheelchair ramps.
considered a benchmark for future redevelop- Fences separate the courtyards from the streets.
ments in the area. This makes it the most impor- The streets form an orthogonal grid that is con-
tant project to compare the design for Parque nected to the surrounding urban tissue via three
Cocaía to. roads. Cars are parked along the streets. The
project also includes seven study rooms, seven
The development of Chácara do Conde is part bike racks, and ten community centers (São Paulo
of the Programa Mananciais by the municipality Governo do Estado, 2022). Every building has its
of São Paulo. In 2008, the project commenced janitor for maintenance.
providing housing for dwellers living in the close
vicinity of the Billings reservoir. In 2018, construc- The five-story apartment buildings consist of
tion was finished. The complex is now provid- repetitive and efficient walk-up apartments.
ing housing to approximately 5000 dwellers in These contain a living room with a kitchen, small
Grajaú. loggia to wash and dry clothing, a bathroom,
and either two or three bedrooms. The walls are
The project consists of ten rectangular volumes made of stacked concrete masonry units and the
placed on sloped terrain. The area used to be floors of concrete slabs. Painted stucco is applied
a farm, and remnants of this can be seen in the to the exterior of the buildings.
green strip separating the project site from the

Figure 30. Typological analysis Chácara do Conde and favelas Grajaú - autoconstruction versus production
(image produced by Robbert Laan, with input by Sanette Schreurs and myself)

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Chácara do Conde

Figure 31. Pictures of Chácara do Conde, taken during the field trip

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Parque Novo Santo Amaro V

PARQUE NOVO SANTO AMARO V

Fact sheet Key takeaways

Plot area 2.19 ha • Elevated walkways allow inhabitants to watch

Number of 201 units over the public space from above.
dwellings • Garages on ground level, or flexible spaces
Density 79 units/ha that are prone to be used as garages, reduce
GSI 0.12 the control of inhabitants over the streets.
FSI 1.36 • Replacing all windows on a facade with porous
Unit sizes 45-77 m2 elements leads to a disconnection between
Architect Vigliecca & Associados the building and the street.
Client SEHAB / municipality of São • Sports amenities provide livelihood and
Paulo safety, even in unsafe neighborhoods.
Years of con- 2009-2012 • Unique design creates an identity for the
struction inhabitants of a building.
Tenure ? • Duplex apartments reduce the number of
corridors, allow private and public spaces to
be split over two levels, and create a space
A more elaborate analysis of the project is for spontaneous interaction.
included in the appendices. This analysis was • Waterways can be put underground to
made by myself as part of an exercise to build prevent further pollution of the water.
a shared knowledge base of social housing pro- • Including various types of dwellings in a
jects in São Paulo. project allows it to meet the needs of various
households.

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Parque Novo Santo Amaro V

Figure 32. Synthesis drawing comparative analysis Parque Novo Santo Amaro V

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Parque Novo Santo Amaro V

Description the street from above. In 2018, the project won

The Parque Novo Santo Amaro V is located in a the Tomie Ohtake AkzoNobel Prize for the inclu-
valley containing a stream leading to the Guara- sion of elevated walkways and urban green in
piranga reservoir. The Guarapiranga area is one of the densely-built area (Saraiva, 2018). As per the
the two major water reservoirs of São Paulo. The vision of the architect, the combination of public
city depends on the water from the reservoir for areas and irregularly occupied plot settlements
drinking, cooking, and washing (Troncoso, 2015). try to stimulate the identification feeling of the
The valley used to be occupied by precarious set- inhabitants. As per the vision of the architect, the
tlements, living at risk of being struck by floods combination of public areas and irregularly occu-
and landslides, and polluting the water of the pied plot settlements try to stimulate the identifi-
stream by not being connected to the sewerage cation feeling of the inhabitants.
system (Vigliecca & Associados, n.d.–a). In 2009,
the situation reached a critical level, leading to On the ground floor level of the complex, garage
the municipality expropriating and tearing down boxes offer residents space to open up a busi-
the 200 dwellings in the area (Troncoso, 2015). ness. The ground floor level of the building per-
Its inhabitants were temporarily given access to a pendicular to the linear axis initially was entirely
rental complex nearby, while a new social housing opened up to connect the open space on both
complex was designed and constructed. sides of the building. Though, businesses were
never opened on the ground floor and all boxes
In 2012, construction finished and the evicted were closed to be used as a garage. Even in the
inhabitants moved to their new homes. The perpendicular building, the ground floor was
complex consists of several rectangular volumes filled up with garage boxes, thereby disconnect-
placed around an axis of urban amenities. The ing the dwellings from the street and taking away
stream was moved underground, to prevent the sense of territoriality in the area.
further pollution, and a series of water basins
were placed on top as an urban feature and to Despite being designed as a permeable urban
maintain the site its identity. Furthermore, a foot- space, three years after its completion, the inhab-
ball club, skate park, urban furniture, a BBQ area, itants of the apartment buildings decided to close
and a party room offer leisure opportunities for off the area to keep out visitors (arch. review).
the inhabitants. Some visitors had been driving at high speeds,
throwing illegal parties in the basements of the
In the valley, large height differences made resi- buildings, and dealing drugs. By closing off the
dents have to take detours of about a kilometer area, the inhabitants hoped to increase safety.
to get to their destination. In the Parque Novo, Though, it also means passing pedestrians can
elevated walkways bridge this height difference no longer use the elevated walkways to cross the
and greatly improve the connectivity of the area. area unless inhabitants open the gate for them.
The elevated walkways are designed to be acces-
sible to all citizens, as is the public space in the
area. The walkways should also offer a sense of
safety for the public space, by adding eyes on

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Parque Novo Santo Amaro V

Figure 33. Pictures of Parque Novo Santo Amaro V, taken during the field trip

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Heliópolis Gleba A

HELIÓPOLIS GLEBA A
Fact sheet Key takeaways

Plot area 4.32 ha • Social housing projects in the settlements of

Number of 537 units São Paulo should take into account the Third
dwellings Territory, the space between existing and
Density 124 units/ha new.
GSI 0.16 • Long, continuous housing blocks can be split
FSI 0.74 up to prevent daunting over the existing
Unit sizes 48-62 m2 urban tissue.
Architect Vigliecca & Associados • Long shared hallways create an unsafe atmos-
Client SEHAB / municipality of São phere. Rather, more vertical circulation should
Paulo be included in the design.
Years of con- 2004 • Porous facades allow for large cross-venti-
struction lation capabilities while respecting privacy,
Tenure Rent-to-buy + rental which suits dense neighborhoods.
• A height difference between the courtyard
A more elaborate analysis of the project is and the staircases makes it less welcoming
included in the appendices. This analysis was and therefore less used.
made by Sanette Schreurs as part of an exer- • A narrow entrance may seem protective, yet,
cise to build a shared knowledge base of social it also makes the space hard to watch over
housing projects in São Paulo. and therefore feel less safe.
• Even when fences are not added to the
design, inhabitants might directly install them
by themselves.
• The courtyards are used for barbecues and
parties, but not frequently. The dimensions
are small and inhabitants rather go to a
nearby square.

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Heliópolis Gleba A

Figure 34. Pictures of Gleba A, taken during the field trip

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Jardim Vicentina

JARDIM VICENTINA
Fact sheet Key takeaways

Plot area 4.54 ha (+4.92 ha park) • Positioning dwellings along small courtyards
Number of 272 units creates small communities.
dwellings • Movable panels in front of the windows effec-
Density 60 units/ha (excl. park) tively keep out the sun, but also prevent
GSI 0.086 inhabitants from watching over public spaces
FSI 0.30 and reduce the daylight inlet of dwellings.
Unit sizes ~49 m2 • Elevated walkways can provide sun shading,
Architect Vigliecca & Associados especially when used on the north side of the
Client Osasco City Hall building.
Years of con- 2008-2010 • Even in apartment buildings, water cisterns
struction are often installed per dwelling instead of per
Tenure ? building. They can be placed next to each
other on the roof, accessible by a ladder from
a staircase.

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Jardim Vicentina

Figure 35. Pictures and drawings Jardim Vicentina

(images by Leonardo Finotti and Vigliecca & Associados, retrieved from ArchDaily)

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Heliópolis Gleba G

HELIÓPOLIS GLEBA G
Fact sheet Key takeaways

Plot area 1.6 ha • Positioning dwellings along small courtyards

Number of 420 units creates small communities.
dwellings • Movable panels in front of the windows effec-
Density 262 dw/ha tively keep out the sun, but also prevent
GSI 0.56 inhabitants from watching over public spaces
FSI 1.96 and reduce the daylight inlet of dwellings.
Unit sizes 50 m2 • Elevated walkways can provide sun shading,
Architect Artur Katchborian & Mario especially when used on the north side of the
Biselli building.
Client SEHAB • Even in apartment buildings, water cisterns
Years of con- 2011 are often installed per dwelling instead of per
struction building. They can be placed next to each
Tenure ? other on the roof, accessible by a ladder from
a staircase.

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Heliópolis Gleba G

Figure 36. Pictures and drawings of Gleba G

(images by ArchDaily)

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Houten Noord-West

HOUTEN NOORD-WEST
Fact sheet Key takeaways

Data calculated using AlleCijfers.nl (n.d.). Approx- • Design public spaces that are not too big or
imation including public spaces, parks, and water. too small.
• Ensure roads along amenities are low-speed
Plot area 4.54 ha (+4.92 ha park) by integrating bumps, curves, or poles into
Number of 272 units the design.
dwellings • Playgrounds and public spaces can be
Density 60 units/ha (excl. park) ‘protected’ from nearby roads by placing
GSI 0.086 greenery, small hills, sidewalks, or ditches in
FSI 0.30 between.
Unit sizes ~49 m2 • Have public space surrounded by dwellings
Architect Vigliecca & Associados to create territoriality and ensure eyes on the
Client Osasco City Hall street.
Years of con- 2008-2010 • Small front gardens create territoriality, yet
struction large front gardens disconnect the dwelling
Tenure ? from the public space.

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Houten Noord-West

Figure 37. Pictures of Houten

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Amsterdam Plan Zuid

AMSTERDAM PLAN ZUID

Fact sheet Key takeaways

Data calculated using AlleCijfers.nl (n.d.). Approx- • Certain building types, like courtyard blocks,
imation including public spaces, parks, and water. stimulate the creation of communities.
• One-way traffic slows down traffic and thereby
Plot area 31 ha (incl. public space) creates safer public space.
Number of 985 units • Raised volumes on the corners of an urban
dwellings block indicate a change in openness.
Density 32 dw/ha • The dimensions of an opening of an urban
GSI 0.078 block suggest a level of intimacy.
FSI 0.31 • Unity in the design of urban blocks creates
Unit sizes 98 m2 territoriality. Mass repetition should be pre-
Architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage vented though.
Client Municipality of Amsterdam • Balconies, bay windows, and winter gardens
Years of con- 1917-1922 provide eyes on the street.
struction
Tenure Social rental + private rental +
owner-occupied

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Thesis architecture and safety | comparative analysis | Amsterdam Plan Zuid

Figure 38. Pictures of Amsterdam-Zuid

(images by Google Maps)

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CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS
goal: determine how the context affects safety and design
Thesis architecture and safety | contextual analysis | geography

GEOGRAPHY
Location On the south side of the city, two large water
São Paulo is located in the south of Brazil, in the bodies are located, the Billings and Guarapiranga
southern hemisphere, ~70 km from the ocean. reservoir. They are used for energy generation,
~340 km to the east of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, leisure, and to produce drinking water. Industry
Brazil its former capital, is located. Brasília, the and inhabitation of the banks threaten the water
capital of the country since 1960, is located ~870 quality though. Grajaú is located between the
km from São Paulo. The diameter of the metrop- two reservoirs and Parque Cocaía is located 700
olis is around 60 km at certain places. Grajaú is m from the Billings reservoir. The stream running
the southernmost district of the metropolis, at a in the valley on the east side of the site leads to
distance of ~23 km from the city center. the reservoir.

Topography Green structures

São Paulo is located on a plateau called the Serra To the southeast of São Paulo, the steep 70 km
do Mar (translation: coastal range) at a height of separating the city from the ocean is covered by
~800 m above sea level. Although the city is on the Mata Atlântica (translation: Atlantic Forest).
this plateau, there are quite some height differ- This rainforest used to run along the entire east
ences within the city, especially along the out- side of Brazil, though, 88% of the forest has been
skirts, like in Grajaú. From east to west (368m), the lost due to deforestation.
terrain of Parque Cocaía rises by 33 m, making for
a slope of 8.9%. In São Paulo itself, only 1.5% of the area is
covered by green space. In the city center,
Hydrography several large parks are located, but especially in
The Tietê River runs through São Paulo toward the outskirts, public green, or in general public
the west, where it merges with the Paraná, which space, is scarce. The banks of the Billings reser-
has its delta near Buenos Aires on the border voir boost some green, though, in most areas,
between Argentina and Uruguay. The river has its there are no facilities for inhabitants to use this for
source east of the city, at 22 km from the Atlantic leisure activities. In Cantinho do Céu, 2.5 km to
Ocean, in the Serra do Mar. the northeast of Parque Cocaía, a linear park has
been constructed on the banks of the reservoir.

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Thesis architecture and safety | contextual analysis | geography

Brasília

Rio de Janeiro
São Paulo

legend
water reservoir
urban tissue
major road
Parque Cocaía

Figure 39. Map of São Paulo

legend
urban tissue
water reservoir
green space
major road
train track
Parque Cocaía

Figure 40. Map of Grajaú

33m

368m

Figure 41. Section of the project site from west to east

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Thesis architecture and safety | contextual analysis | connectivitiy

CONNECTIVITY
Road structure The area of influence of a bus station, meaning
São Paulo is connected to Santos, a big city the distance people are willing to walk to get it,
formed around the São Paulo harbor, by two is defined as 300 m by the municipality. Parque
highways and a train track with a funicular. ~340 Cocaía is 180 m away from the closest bus stop,
km to the east of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, the which is on the Avenida Dona Belmira Marin in
second-biggest city in the country, is located. By the south, and hence can be defined as well-con-
bus, it takes six hours to get from one to the other nected. The closest train station, Grajaú station,
by highway. Because of the enormous size of the is 2.5 km away. This does not fall in the range
country, most other cities are reached by plane, of influence of 600 m of a train station, but by
even though the major cities are interconnected bus, it only takes 5 minutes to get to the station
by highways as well. from Parque Cocaía. This connection runs every
12 minutes. In total, it takes 80 minutes to get
To get to the city center from Grajaú, it would from the project site to the city center by public
take 1-2 hours by car, depending on the traffic, transport.
as the city is known for its frequent traffic jams.
The Avenida Dona Belmira Marin 160 m south Bike lanes
of Parque Cocaía has four lanes and leads to a São Paulo has very few bike lanes and facilities
highway that runs to the city center. At a width for cyclists. Due to the enormous size of the city,
of 12 m, this road can also handle construction the hilly topography, and most importantly, the
traffic, like trucks with trailers. (perceived) safety levels, cycling is an unpopu-
lar method of transportation. Some cyclists can
Public transport be found around the Avenida Paulista, but not a
No large train tracks run through Brazil. Instead, single was spotted in Grajaú during the field trip.
nearby cities are well-connected by bus. In São
Paulo itself, there are several train lines, but most Pedestrians
public transportation is by bus. Since the intro- As there is little public green present in the urban
duction of the 2014 master plan, more focus is tissue of São Paulo and the distances traveled
put on improving public transport in the city (Pre- are large, pedestrian traffic mostly sticks to the
feitura de São Paulo, 2014). neighborhood level. Sidewalks are common, yet

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Thesis architecture and safety | contextual analysis | connectivitiy

not standard. Officially, the 2014 master plan as garage boxes, despite not being destined
requires roads to have a sidewalk of at least 2 m for this. At 201 housing units, this produces
wide. an average of 0.55 parking spots per dwell-
ing, excluding the garages.
Parking • In the Chácara do Conde, streets are set up
In the new master plan, all parking norms in São wide to allow cars to park on both sides.
Paulo were eliminated to reduce vehicular traffic An estimate of the number of parking spots
(Prefeitura de São Paulo, 2014). Furthermore, it would be 600 for the 1290 apartments, bring-
is officially not allowed to create parking spaces ing the average number of spots to 0.47.
right in front of dwellings anymore and there • With Gleba A, 41 parking spots can be found
are maxima put in place along transit corridors on Google Maps. For 537 dwelling units,
(Parking Reform Atlas, 2022). The results of the this makes an average of 0.08 parking spots
new parking norms can be seen in the prece- per unit. Probably, there are garages nearby
dents as well: though.
• Parque Novo Santo Amaro V boosts about 110 In 2020, one in every three Brazilian inhabitants
parking spots on-site. Along the roads around owned a car (Global Feet, n.d.). Though, because
the perimeter, another 70 cars could be of the large income inequality in the country, not
parked, though these are not official parking every household owns one, especially not in the
spots. As mentioned before, a large part of settlements.
the ground floor of the building is being used

urban block favela urban green connecting road unpaved road

Figure 42. Connectivity Parque Cocaía

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Thesis architecture and safety | contextual analysis | urban texture

URBAN TEXTURE
Settlement types Urban amenities
On the banks of the stream east of the project Shops, food, work, religion, leisure, etc.
site, favelas have been constructed. Especially In close vicinity of the project site, various small
right on the banks of the stream, these dwellings shops and canteens are present. Also, three
are of poor quality. Furthermore, they threaten churches are within walking distance from the
the water quality of the Billings reservoir. The site. The Avenida Dona Belmira Marin contains
dwellings on the other side of the streets of legal various facilities, such as a large supermarket,
settlements, which are further away from the building materials shop, gas station, car repair
water, are typical informal settlements. They are shop, bars, and restaurants. The amount of public
autoconstructed and decently sized, yet lack a space around the area is limited and there are
legal basis and faulty construction might cause few sports facilities.
dangerous situations.
Demographics
Current use site In comparison to surroundings neighborhoods,
The site is currently mostly unoccupied, apart Parque Cocaía has a relatively high IPVS standard,
from the EMEF Padre José Pegoraro school on indicating high social vulnerability (Prefeitura do
the south side. In the eastern part, some irregular São Paulo, n.d.). The dwelling density is approx-
dwellings and working spaces have been built. imately 70 dw/ha and the inhabitant density lies
Most importantly, the site is surrounded by brick between 160-290 habs/ha. The total population
walls that have been placed at the back of the of Grajaú is 370.00 inhabitants. Just over 50%
gardens of the incomplete building blocks on the of the neighborhood its inhabitants has a health
west and north side. The school is surrounded by insurance and Basic Health Units (UBS), providing
(lower) walls as well. With its protected status, the local medical care, are scarce. The average age
site forms a gap in the urban tissue. On the left is 32,9 years, with the average of the entire city
part of the site, a walking path has been formed being 36,7 years (Negócios SP, n.d.). The largest
by pedestrians taking a shortcut to the other side age group (9,2%) is 20-24 years old. The average
of the plot. Although the site is not marked as income was B$ 2,445 in 2020, being 2.3 minimum
publicly owned on GeoSampa, the construction wages at the time (Negócios SP, n.d.).
of the school suggests it is.

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Thesis architecture and safety | contextual analysis | urban texture

B
B

B
B

special building food facility shop bus line B bus stop path sun

Figure 43. Urban amenities Parque Cocaía

existing building favela urban green water stream

Figure 44. Urban amenities Parque Cocaía

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 DESIGN PARQUE COCAÍA
goals: (1) explore how architectural design can make the unsafest spaces of SP more safe
and (2) design a new living area for the inhabitants of Grajaú
Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | program of requirements

PROGRAM OF REQUIREMENTS
Design brief 704) at the time of writing (Yuca, 2022;
In this thesis, a design is made for Parque Cocaía, Ministério da Economia, 2022).
a ZEIS 4 area in Grajaú, São Paulo. This is an area • HIS 2 families have an income of 3-6
destined for social housing but with environ- minimum wages, being B$3,906-7,812.
mental restrictions. By design, it is tested how • HMP families have an income of 6-10
architecture influences safety in the periphery of minimum wages, being B$7812-13020.
São Paulo, hence helping to answer the research • At least 3% of the dwellings have to have
question of this thesis: high accessibility (Prefeitura de São Paulo, 2014).
How can architectural design positively influ- • For buildings with more than five floors
ence safety in the development of social (GF+4), an elevator should be installed.
housing in the periphery of São Paulo, taking • There are no minimum parking spots to be
into account socioeconomic segregation, local taken into account (Prefeitura de São Paulo,
building practices, and social equity? 2014).
In Brazil, 7.2 million people were affected by the
housing shortage in 2013, of which 90% are part User groups
of the HIS 1 group (Lonardi et al., 2013). With this The group of future inhabitants of Parque Cocaía
thesis, a blueprint is sought for the development is extremely heterogeneous. It contains dwell-
of social housing for those living in precarity. ers that are evicted to make way for the rede-
velopment of the area, evicted dwellers from
Zoning law other parts of the city, and dwellers looking for
The most important laws that have to be taken a place to settle legally. Furthermore, the users
into account during the design process are: differ in income group, current dwelling situa-
• The FSI should be smaller than 2, with 1 tion, age, ethnicity, education level, and mobility.
being the basic value (Santoro, 2015). The design of Parque Cocaía should incorporate
• At least 60% of the built volume should be space for all, and even for future changes in the
destined for HIS 1 and at most, 20% can be user groups.
destined for HMP dwellers (Santoro, 2015).
• HIS 1 families have an income of 0-3
minimum wages, being B$0-3,906 (€0-

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | program of requirements

Vision • Add to the quality of life of inhabitants of the

In short, the goal of the development of Parque entirety of Grajaú,
Cocaía is to design a neighborhood that is Safe, • Be built with an eye for durability and
fostering, affordable, and has an identity. sustainability,
• And can be replicated in other locations in
More elaborately, the design strives to: the city.
• Provide a permanent home that creates
a foundation for evicted dwellers to escape To achieve this feat, the findings of the litera-
poverty, tenure insecurity, and inequality, ture review, comparative analysis, and contextual
• Be safe without adding to segregation, analysis should be taken into account. As a result,
• Foster community-building whilst securing the design includes the following components:
existing relations,

Parque Cocaía

buildings urban amenities public space

social housing community center linear park

corporate housing kindergarten green axis

space for businesses sports facilities

communal gardens

Figure 45. Building components included in the design of Parque Cocaía

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | program of requirements

Program fall. Furthermore, it provides leisure possibili-

1. Housing ties for the inhabitants of Grajaú.
a. Social housing c. Green axis
>40,800m2 (FSI>1) and >408 dwellings d. The linear park is extended into Parque
(>100 dw/ha). Cocaía using the green axis, which offers
Funded by public instances and developed residents a safe and healthy strip of public
by the SEHAB. Destined for HIS 1 dwellers. space.
Partly used as emergency housing.
b. Corporate housing
<27,200m2 and <272 dwellings at a
minimum amount of social housing.
Funded and developed by corporate parties.
The land is sold to them by the municipality
with a set of bylaws describing the architec-
tural and urban limitations of the buildings to
be developed.
2. Urban amenities
a. Community center
A place for the residents of Parque Cocaía to
connect, interact, and build a community.
b. Kindergarten
So that both parents can go to work without
having to worry about their children. Also, it
gives the children an opportunity to socialize
with other children living in the area and to
develop themselves under guidance.
c. Sports facilities
These contribute to community creation,
safety, and public health. A skate park,
football pitch, and outdoor gymnastics court
would benefit Parque Cocaía and surround-
ing neighborhoods.
d. Communal gardens
A place for residents to come together and
cut costs by producing their own food.
3. Public space
a. Linear park
b. Along the stream running towards the Bill-
ings reservoir, a linear park should give space
to the water during high tide and heavy rain-

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | program of requirements

Site scale Block scale Unit scale

Architectural • Give space to the Billings stream • Avoid the use of fences and • Design affordable yet decent
(social and (>15 m on both sides). walls to protect public space. housing.
aesthetical) • Include urban green in the • Apply a building typology that • Provide everything needed to
design for all inhabitants. fosters the creation of build a stable, secure life.
• React to and enrich existing communities. • Take into account the lifestyle of
urban tissue. • Create unity in the design of future inhabitants.
• Provide missing urban amenities. urban blocks but prevent mass • Provide private outdoor space
• Make use of the topography. repetition. with every dwelling.
• Create visual points of • Mix functions and user groups.
recognition in the design.
• Create a feeling of belonging
and identity.
Safety • Incorporate mixed-use • Limit the length of building • Juxtapose living spaces and the
development on the ground floor blocks. public realm.
level, activating the streets • Prevent the creation of blind- • Ensure high permeability of the
throughout the day. eyed corners. facades while preventing
• Create safe and welcoming • Create levels of openness within overheating.
commute conditions for the design. • Allow for the appropriation of
pedestrians. • Create a unique design. dwellings.
• Include greenery providing • Clearly demarcate the transition
shading to facades without between the public and private
blocking the view. realms.
• Include adequate street lighting. • Use robust building shapes and
• Design low-rise over high-rise. materials requiring little
maintenance.
Technical • Make design decisions to • Ensure acoustic and thermal • Naturally ventilate the dwellings.
minimize material usage. insulation between dwellings and • Prevent overheating.
• Prevent water streaming the exterior. • Use materials that are: locally
downhill during heavy rainfall. • Harvest rainwater for reuse in available, have a low
• Collect waste centrally. flushing, irrigation, and washing. environmental impact, can be
• Take measures to cope with applied by local contractors,
water outages. require little/no heavy machinery,
• Ensure every dwelling has two require little maintenance, are
escape routes. durable, and are affordable.
• Think about future upgrading • Take into account fireproofing,
and repurposing of building sun orientation, wind, shafts,
blocks. piping distance, noise, and
structural design.
Managerial • Offer safe and affordable • Ensure new blocks are • Provide apartments based on
(quantities, dwellings to low-income groups immediately connected to the payment schemes similar to other
finances, and (>60% HIS 1, <20% HMP). urban infrastructure. social housing.
phasing) • Create an FSI of approximately • Reduce construction time by • Include options for those with
1.5 (max.: 2.0). working on various floors (almost) no income.
• Include high-accessibility simultaneously.
dwellings in the design (>3%).
• Reduce the nuisance for the
evicted dwellers (time and
changes in their social network).
• Pick supply routes that can be
used throughout the construction
and are able to deal with the
traffic.
• Store building materials on-site,
in an easily accessible spot.
• Ensure cost recovery.
• Employ local contractors and
workers in construction.

Figure 46. Complete program of requirements for the design of Parque Cocaía

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture

ARCHITECTURE
Introduction with in this research are:
The design of Parque Cocaía is used as a tool to • Building typology on an urban scale;
answer the practical component of the research • The design of a safe streetscape that creates
question. Whereas the items in the safety inter- an identity for the neighborhood;
ventions catalog stay on a more abstract level, • The creation of a maximum healthy living
the design offers an opportunity to see how density;
these interventions can be made on an actual • The mixing of functions and user groups;
site. With this implementation, the findings of • And the design of floor plans that provide
the comparative analysis and contextual analysis eyes on the street.
are also taken into account. The explorations of
the design process become an analytical tool by As this thesis marks the completion of the edu-
itself, further adding to the answer to the research cation for becoming an architect, the design
question, ‘How can architectural design positively for Parque Cocaía is completed beyond the
influence safety in the development of social minimum required to answer the research ques-
housing in the periphery of São Paulo, taking into tion. Below, the entire design is documented, yet
account socioeconomic segregation, local build- special attention is given to components relevant
ing practices, and social equity?’ to the research question.

Given the size of Parque Cocaía, this design

exploration on all scales could take years. Since
this thesis spans two semesters only, it instead
focuses on a couple of design components. For
these specific components, an attempt is made
to answer the research question in the given
context. The components dealt with have been
chosen based on their relevance to the overall
safety of a neighborhood, as experienced during
the field trip and noted during the comparative
analysis. The design components that are dealt

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture

Figure 47. Impression street and HIS 1 slab type

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture | site level

Site level

Design concepts Grajaú.

On the urban scale, the design aims to complete
the existing urban tissue, improve the connectivity 3. The creation of enclosed public spaces.
of the area, and add amenities. More concretely, As a high density is pursued, private gardens
the following design principles are applied: cannot be provided to all users. Instead, enclosed
public spaces are created for inhabitants of build-
1. Completion of the unfinished urban blocks ing blocks to share. These should provide a safe
along the site. place for children to play, inhabitants to meet,
Along the west and north side of the site, the and communal events to be held.
urban blocks have not been completed, leading
to the creation of walls of buildings. These blind 4. Placing the amenities along the green axis.
facades create an atmosphere of discomfort and A kindergarten, community center, skate park,
not belonging. To counter this, a courtyard dwell- sports pitch, and communal gardens are placed
ing type, inspired by Gleba A, is placed next to along the green axis. From here, they can be
these walls. Between the buildings and the walls, accessed by all inhabitants of the neighborhood
semi-public courtyards are formed. and lure people from their dwellings into the
public realm.
2. The creation of a linear park along the stream
on the east of the site plus the extension of this 5. The creation of a wall of buildings along the
park into Parque Cocaía using a green axis. green axis.
As mentioned in the contextual analysis, little A wall of duplex dwellings along the green axis
urban green is present in São Paulo and Grajaú. guides visitors towards the linear park down-
By adding urban green to the project site, inhab- hill. The green axis and wall interact: inhabitants
itants of Parque Cocaía and surrounding neigh- watch over the public space, while visitors of the
borhoods are offered space to socialize, relax, green axis come across the terrace of inhabitants
and perform sports. In future developments, the and might start a conversation. Cars can cross the
linear park may well be extended along the banks axis at three locations, with crosswalks integrated
of the Billings reservoir to connect various neigh- into the design to ensure the safety of pedestri-
borhoods and provide green to all inhabitants of ans while also connecting the surroundings.

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 Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture | site level

To cater to various user groups, four building

types without various apartment types can be
distinguished in the plan: a slab type, courtyard
type, sobrado type, and tower type. The first
two have HIS 1 and HIS 2 versions, whereas the
final two are destined for HIS 2 only. The types
are spread over the site based on the design
principles listed above, with an eye for detail
and aesthetics. The current master plan is a
result of months of iteration and improvement.

green axis extended onto site

completion of building blocks

block
site
wall of buildings along green axis

creation of enclosed public spaces

amenities along green axis

Figure 48. Urban design principles Parque Cocaía

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 N
1:1250
Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture | site level

Density not intrude on the privacy of their neighbors;

In São Paulo, the number of households in • No buildings are allowed within 15m on both
favelas and irregular settlements was estimated sides of the water stream;
at four hundred thousand each in 2017 (Prefei- • Sufficient space is reserved for the green axis,
tura de São Paulo, 2017). To be able to provide linear park, and other urban amenities;
these dwellers with a more permanent residence, • Space is reserved for roads and parking;
large-scale investments in social housing by the • The ratio between social and corporate
municipality are needed. As the land in the city is housing.
scarce, maximum density without compromising Together, these led to a design with FSI=1.00
on livability should be strived for in the design in which five-story buildings are the standard,
of social housing projects. Every extra dwelling with exceptions along the western and north-
offers another family a chance to raise themselves ern borders of the area (four stories) and along
from insecurity, poverty, and inequality. Hence, the stream (eight levels). With the former, four
an elaborate study was made on how this density stories are used to reduce the transition in build-
could be acquired in Parque Cocaía. ing heights between urban tissues and to prevent
inhabitants from looking into the gardens of
The maximum density in Parque Cocaía was dwellings along the project site. With the latter,
determined mostly by the requirements for eight stories overlook the open terrain of the
cross-ventilation, as explained in the Building linear park around the stream.
technology chapter. Yet, other factors that influ-
enced the design are: The built areas around the project site have
• A building can be five stories high without a density of approximately 70 dwellings per
requiring an elevator; hectare, though there is little public space, as
• Buildings next to existing settlements should there is almost no vertical stacking of dwellings.

Project Chácara do Conde Santo Amaro V Gleba A Parque Cocaía

Plot area (ha) 10.4 2.19 4.32 6.80
Number of dwell- 1290 201 537 1361
ings
Unit sizes (m2) 45-51 48-62 48-62 52-114
Density (dw/ha) 124 91.8 124 200
GSI 0.13 0.12 0.16 0.23
FSI 0.66 0.67 0.74 1.00

Figure 49. Comparison densities social housing projects in São Paulo

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture | site level

Mixing user groups and functions the HIS 2 blocks are larger and incorporate small
In the new neighborhood, users of various back- private gardens, whereas the HIS 1 only boast a
grounds will come together. Of the 1361 new shared garden. Furthermore, the HIS 2 areas are
dwellings in Parque Cocaía, 80% is allocated to placed centrally for the best connectivity and the
HIS 1 households and 20% to HIS 2 households. number of parking spots per apartment is higher.
Furthermore, 400 of the HIS 1 dwellings will be
filled by evicted inhabitants. These user groups Apart from user groups being mixed in the design,
have various preferences for their dwelling, but functions are mixed in the plinth of the slab type.
also their surroundings, lifestyle, and amenities. On the plinth level of this type, space is left for
In the design, a careful balance should be struck businesses, stores, canteens, and bars. Especially
between promoting interaction between the on corners of this type, where the streets meet the
various user groups and leaving space for differ- green axis, there should be a lot of traffic passing
ences and retreat. the businesses. The Santo Amaro V project shows
how a monoculture within the plinth level can be
In the project, two blocks, the row of sobrado detrimental to the perceived safety of the street,
types, and the tower types along the stream are hence various functions are mixed in the plinth of
designated for HIS 2 users. The blocks are placed Parque Cocaía. So, this level also boasts dwell-
between HIS 1 blocks but have their own court- ings, which are suitable for wheelchair users as
yards. The dwellings in these blocks are larger well.
and suit the difference in lifestyle. For example,

Figure 50. HIS 1 blocks (purple) and HIS 2 blocks (pink) are interconnected but not forged.

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture | site level

Green axis neighborhood. This is done by proving space to

The green axis is the site its backbone; it con- meet and connect, but also through its material-
nects various parts of the new neighborhood, ization. The urban furniture of the green axis is
provides amenities, and is a place to meet. The built using the building materials of the dwell-
green axis therefore also aims to be the bridge ings along the river banks that are demolished.
between dwellers evicted from the river banks Timber beams create benches and shading, while
and those moving from other parts of the city or bricks are used to construct pavement, walls, and
country. To do so, the design of the green axis little squares. Apart from the intrinsic value of this
aims to create an identity for all inhabitants of the reuse, it also has sustainability benefits.

reuse roofing tiles in ceramics reuse timber beams for pergola and urban
furniture

Figure 51. Impression and material usage green axis

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture | block level

Block level

Design concepts community, and helps to create an identity for

On the level of the urban block, the following the neighborhood. The interaction is stimulated
design principles are applied in Parque Cocaía: using transition zones, like slightly raised veran-
dahs, front gardens, and balconies. Furthermore,
1. Completion of the unfinished urban blocks the plinth level is clearly demarcated with an
along the site (as explained on site level). overhang, a larger story height, a different facade
design, and mixed functions. Apart from the aes-
2. The creation of enclosed public spaces (as thetical separation of the ground level from the
explained on site level). upper levels, this also suggests a different form
of openness.
3. Make use of the topography.
The design for Parque Cocaía deals with the steep 5. Having building types react to their surround-
slope of the site by having souterrain stories. As ings, user group, solar orientation, and level of
shown in the block floor plan and the section, the privacy.
soil level of the courtyard and the street differ by The building blocks their allocation and orienta-
one story. This story is provided daylight by small, tion follow the design principles on site scale, but
wide windows just below the ceiling on the west adapt to the micro conditions in their facade and
side, alongside the windows in a normal facade floor plan. To name a few examples:
on the east side. By integrating this height differ- • The corner units of the slab type along the
ence in the plinth, the courtyard, and street can green axis are raised to indicate a change in
be kept flat. In the Gleba A project, a height dif- scenery.
ference between the courtyard and the buildings • The slab type dwellings their facades vary
creates a disconnection, which makes the space in setback in the streets towards the green
less used and safe. axis to prevent the creation of a monotonous
streetscape. Furthermore, this also provides
4. Design a streetscape stimulating interaction extra shade.
between the public and private realms. • The back side of the slab type dwellings
Interaction between the two realms improves along the green axis reacts to the park.
actual and perceived safety, contributes to the • The facades of the HIS 2 dwellings are clad

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture | block level

• using earth plaster, whereas this can be • The verandah and front garden on the street
applied later in the HIS 1 dwellings. side are deeper than the balcony on the ground
• The facades are set back on the north side, floor on the courtyard side to provide more
and even further on the east and west side, to distance between the public and private realm.
prevent overheating during the summer. At the same time, they are more open and
• The balcony railing on the street side is stretch into the public realm from the building
higher than on the courtyard side of building outline, thereby actively claiming a part of the
blocks. sidewalk and creating territoriality.

make use of topography

streetscape stimulates interaction

completion of building blocks

block between public and private

site
unit

adapts to surroundings, user group,

creation of enclosed public spaces sun, and privacy level

Figure 51. Block design principles Parque Cocaía

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture | block level

Figure 52. Floor block plan GF Figure 53. Floor block plan 1F

Figure 54. Floor block plan 2F

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture | block level

appropriation possi-
bilities balconies

watching over
space from balcony
and living

street lighting and

urban furniture

wide balcony plinth

level - claim space

daylight opening
souterrain level

safe place for

meeting, playing,
and relaxing

Figure 55. Section existing settlements - courtyard - courtyard type

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture | block level

raised corner indi-

cating transition to
green axis

setbacks to prevent
monotonous and
create shadow

balcony railing
elevated walkway to
higher because of
watch street from
privacy

plinth demarcated
with overhang - dif-
ferent privacy and
verandah stretch- functions
ing onto sidewalk
- create territori-
ality and increase front gardens
privacy action similar to
verandah
classic São Paulo
pavement safe and inviting
conditions pedes-
trians
Figure 56. Section courtyard type - street - slab type

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 Figure 57. Impression courtyard type

Figure 58. Impression courtyard next to existing settlements

Figure 59. Impression view from balcony courtyard

Figure 60. Impression street and slab type

 Figure 61. Impression safety measures pedestrians

Figure 62. Impression street with courtyard and slab type

Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture | dwelling level

Dwelling level

Design concepts
The following design principles are applied in the 3. Providing varying building types for various
design of the unit types. Furthermore, inspira- preferences.
tion is drawn from the comparative analysis and To meet the demands of the various groups of
by looking at floor plans of brokers in São Paulo inhabitants of Parque Cocaía, a range of dwelling
online. types is provided in the newly-developed area.
The dwellings differ in size, amenities, materi-
1. Providing eyes on the street on both sides of alization, location, and payment scheme. They
the building. cater to different income groups and lifestyles.
The number of eyes on the street is an important Furthermore, dwellings for wheelchair users and
factor influencing the safety of a neighborhood. large families are included.
In the floor plans of the various types, attention is
given to providing opportunities to watch over the 4. Individual appropriation of facades.
public space on both sides of the building. This is In many social housing projects in Brazil, monoto-
done by strategically placing large windows and nous landscapes of similar dwellings are created.
balconies along much-used spaces like the living Although these suit the purpose of providing
room and kitchen. housing to the country’s poor, their durability
can be questioned because of the mass repeti-
2. Ensuring cross-ventilation in all dwellings. tion. No one wants to be treated as a number,
Given the climate in São Paulo, allowing especially not in a country where segregation and
cross-ventilation is important to deal with the hot stigmatization are already so common. By provid-
Brazilian summers. This is dealt with in detail in ing appropriation possibilities for the facade, res-
the Building technology chapter. The cross-venti- idents can make their homes unique and feel like
lation is ensured by always connecting the living their own. Furthermore, this appropriation also
room of a dwelling with both sides of the build- indirectly helps to build territoriality and there-
ing and connecting to the outside using windows fore improves the safety of a neighborhood.
that can be opened up. Especially for the HIS 1
dwellings, this form of ventilation is an affordable 5. Combining wet spaces.
solution to the heat. By placing wet spaces close to each other, the

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture | dwelling level

piping distance is reduced. This makes for effi- located behind a living room or kitchen, HIS 1
cient use of space and reduces costs. Especially dwellings often have a sink on their balcony for
since two piping systems are installed, one for washing clothes, in HIS 2 dwellings, the master
tap water and one for grey water. bedroom is equipped with its own bathroom, and
the living room and kitchen are often one space.
Housing for HIS 1 and HIS 2 families has certain
cultural standards that have been applied in the
design. For example, the bedrooms are always

courtyard type slab type

1330

1330

1320

1320

1320

1320
6070

6070

6120

6120

6120

6120
1330

1330

1300

1300

1300

1300
3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 4200 4200
3500 3500

HIS 1, small families, north above

3000 3000 3000

3000 3000 3000

1320
1915

1535

HIS 1
3000
3000

7260
1915
1915

1300
1330

1330

3500 3500 3500

6070

6070
1330

1330

3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000

3000 3000 3000 3000 3000

1330

1400

1400
6830

6320

6320
1330

HIS 2
1400

1400

4200 4200 4200 4200 4200

5700 5700

4200 4200 4200

1915
3000

102
1915

cross-ventilation
block

unit
individual appropriation facade

adapts to surroundings, user group,

sun, and privacy level
cross-ventilation

eyes on public space both sides

Figure 63. Dwelling design principles Parque Cocaía

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture | dwelling level

Figure 64. Building types Parque Cocaía - general impression, as the types adapt to their surroundings

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | architecture | unit level

0
0
0

140
140
140
1330
6070

0
0
0

708
708
708
1330

0
0
0

140
140
140
0 0 0
420 420 420

3000 3000 3000 3000 3000

courtyardHIStype,
1, small HIS 1north
families, variant,
above 52 m
2
sobrado type, HIS 2, 114 m2

1400
1320

1320

7840
6120

6120

1400
1300

1300

4200 4200 4200 4200 4200

3500 3500

slab type, HIS 1 variant, 54 m2 tower type, HIS 2, 100 m2

Figure 65. Most common dwelling type for every building type (1:100)

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 courtyard type slab type

1330

1330

1320

1320

1320

1320
6070

6070

6120

6120

6120

6120
1330

1330

1300

1300

1300

1300
3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 4200 4200
3500 3500

HIS 1, small families, north above

3000 3000 3000

3000 3000 3000

1320
1915

1535
HIS 1

3000
3000

7260
1915
1915

1300
1330

1330
3500 3500 3500
6070

6070
1330

1330

3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000 3000

3000 3000 3000 3000 3000

1330

1400

1400
6830

6320

6320
1330

HIS 2 1400

1400
4200 4200 4200 4200 4200
5700 5700

4200 4200 4200

1915
3000

Figure 66. Overview of all dwelling types (1:200)

102
1915
 tower type sobrado type
1400

1400
1400
1400
7840

7080
7080
7080

1400
1400
1400
1400

4200 4200 4200

4200 4200 4200 4200 4200

103
Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | building technology | materialization

BUILDING TECHNOLOGY
Materialization The carbon emissions of the project are reduced
Construction cost is one of the key financial indi- by pouring the concrete on top of EPS slabs,
cators in the development of Parque Cocaía, which also improves the sound and thermal
given the large component of social housing insulation of the floor. Furthermore, the debris
being constructed. The cheapest construction of the demolished settlements is reused in the
methods in Brazil are in-situ concrete, concrete production of new concrete. Using the reCO2ver
masonry units, and structural masonry. The indus- technique by the Swiss Sika Group, up to 40%
try is focused on large-scale production of these water and 25% cement can be reduced (Sika
materials and contractors on all levels know how Group, n.d.). With the technique, concrete debris
to handle them. Though, these solutions are rela- is treated with a mixture of chemicals that cause
tively unsustainable as well, with the production of the cement to carbonate and thereby separate
the building materials leading to high emissions from the aggregate of the debris. The products
(CINARK, n.d.). In the design of Parque Cocaía, of the treatment are secondary aggregates of
a balance is sought between the availability of high quality and a powdery material consisting of
materials, knowledge of local contractors, and cement and sand. These materials can be used
sustainability, or in short, between affordability in the construction of the buildings and roads of
and sustainability. Parque Cocaía respectively. The thickness of the
concrete poured is calculated using the TU Delft
Floors: EPS slabs and (recycled) concrete rules of thumb (BK Faculty TU Delft, 2013).
For the construction of the floors of Parque
Cocaía, in-situ concrete is poured on top of EPS Load-bearing walls: mollusks blocks
slabs, similar to the Dutch broodjesvloer. This For the load-bearing walls of Parque Cocaía,
construction method is commonly used in Brazil blocos verdes (Portuguese for green blocks) are
and therefore affordable and executable by local used. These building blocks are largely similar in
contractors (Blocos e Lajes ITAI, n.d.). Also, a appearance, production method, and material
factory where the material is produced is located properties to the much-used concrete masonry
8 km from the building site (Blocos e Lajes ITAIM, units, yet their production process is more sus-
Estr. Ecoturística de Parelheiros 344), facilitating tainable (Dallanhol, 2011). Therefore, the blocks
low transportation costs and emissions. can be used without requiring further educating

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | building technology | materialization

of the construction workers or irregular connec- construction of a house of 120 m2 floor area (Dal-
tions, resulting in low construction costs and the lanhol, 2011). Considering the total floor area of
possibility of having the project executed by local Parque Cocaía (~55,000m2), ~460 tons of shells
contractors. would be recycled. Fortunately, in Santa Catarina,
~12,000 tons of shells are retrieved per year.
Blocos verdes are produced by Blocaus Pré-Fab- For this thesis, detailed information on the pro-
ricados in Santa Catarina, the state just south of duction process and material properties was
São Paulo state. As explained by Dallanhol (2011), requested from producer Blocaus and inventor
in Santa Catarina, the mariculture industry, the Bernadete Batalha Batista, but unfortunately, no
harvesting of oysters and shellfish, is booming. answers were received. Though, the product did
When the mollusks have been harvested, the receive eighteen international prizes in the two
fishermen are left with the shells of the animals, years after its release (Trombini, 2014) and can
which are often dumped in the sea or at a land- be ordered online in Brazil at the time of writing
fill. Over time, the erosion of these can cause (Construmarket, n.d.).
environmental risks to the subsoil. Bernadate B.
Batista, from the Universidade do Sul de Santa Non-load-bearing walls: compressed earth
Catarina, invented a solution for this, as the shells blocks and ceramic bricks
can also be crushed and afterward replace a part The non-loadbearing walls of Parque Cocaía
of the sand and concrete used in the production are mostly constructed using compressed earth
of concrete masonry units. By doing so, light- blocks (CEB), also known as ecological bricks or
weight and sound-proof blocks, blocos verdes, bloco de terra comprimida (BTC), that have been
are created with almost 50% less cement (Casa produced on-site from the excavated subsoil. The
Ecologica, n.d.). In this way, an environmental production process of these bricks requires edu-
hazard is turned into a sustainable, local con- cating local contractors. Though, when the bricks
struction alternative. have been produced, these can be stacked like
other construction methods common in Brazil.
A single ton of shells can be used to produce The non-loadbearing walls of the ground floor are
4000 building blocks, which is required for the constructed using ceramic bricks, as CEB is sen-

structural walls: floors: non-structural walls: porous facades:

blocos verdes recycled concrete + EPS ceramics + compressed Cobogó
earth blocks

Figure 67. Main building materials Parque Cocaía

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | building technology | materialization

sitive to water, and to create a visual difference With CEB, a composition of soil types is com-
between the plinth level and apartment levels. pressed in a mold drive manually or mechani-
Ceramic bricks are widely available, affordable, cally (Minke, 2006, p. 63-64). Its construction is
relatively sustainable, and have a well-known cheap and fast, though the production process
construction process (CINARK, n.d.). should be monitored constantly to assure the
brick quality. Sometimes, cement is mixed with
The production technique of compressed earth the soil types to improve the product its strength
was introduced in Brazil by the Portuguese in and stability or reduce the drying time (p. 64).
the sixteenth century, with African slaves being Though, this increases the emissions of the con-
familiar with the building technique from their struction process. During the construction of
country of origin (Assunção Oliveira, 2012, p. 17). Parque Cocaía, bricks without cement are used,
The technique remained popular until after the hence these walls are non-loadbearing.
Second World War when baked bricks became
a faster and cheaper alternative (p. 19). Though, The subsoil at Parque Cocaía mostly consists of
some important Brazilian buildings have been tertiary sediment, but also mixed massif and allu-
constructed using the technique. In the 1990s, vial plain subsoil are present (Prefeitura de São
the material started to become used again for Paulo, n.d.). Although further analysis is needed
single-family dwellings (p. 20). to determine its suitability, sediment does contain
the clay necessary for construction with com-
As explained by Minke (2006) in the elaborate pressed earth (Minke, 2006, p. 13).
book Building With Earth, earth structures are
great at maintaining a comfortable and healthy Porous facades: Cobogó
indoor climate by buffering heat, purifying air, To allow for cross-ventilation in the dwellings,
and regulating humidity levels (p. 15-18, 31). porous facade elements are used. These ele-
Special care should be given to the waterproof- ments are called Cobogó in Brazil, being named
ing of the material, as it erodes when exposed after three architects from Recife inventing the
to water frequently (p. 14). When used correctly material in 1920 (Delaqua, 2017). Similar ele-
though, structures made of earth can survive for ments are known in other countries as brisesoleil.
centuries and even thousands of years, as numer- The elements offer a combination of privacy, ven-
ous examples have proven (p. 11). tilation, and sun-shading, thereby suiting the Bra-
zilian climate and lifestyle. Cobogós are used in

Jardim Vicentina Gleba A Santo Amaro V Parque Eduardo Guinle

Figure 68. Cobogó facades in the case studies

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | building technology | materialization

all types of projects, from upper-class housing to To pour the foundation, the soil has to be exca-
social housing and public buildings. Apart from vated until a terrace structure is created. This left-
their practical qualities, the elements also offer over soil, if suitable, is used to produce the com-
appropriation opportunities, as shown by Lucio pressed earth blocks or to raise the soil level on
Costa with the design of Parque Eduardo Guinle other spots on the site to create slopes. By doing
in Rio de Janeiro (The Architectural Review, 2020). so, a zero soil balance is strived for.

Vigliecca uses various brick bonds in Gleba A, Facade cladding: earth plaster
Parque Novo Santo Amaro V, and Jardim Vicen- As facade cladding in the HIS 2 dwellings, earth
tina to create porous facades with benefits similar plaster (also known as clay plaster or earthen
to that of Cobogós. These are more affordable plaster) is applied. As explained by the British
than prefabricated panels of ceramic, concrete, Institute of Historic Building Conversation (2021),
or fiber cement, like the ones used in Parque the building material is making a comeback in
Eduardo Guinle. the construction industry, after being applied in
historic architecture before being taken over by
Foundation: in-situ concrete stucco plasters. Earth plaster is made from clay,
For Parque Cocaía, a line foundation supports fine aggregates, and fiber. Its usage can be inter-
the load-bearing and external walls, and a foun- nal and external, although care for its waterproof-
dation is poured directly on the subsoil below ing is required with the latter.
the ground floor. This construction method is
also used in the Chácara do Conde II and Santo The use of earth plaster has various building
Amaro V projects (ArchDaily, 2015; Arquitetos physical treats that increase user comfort. They
Urbanistas, 2016), which are built on the same are porous, allowing the building to breathe,
subsoil types (Prefeitura de São Paulo, n.d.). The they regulate the moisture content of a room,
foundation of the floors and walls are poured are non-toxic, and provide a natural look. Like
separately to prevent cracking through settling. most natural materials, earth plaster does require
A more detailed analysis is needed to determine careful detailing and maintenance though.
the exact depth and thickness of the foundation,
but dimensions similar to that of the two afore-
mentioned projects are assumed.

Figure 69. Concrete recycling process (Sika Group, n.d.)

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | building technology | materialization

Structural design

The loads in the dwellings of Parque Cocaía are

carried by the blocos verdes and the in-situ con-
crete floors. The parallel walls are placed perpen-
dicular to the long side of the buildings, every 3.0
to 5.7 meters, depending on the type. This tech-
nique is material efficient and does not require
special knowledge or large machinery, hence it is
suited to the type of project.

With this design, openings can be easily made

in the facades facing the street or the courtyard.
Especially when the openings span as high as the
next floor slab, as no lintel is required to carry the
non-loadbearing bricks above the opening then.
This is done on the floors that only contain dwell-
ings. Openings in the load-bearing walls require a
lintel and sometimes a column to carry the loads.

Stability is provided by (parts of) walls perpen-

dicular to load-bearing walls. These are made
of blocos verdes as well. By placing these in the
exterior walls, the building retains greater repur-
posing possibilities. For the tower type, stability
is provided by the elevator shaft.

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | building technology | materialization

span direction
stability walls

Figure 70. Structural design principles

Figure 71. Total structural system courtyard type

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | building technology | building physics

Building physics

São Paulo is located in the southern hemisphere dwellings are warmed up through the north
at 230 S 460 W at an altitude of ~800 m above facade.
sea level. Its climate is subtropical, with the winter
(June-August) being relatively cool and dry, and In the settlements, most dwellings have balconies
the summer (November-March) hot and rainy that take away direct sunlight from their facades.
(World Climate Guide, n.d.). The weather in the Also, most dwellings are deep and slim, with
city is often variable, due to a large difference little windows. These dimensions were deter-
between the specifications of air masses from mined during the division of land, though they
various directions passing the city. also contribute to a comfortable indoor climate.
The downside of this design is that (a part of the)
Designing in this variable climate requires extra indoor spaces rely on artificial lighting.
care, especially for social housing, as the inhabit-
ants do not have the means to rely on expensive In social housing projects, the dwelling units are
mechanical ventilation or heating systems to reg- less slim and deep than in the settlements, but
ulate the indoor climate. By looking at precedent they have smaller windows to compensate for it.
cases, affordable alternatives can be determined When visiting Chácara do Conde on a hot, sunny
though. day in late summer, the indoor temperature of
the dwellings was comfortable despite the walls
Insolation and shading not being insulated, the spaces being small, and
During the summer, the insolation values in no sun shading being installed. In Gleba A, Santo
São Paulo can be high, though, there are often Amaro V, and Jardim Vicentina porous facades
clouds in the sky as well (Weather Spark, n.d.). allow daylight to enter without the spaces being
Because of the high temperatures in the summer, exposed to direct sunlight, reducing the chances
sun shading is needed to prevent overheating of overheating.
of dwellings. The west facade is the most sensi-
tive to overheating, followed by the east facade. In Parque Cocaía, the buildings will be orien-
Around noon, the sun is high up during summer, tated in various directions, so also with facades
meaning the north facade does not get as hot as exposed to the west. As the west side of the area
the others. During winter, when the sun is lower, is 33 m higher than the east side, the hill and

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | building technology | building physics

the buildings themselves will partially provide thermal buffering during the day in the summer
shading to each other. Though to further prevent and at night during the winter is preferred.
overheating, porous facades are integrated into
all dwellings in the design. Also, exterior shut- In the settlements and social housing projects
ters are applied to any exposed windows on the analyzed, no insulation material was used. As
west, north, and east facade to keep out the heat mentioned above, the number of facade open-
during the summer, while letting through the sun ings is limited and all windows can be opened.
during the winter. The same is done by the trees Both the settlements and the social housing pro-
in the design, as during winter the leaves fall jects are made of either concrete masonry units or
off and the sun can naturally heat the buildings. ceramic brick units in combination with concrete
Exterior blockage of the sun is more effective at floors. These have a high thermal mass, thereby
preventing overheating and vegetation reduces reducing the indoor temperature during the day
the local temperature even further by taking up and preventing cooling down too much at night
the heat during evaporation of fluids (Yu & Hien, (Bensalem, 1991).
2006). In the projects of the comparative analysis,
sliding panels are often used to keep out the sun, In 2009, market analysis by IAL Consultants
though, these drastically reduce the illumination showed that only 4% of construction projects in
levels inside the building and turn facades into Brazil included any form of thermal insulation
blind facades, thereby reducing safety in the area. (Messe Düsseldorf, n.d.). For the years that fol-
lowed, an annual growth of 6% was forecast.
Temperature and insulation Though, it should be kept in mind that the tem-
The two lines in the graph show the average perature in the southern states is lower than in São
maximum and minimum temperature per day Paulo, so the low percentage could be explained
in São Paulo. The temperature is comfortable by insulation material only gaining popularity in
during the winter and high in the summer. Hence, these states.

350 mm 35 °C 18 kph 70%

300 mm 30 °C 16 kph 60%
250 mm 25 °C 14 kph 50%
200 mm 20 °C 12 kph 40%
150 mm 15 °C 10 kph 30%
100 mm 10 °C 8 kph 20%
50 mm 5 °C 6 kph 10%
0 mm 0 °C 4 kph 0%
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Figure 72. The climate conditions in São Paulo (Weather Spark, n.d.).

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | building technology | building physics

have caused. An exception is made on the roof,

Brazilian building law NBR 15.575 states the fol- where an extra insulation layer greatly reduces
lowing requirements for dwellings constructed in the heat gain of the top floor during the summer.
São Paulo:
• The thermal conductivity (U) of walls should Ventilation
be U ≤ 3.7 W/m2.K Although the summers in São Paulo are hot with
• The thermal capacity (CT) of walls should be a maximum average of 28 0C, the temperature
CT ≥ 130 kJ/m2.K on average drops 7 0C at night. Sufficient ventila-
• The thermal conductivity (U) of roofs should tion options allow for this temperature drop to be
be U ≤ 2.3 W/m2.K used to cool down buildings, a principle called
night ventilation (Bensalem, 1991). This ventila-
A wall consisting of 2 mm plaster, 140 mm CMU, tion can be achieved naturally or mechanically,
and 25 mm mortar (inside to outside), which is with the latter being more effective yet expen-
seen in a lot of social housing projects and settle- sive. With natural ventilation, special care is to
ments, has a thermal conductivity of 2.86 W/m2.K be given to the design of the floor plans and the
and a CT of 222 and thereby suffices this require- urban composition of the dwellings.
ment (Nudel, n.d.). Given that the blocos verdes
have similar physical properties to CMUs, these Given the user groups of Parque Cocaía, the
should suffice this requirement. Compressed dwellings of the project are designed to allow for
earth blocks, which make up most of the exterior cross-ventilation to deal with the Brazilian heat.
facade, have a thermal conductivity of about 1.1 During the day, inhabitants can have the windows
W/m2.K, depending on the soil composition, and closed to keep out the heat, which is reinforced
the ceramic bricks that are used on the ground by the thermal buffering of the compressed earth
floor have a thermal conductivity of 1.74 W/m2.K bricks, and at night, windows on both sides of
when combined with plaster and mortar (Mansour the building can be opened up to let the air flow
et al., 2016; Nudel, n.d.). Hence, both more than through the building. Research by Prof. Lamberts
suffice these requirements. For the roof, a sloped (2014) of the University of Florianópolis shows
roof on top of a 100 mm concrete slab suffice that in São Paulo state the best indoor temper-
with a U-value of 2.06 W/m2.K. Though, since the atures are achieved when the windows are kept
insolation is the highest on the roof, 50 mm EPS is open 14.3% of the time every year, but 45.2% of
added on top of the roof slabs of Parque Cocaía, the time during summer, being at night.
bringing the U-value to ~0.50 W/m2.K. Insulation
of the ground floor slabs is not needed, as the To achieve cross-ventilation in dwelling units,
subsoil temperature in São Paulo is about 23 0C several requirements are to be met, which are
(Zaparolli, 2022). listed below. A more elaborate overview of factors
influencing the effectiveness of wind-driven ven-
So, in Parque Cocaía, the heavy building materi- tilation was taken from Bensalem (1991).
als are used as a thermal buffer without insulation • The apartments need sufficient facade
material being needed. This makes the dwellings openings on two sides of the building.
more affordable and reduces the emissions of the • Of these openings, a large enough part
project that insulation material or stucco would should be able to let through the air.

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | building technology | building physics

• Inside the apartments, the airflow should be n.d.). This technique is applied in Parque Cocaía
not interrupted by walls, doors, or other barriers. as well.
• The surroundings of the building should allow
for the (partially) unobstructed entrance of fresh Sound transmission between apartments through
air. walls is less than through floors, as there often is
no direct contact between the source and wall.
This last requirement is hard to quantify since it Also, as the floors are insulated, sound transmis-
can only be calculated using details computer sion to adjacent apartments will be limited. Still,
models or wind tunnels. Factors influencing the noise can cause a nuisance and hence a layer of
effectiveness may be topography, nearby build- insulation material is installed onto the walls sep-
ings, trees, and any other large objects close to arating apartments as well.
the apartment. Furthermore, the effectiveness
may vary greatly with different wind directions Fireproofing
and speeds. For the Parque Cocaía project, the According to the aforementioned Brazilian build-
ratio between the building heights (H) and court- ing law, walls and roofs separating apartments
yard dimensions (W) is the determining factor. As or separating a space where gas is used from a
a rule of thumb, Guyer (2013) recommends this living space must be at least 30 minutes fire-re-
ratio to be W<1.5H. For five floors of 2.7m, this sistant (Garcia, 2015). Although the information
would mean the courtyard would have to be at on whether blocos verdes suffice to this norm
least 20.25m. In the design of Parque Cocaía, cannot be found online, it is assumed that they
these four requirements are taken into account, do, given that their physical properties and com-
as can be seen from the floor plans and urban position are similar to that of CMUs.
plan. The Cobogós allow for ventilation even
without opening a window directly onto the Furthermore, from every apartment, at least two
street, meaning the spaces can also be ventilated routes should lead to safety in case of fire. An
when it rains and without having to worry about exception is made for walk-up apartments and
break-ins or privacy. towers when the staircase has its fire compart-
ment. For the duplex dwellings though, the ele-
Apart from regulating the temperature, ventila- vated walkways have at least two escape routes.
tion also contributes to health, thermal comfort,
preservation of the dwelling, and smoke control,
as illustrated in the diagram by Bensalem (1991).

Sound insulation
As noise complaints are frequent in Brazil-
ian condos, Brazilian building law NBR 15,575
states that apartment floors must have some sort
of sound insulation installed. A 5 mm layer of
expanded polyethylene (EPE) between the finish-
ing floor and concrete floor can already reduce
the sound level of neighbors by 25 dB (Acusterm,

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | building technology | water management

Water management

With human action inducing global warming households is reported to be 70-120 L per person
to dangerous levels, the management of water per day by the NGO Collaborative Labeling and
has become more important than ever. Water is Appliance Standards Program (CLASP) in 2021.
becoming scarcer, yet, climate change increases The average household size in Brazil is 3.0,
the frequency of hazardous weather conditions. though favela households are assumed to have
Most vulnerable to these are low-income groups. a higher average despite accurate data lacking
To create a safer living environment for the (Butler et al., 2020). An estimate would be that a
low-income groups of Parque Cocaía, the design tank of 500L could provide an average Brazilian
is taking into account 1) water security, 2) flood household with enough water during an outage.
prevention, and 3) rainwater harvesting.
In the design for Parque Cocaía, every dwelling
Water security unit is equipped with an individual cistern on top
On the roof of (almost) every settlement dwelling of the building. Although a shared cistern could
in the periphery of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, possibly reduce costs, it would also make families
a water cistern is found. Their blue appearance dependent on each other during outages. The
creates an image stereotypical of the living envi- cisterns can be accessed through a hatch from
ronment, yet, as found out during the field trip, the shared staircases for maintenance.
the cisterns form a crucial part of the dwelling.
The city of São Paulo, and probably other Brazil- Flood prevention
ian cities as well, have trouble with providing a Low-income groups are vulnerable to flooding,
steady water output to all its inhabitants. Occa- as they are more often living in flood-prone loca-
sionally, parts of the cities have to deal with a tions, their dwellings are of lesser quality, and they
water outage that may last up to a day. Hence, have fewer cash reserves to overcome or outlast
every dwelling boasts a cistern filled with potable floods. In São Paulo, the inhabitants are familiar
water for approximately one-day usage. The cis- with floods as well. Last winter, the coastal areas
terns require cleaning a couple of times per year, of São Paulo state were left devastated by floods,
which can be done by the owner. with 48 inhabitants losing their lives because of
the water and subsequent landslides (The Guard-
The average water consumption of Brazilian ian, 2023). In response, the state declared a

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | building technology | water management

180-day “state of calamity” during the Carnival gered by a rising water level. However, its posi-
holiday (CNN, 2023). tion on the slope of the hill will make that water
will stream from the hill during heavy rainfall. To
Gated communities have also proved to be counter this and to stimulate subsoil penetration
adding to the flood-proneness of poorer neigh- of the rainwater, rainwater ditches perpendicular
borhoods, with walls channeling rainwater into to the slope of the hill are spread over the site. A
the neighborhoods around gated communities in welcoming future, considering the high levels of
Buenos Aires and causing severe flooding (Reed, precipitation throughout the year in São Paulo,
2016). In São Paulo, similar urban conditions the urban heat island effect, and the conservation
exist, which might increase the vulnerability of of underground water reservoirs.
certain neighborhoods.
Rainwater harvesting
The project site is located on the slope of a hill, Considering climate change and the expansion
close to the Billings reservoir. Because of the of São Paulo, it is a matter of time before the
steep slope and the relatively high altitude com- Brazilian megapolis has to deal with water short-
pared to the rest of the city, the site is not endan- ages. Rainwater harvesting can reduce tap water

Figure 73. Rainwater ditch

Figure 74. Water system principles Figure 75. Floods in São Paulo

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | building technology | water management

usage by up to 50% in Brazilian households, and Construction process

thereby counter this shortage (Inson, 2022). The An overview of the construction process can be
collected water can be used to water gardens and found in the appendices.
plants, for washing, and toilet flushing. With the
first two applications, the chances of subsoil pen-
etration are increased as well, reducing the pres-
sure on the sewerage system and contributing
to a healthier subsoil (Souza, 2020). Since 2007
already, built surfaces of more than 500 m2 are
obliged to collect rainwater by São Paulo state
law to reduce flooding risks (Acqualimp, 2021).

Rainwater can be collected on top of buildings,

inside buildings, or underground, in cisterns
made of various materials, like masonry, fiber-
glass, plastic, and cement (Inson, 2022). Cisterns
located at ground level or below ground have a
smaller chance of microorganisms growing inside,
yet, these solutions are also more expensive, and
with the latter maintenance is harder.

In the design for Parque Cocaía, the large roof

surfaces are equipped with plastic cisterns to
store harvested rainwater. The water is collected
from the roofing tiles using gutters. By placing the
cisterns next to the cisterns for water shortage,
the infrastructure for the tap water and rainwater
can be installed next to each other. In contrast
to the tap water cisterns, a single, large cistern
is used for the rainwater, as there is no need to
separate rainwater for individual apartments. The
harvested rainwater is supplied to the toilets in
the buildings and to the sink on the balcony, to
be used for washing and watering plants and
gardens. A sign next to the sink indicates that the
water is non-potable.

São Paulo: repair and consolidate | Huub Fenten | 5273129 | 06-07-2023 116
Figure 76. Detailed section and elevation courtyard type

117
concrete parapet cover
matching floors + railings

CEB parapet
water cisterns for outage and
rainwater harvesting
ceramic roofing tiles

gutter collecting rainwater

EPS to reduce heat gain
insitu concrete + EPS floor

Cobogó element

baseboard protecting CEB

rainwater drainage balcony

drainage pipe behind column

insitu concrete floor and
integrated beam balcony
insulation layer to prevent
sound transmission
PVC window frame souterrain

pavement courtyard

waterproof layer

concrete foundation 33%

thicker than CEB wall

foundation on sandy subsoil

119
Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | managerial strategy | stakeholders

MANAGERIAL STRATEGY
In the previous chapters, the architectural design from where a more stable life can be built, with
has been elaborated on. For this design to be more (financial) freedom in the future.
constructed, a managerial plan is thought of
as well. This chapter covers the stakeholders Inhabitants
involved, the phasing of the project, and the The user group of the project, the future inhabit-
financial strategy. ants of Parque Cocaía, is represented by a man-
agement council (conselho gestor), being: “a
type of local council which is made up of dwellers
Stakeholders and landowners of an area to be upgraded, as
Given the size and importance of the project, a
well as public officials and NGOs that work inside
large variety of stakeholders is involved. First, an
or with the area” (Formicki, 2019). This council
overview is shown of all the stakeholders, after
is to communicate with the developers about
which the most important stakeholders are elab-
involvement in the design process, updates on
orately discussed. The stakeholders in the table
the progress, and payment schemes. Forming
are sorted on interest in the completion of the
the council will be challenging, given the size of
project. Power indicates to what extent a party is
the project and the various backgrounds of future
able to influence the outcome of the project.
users. Of the 1082 HIS 1 dwellings that will be
constructed, approximately 400 will be housed
Formicki (2019) argues that although favela
by evicted dwellers from the area.
upgrading is meant to reduce the influence of
parallel powers, the group whose power levels are
When the inhabitants enter the new dwellings,
most affected is favela dwellers. In the large-scale
homeowner associations are founded. These are
social housing projects, their opinion is one of
responsible for the maintenance of the buildings,
many and they are forced to accept a new dwell-
the processing of complaints, and for spreading
ing without being able to influence the dwelling
information received from the municipality. The
its size, layout, location, neighbors, and even the
associations are divided per courtyard, as their
rules that come with it. Hence, the process of
users share the buildings and facilities among
favela upgrading leads to increasing the power
them.
asymmetry in the São Paulo periphery. Hopefully,
however, the new dwellings can provide a base

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 municipality

corp. developers

state + government

architects
contractors
power

parallel authorities

corp. investors
inhabs. Cocaía

sub-contractors

engineering parties

environ. agencies
inhabs. Grajaú

users Billings
migrants

interest

Figure 77. Stakeholder matrix

users Billings
inhabs. Grajaú

parallel authorities

inhabs. Cocaía
sub-contractors migrants

environ. agencies

architects municipality
engineering parties government

contractors corp. developers

corp. investors
state

Figure 78. Stakeholder relations diagram

Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | managerial strategy | stakeholders

Developers (SEHAB and corporate parties) parties) determine the program of requirements
Given that the project mostly contains housing for the architects. Based on site analysis, they
for the poorest inhabitants of São Paulo, it is envision a certain density, types of dwellings, and
up to the municipality to fulfill the role of devel- amenities, which they communicate to the archi-
oper, investor, and landlord for the social housing tects. They are also to stay in touch with other
component of the project. Similar developments stakeholders about the development process.
are being made in other parts of the periphery For example, they inform evicted inhabitants,
of São Paulo as part of the Mananciais Project, open up a website where the apartments are
a project sponsored by the World Bank aiming sold, and organize stakeholder meetings. In the
to “contribute to the protection of metropolitan case of Parque Cocaía, the design has already
headwaters, and, in parallel, to introduce territo- been made.
rial ordering and to seek to improve the quality
of life of the low-income population living in Architects
the headwaters area” (Government of the state As various parts of the project site are developed
of São Paulo, 2007). The Chácara do Conde is by various parties, the architects have an impor-
one of these projects, offering housing to dwell- tant role in matching the design and construction
ers evicted from Cantinho do Ceú. The SEHAB is process. The architect of the social housing is the
the board of the municipality responsible for the catalyst of the development of Parque Cocaía. Its
investment and development of social housing. role is to keep in touch with the parties involved in
the development and construction of the project.
Of the dwellings on the project site, 20% is allo- May any changes or delays occur in the process,
cated to HIS 2 inhabitants. The construction and the architect is to take the lead in tackling these.
sale of these dwellings are left to private devel-
opers and investors. By selling these rights up Important benchmarks for the architect to look
front, money is gained to cross-subsidize the out for are the quality of the project for the future
social housing and make the project more fea- inhabitants, costs, durability, sustainability, and its
sible. The design and location of the dwellings influence on other inhabitants of São Paulo.
have already been determined, to prevent dis-
connection between HIS 1 and HIS 2 dwellings Contractors
in the area. The project requires multiple contractors to
execute the construction. Preferably, local con-
The HIS 1 dwellers slowly gain ownership of tractors are chosen, given their experience with
their homes over the years. After approximately the area’s conditions, the local communities, and
twenty years, when they have fully repaid their their connections with local suppliers. The con-
depth with the municipality, the home becomes tractors receive instructions from the architects
theirs. The land and urban amenities stay munic- and report back any deviations from the plan or
ipal property. It is their responsibility to do main- trouble they run into.
tenance on this.
Large contractors would offer economies of scale
Normally, the developers (SEHAB and corporate for the construction of certain building compo-
nents. For example, a lot of concrete needs to

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 Stakehold er Role Interest Power Expectations
Evicted Future Very high Medium/low • Move to a more robust dwelling.
inhabitants inhabitants • Gain ownership over a dwelling.
Parque Cocaía + evicted from • Receive access to more urban
(conselho gestor) current home amenities.
• Maintain (and expand) social ties.
People looking Future Very high Very low • Find a place to live in São Paulo.
to move to inhabitants ““
Parque Cocaía
(migrants)
Municipality Developer High Very high • Create social housing.
(SEHAB) + investor • Reduce the housing deficit.
• Improve the life of the inhabitants
of São Paulo.
Corporate Developer High High • Make profit.
developers (+ investor) • (when also investing: expand
portfolio)
Corporate Investor High Medium • Make profit.
investors • Expand portfolio.
Architects Designer High High/medium • Make profit.
• Expand portfolio.
• Fulfill corporate social
responsibility.
Contractors Constructor Medium High/medium • Make profit.
• Fulfill corporate social
responsibility.
Parallel Objector Medium Medium/low • Maintain power in Grajaú.
authorities (e.g., • Find new methods to make money
the PCC) 1 in Parque Cocaía.
Environmental Objector Medium Low • Ensure environmental protection of
agencies the subsoil, Billings reservoir, air
quality, flora, and fauna.
• Seeing the urban green being
expanded.
State (CDHU) 2 Investor Medium/low High • Create social housing.
• Reduce the housing deficit.
Government 2 Investor Medium/low High • Create social housing.
• Reduce the housing deficit.
Inhabitants Objector Low Low • Receive access to new urban
Grajaú amenities.
• Receive job opportunities during
construction and after.
All users of the Objector Low Very low • Ensure protection/improvement of
Billings reservoir the water quality.
Engineering Designer Low Low • Make profit.
parties
Sub-contractors Constructor Low Low • Make profit.

1
The presence, size, and influence of parallel authorities are uncertain. Their influence would be indirect.
2
Although the state and government have a high interest in new social housing being constructed, their numerous
involvements in projects lead to lower interest in individual projects.

Figure 79. Overview of all stakeholders

Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | managerial strategy | stakeholders

be poured at the site. It is cost-efficient to do so nection with the newly-built neighborhood. For
in one go. Other building components, like the the poorest evicted inhabitants, this could also
walls made of concrete masonry units, could also provide an opportunity to earn money to pay the
be constructed per block, by various smaller con- rent.
tractors.
Investors
A bid can be held to determine the contractors. The main investor of the project will be the munic-
Though, in this bid, social factors and experience ipality. They are largely responsible for funding
are to be taken into account as well. Hence, one the social housing of the project. The housing
can also opt to invite several local contractors to developed by corporate parties is funded by
make a bid and choose from these only. these parties themselves or by corporate inves-
tors. The investors influence the design via the
A labor-intensive construction is chosen, which developers. They can for example ask for more
offers job opportunities for inhabitants of Grajaú. dwellings to be built per hectare or for differ-
Future inhabitants or citizens living nearby could ent dwelling types to be incorporated into the
be employed to earn money and to create a con- design.

Phasing

Below, the phasing of the project is elaborated ing plans, eviction, and possibilities of partic-
on. For a detailed overview of the construction ipating in the design process.
process of a single building, the Building technol- 4. Demolish the dump site just west of the
ogy chapter is referred to. project site to make way for construction
traffic.
1. Finish the master plan and bylaws for cor- 5. Lay down iron plates for construction traffic
porate development. The master plan con- to drive on.
tains allotment plans and the bylaws address 6. Set up a temporary base for the construc-
maximum building dimensions, number of tion crew and set up a place to store building
dwellings, architectural style, etc. materials, protected from the rain.
a. The first investments are made by the 7. Start excavating subsoil on the western part
municipality, and/or government. of the project site. Start the production of
2. Sell the plots of land that are developed compressed earth blocks as soon as the right
by corporate parties. Finish the design of soil types are retrieved. This process is contin-
the social housing that is developed by the ued throughout the excavations.
municipality. a. Excavators can enter the site from the west,
3. Open a bid for contractors. Preferably hire where the dump site has been demolished,
local contractors and personnel, unless econ- and from the south.
omies of scale greatly reduce the costs. b. Soil is split based on composition. Soil that
a. Inform inhabitants and the school of build- can be used for the compressed earth blocks

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | managerial strategy | phasing

is separated from soil types that can be used are paved. Construction of the next phases
for leveling. The soil and bricks are stored in continues.
a dry place. 12. The evicted inhabitants move in based on:
8. Pouring the foundation of the western blocks (1) the risk levels of their current dwelling, (2)
in concrete. The excavation crew moves on construction traffic routes, and (3) traffic dis-
to excavate the ditches all over the project turbance.
site to prevent the building pits from filling up a. The dwellings closest to the water have the
with water. highest risk levels, certain dwellings have to
a. Concrete trucks can be driven onto the site be removed to make way for construction
or small mixers can be used, based on avail- routes, and when having the dwellers closest
ability with the contractors. Given the size of to the new buildings move first, they do not
the project, economies of scale can probably have to experience nuisance from people
be utilized. moving who live ‘behind’ them.
b. The first load of blocos verdes can be trans- 13. When the evicted dwellers have moved to
ferred to the site as well. To prevent having to their new homes, new access points can be
build an enormous storage location for these, constructed on the southeast and northern
it’s better to transfer them in phases. sides.
c. The future green axis can be used for trans- 14. The settlements are demolished. The debris
portation. from these is used in the construction of the
9. The construction of the first blocks on the new blocks.
west side of the project area can start. These 15. When the blocks on the western side have
contain solely HIS 1 housing to relocate been finished, the green axis is closed for
evicted dwellers (approximately 400 families) construction traffic. The first urban amenities
from the banks of the stream. are added: a walking path, vegetation, and a
10. The construction of the other blocks can start skate park. Vegetation and urban furniture are
when the first phases of the first blocks (e.g., added to the finished blocks as well.
floors have been poured so the concrete 16. Construction of the blocks continues. When
mixer can move on) have been completed or the walls of the block next to the public
simultaneously when there is sufficient room square are finished, the square is paved and
on the site and the contractors have enough connected to the green axis.
personnel. a. Construction traffic enters the site from the
a. Preferably, the evicted dwellers would south. The roads over here are paved once
move to their new homes over a period of a the rest of the project is finished.
couple of months to maintain social bonds b. The linear park is constructed before the
but prevent traffic disturbance. final entry points are closed off.
b. Contractors can divide the work per build- 17. Once blocks are finished and the road leading
ing block since it is beneficial for installing up to them has been paved, new inhabitants
urban infrastructure to have the two buildings can move in.
of a courtyard block finished at the same time. 18. Completion of the project.
11. When the first blocks are finished, the roads
leading up to the dwellings and the parking

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | managerial strategy | finances

Finances

By looking at other social housing projects, the Paulo, 2022).

various cash flows involved in the development of Chácara do Conde, Santo Amaro V, and Gleba
Parque Cocaía can be estimated. Based on this, A were all developed by the SEHAB, with the
a proposal for a payment scheme can be derived former two being part of the Mananciais program
and the investment costs be determined. Below, since they offer housing to inhabitants evicted
the various cash flows are elaborated on. from areas close to the city’s reservoirs.

Investors State (CDHU)

Given that Parque Cocaía is a ZEIS area and The Chácara do Conde project was funded by
hence mostly consists of social housing, large both the SEHAB and CDHU (Governo do Estado
investments will be needed by public instances de São Paulo, 2022). This was not the case for
to make the project feasible. Though, corpo- the Santo Amaro V and Gleba V projects, which is
rate investment is attracted by selling the rights probably due to their smaller scale at 1290 units
to develop HIS 2 housing and in-kind help is compared to 201 and 537 respectively (Vieg-
attracted to reduce the design costs. liecca & Associados, n.d.-a; Viegliecca & Associa-
dos, n.d.-b). Given the size of the development
Municipality (SEHAB) in Parque Cocaía at approximately 1300 units,
The municipality of São Paulo invests heavily in funding by the state could well be acquired once
social housing to tackle the housing shortage in more. Though, the state is already investing in
the metropolis, as can be read on the website of another 3000 housing units in Jardim Itajaí, about
the SEHAB (Prefeitura da Cidade de São Paulo, 2 km south of Parque Cocaía, in the next two
n.d.). Funding for ZEIS 4 projects is provided by years (Governo do Estado de São Paulo, 2022).
the municipality as part of the Programa Manan- This indicates the need for housing in Grajaú is
ciais, which translates to Springs Program. high, but it might also affect the funding possibil-
“The Program involves actions of: (1) urbanization ities for the development of Parque Cocaía.
of precarious settlements; (2) land regularization
and (3) housing assistance (temporary and defini- Government
tive) for families resettled from risk areas or areas The Brazilian government has been actively
under construction” (Prefeitura da Cidade de São investing in the development of social housing

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | managerial strategy | finances

under the administrations of President Lula from Ministry of Cities, reporting a housing deficit of
2003-2011 and once again since his reelection 5.9 million and 24.8 million dwellings of sub-par
in late 2022 (Mello, 2023). The investments are quality, this investment is more than needed.
made as part of the Minha Casa, Minha Vida
(MCMV) program, which offers subsidies and Cities Alliance
below-market interest rates for low-income The United Nations’ Cities Alliance provides
groups not owning any property yet (Ministério in-kind support to the development of social
das Cidades, 2023). Half of the MCMV budget is housing in the global south.
allocated to families with an income of less than “The Cities Alliance is a global coalition of cities
R$ 2640 per month (the HIS 1 group consists of and their development partners committed
families earning up to R$ 3906 per month), allow- to scaling up successful approaches to urban
ing for dwellings to be subsidized by 85-95% poverty reduction. […] Citywide and nationwide
(Mello, 2023). The program has as a goal to con- slum upgrading in accordance with the Alliance’s
tribute to the construction of two million homes Cities Without Slums action plan (MDG Target
by 2023 (Ministério das Cidades, 2023). With 11), including promoting secure tenure, access to
the Ministério das Cidades (2023), translated to shelter finance, and policies to help cities prevent

investment construction revenue

R$ 31.8m
urban amenities
(developed by SEHAB)
R$ 8.9m
rent returns over 20 yrs
(for municipality)

R$ 85.7m
public parties
(municipality, state,
and/or government)

R$ 53.9m
social housing R$ 79.9m
(developed by SEHAB) rent-to-own returns
(for municipality, state,
and/or government)

R$ 34.5m+
corporate investors
(excl. development
costs HIS 2 housing)
R$ ?
HIS 2 housing R$ ?
(developed by sales owner-occupied
corporate parties) (for corporate develop-
ers & investors)

R$ ? R$ ?
future home-owners monthly rent
HIS 2 dwellings (for corporate develop-
ers & investors)

Figure 80. Cash flow chart

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | managerial strategy | finances

the growth of new slums.” (Cities Alliance, n.d.-a) Básico de Construção (CUB), Portuguese for Basic
Between 2001 and 2004, the program provided Unit Cost of Construction, provides average per
technical support ($300,000 in labor) for the dwelling type. For a low-standard housing unit
Bairro Legal program in São Paulo (Cities Alli- that is part of a social interest project (PIS type),
ances, n.d.-b). The program was focused on land the average was R$ 1181.39/m2 in January 2022
tenure regularization and improving the living in São Paulo state (Câmara Brasileira da Indústria
conditions of excluded areas of the city. Given da Construção, n.d.).
that approximately 210 households are about to
be evicted in Parque Cocaía, the Cities Alliance The Chácara do Conde project cost R$ 156.4m
could be asked to assist in the eviction strategy for 1290 housing units (Governo do Estado de
and process. For this, they could use their exper- São Paulo, 2022). Considering the total floor area
tise from the Bairro Legal program and build a of the project (68,500 m2), the costs per square
standard for future evictions in Grajaú. meter of floor area were R$ 2283 (ref.: €83 in April
2023). This is higher than average, especially con-
Corporate developers/investors sidering the basic material usage, greenfield loca-
As corporate parties are looking to make a profit tion, inflation of building material prices, and rep-
on their executed projects, they are probably not etition in design, but this can be explained due
interested in getting involved with the develop- to the large-scale urban interventions included
ment of social housing in Parque Cocaía. Though, in the project – next to social housing, an urban
corporate parties are offered the chance to park of 120,400 m2 was constructed on site
develop HIS 2 housing on a part of the site. The (Governo do Estado de São Paulo, 2022). Con-
funds retrieved from this are used to cross-subsi- sidering the average construction price halfway
dize the development of social housing. through the construction, in the summer of 2020,
was ~R$ 896/m2 (Câmara Brasileira da Indústria
Research has also been done on whether pub- da Construção, n.d.), it can be estimated that
lic-private partnerships (PPP projects) could ~R$ 61.4m was spent on the construction of the
offer opportunities to expand the limited public dwellings and ~R$ 95.022.4/7m on the construc-
budget by incentivizing private investors with tion of public space, consisting of the park and
tax benefits, but these structures seem highly the space between the apartment buildings. With
complex (Amorim & Faria, 2021). the project containing ~22.4 ha of public space
(Arquitetura JAA, n.d.), the price for the construc-
Construction cost tion of this public space was ~R$ 424/m2.
In February 2023, the official average construc-
tion costs were R$1,781.56/m2 for São Paulo To make an estimate for the construction costs of
state, as reported by the Instituto Brasileiro de Parque Cocaía, the CUB for social interest projects
Geografia e Estatística (IBGE), Portuguese for Bra- and the cost of development of public space for
zilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, which Chácara do Conde are used. Firstly, considering
is a federal instance analyzing data (IBGE, n.d.). that the floor area of social housing in the project
Though, this number varies depending on factors is 41,542 m2 and the inflation was 9.9% over the
like location, type of dwelling, materials used, last year (IBGE, n.d.), the construction of housing
and the chosen contractor. The Custo Unitário will cost ~R$ 53.9m. Secondly, for the public

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | managerial strategy | finances

space, IBGE reports price inflation of ~43% from itants of the dwellings paying approximately
2020 to 2023 (IBGE, n.d.). If we apply this to the 10-15% of their income as rent to gain ownership
price of the construction of public space for the over the dwelling in 15-25 years according to
Chácara do Conde project, the price to construct Guerreiro et al. (2021). Salcedo and Silva (2020)
public space would now be ~R$ 606/m2. With report HIS 1 families committing 20-25% of their
a total of 5.25 ha of public space incorporated monthly income to rent, and therefore an average
in the design of Parque Cocaía, its construction commitment of 17.5% is assumed in the payment
would cost ~R$ 31.8m. This makes for a total schemes of Parque Cocaía.
construction cost of ~R$ 85.7m. This does not
include costs for the pre-construction phase and A home provides the stability needed to allow
the construction of the HIS 2 housing. dwellers to start raising themselves from pre-
carity. Inhabitants of Brazilian settlements strive
Revenues their entire lives to reach a status of ownership/
Sale land corporate development holding title deeds, as experienced during the
In March 2023, the average land price for resi- field trip and mentioned by São Paulo state gov-
dential property in São Paulo was R$ 10,304/m2, ernor Rodrigo Garcia during the opening cere-
according to the Fundação Instituto de Pesqui- mony of Chácara do Conde: ‘Owning a home is
sas Econômicas (FIPE), translating to Economic the biggest dream of families and today we are
Research Institute Foundation. This NGO col- here to make some of those dreams come true.
lects and analyzes economic data and is closely We’re not just handing over a key, but a home,
related to São Paulo University. Considering this where your family’s future will be written’ (Guer-
price, the 3,349 m2 of land reserved for corporate reiro et al., 2021).
development in Parque Cocaía could produce a
revenue of R$ 34.5m. Though, this revenue might Though, 10% of the social housing is made avail-
even be bigger considering the number of floors able on a rental scheme as well. This offers flex-
that are allowed to be built in certain locations ible housing for dwellers that only wish to live in
and as the land does not include square meters the neighborhood for a short duration as part of
for gardens yet. a temporary job or as an emergency solution. In
these, evicted dwellers from other areas of the
Selling the land also means that no money will be city could also temporarily stay until new social
retrieved by public instances for rent or sales of housing projects have been constructed.
the HIS 2 dwellings. On the other hand, selling
the land upfront makes the investment smaller The HIS 1 group, which will occupy 80% of the
and reduces the financial risks of the project. dwellings of the future neighborhood, consists of
families with an income between 0 to 3 minimum
Rent social housing wages (Yuca, 2022). In 2023, the minimum wage
The social housing that is going to be constructed was determined to be R$ 1302 per month (ref.:
in Parque Cocaía is mostly meant to become €250 in March 2023) (Ministério da Economia,
the property of their inhabitants. Given the low 2022). Considering inhabitants pay 17.5% of this
income of the target group, the homes are sup- as rent, the average monthly payment would be
plied on a rent-to-own scheme, with the inhab- ~R$ 342. Summing up this rent for 1082 HIS 1

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Thesis architecture and safety | design Parque Cocaía | managerial strategy | finances

rent-to-own households of Parque Cocaía, a of the neighborhood, and (4) inflation. To set up
revenue of ~R$ 370k per month and ~R$ 4.4m this policy, the Cities Alliance could be requested
per year is to be expected. In twenty years, this for assistance. Also, it is important to consider
adds up to ~R$ 88.8m being paid back by the that the public instances investing in the project
inhabitants of Parque Cocaía. In twenty years’ do not necessarily strive to make a profit from this
time, 10% of this, being ~R$ 8.88m, is collected type of project.
with the rental units on the site.
In the Chácara do Conde project, rent-to-own
Feasibility contracts are transferred when people move out
The diagram summarizes the cash flows of the and in. This process is arranged by the dwellers
development of Parque Cocaía. Considering themselves and overseen by the homeowners
the construction costs of the social housing and association. The transfer needs to be approved
public space (~R$ 85.7m) are lower than the rev- by the SEHAB, as they receive the rent from the
enues (R$ 34.5m + 88.8m= ~123m), the project inhabitants. When making this approval, the
can be considered feasible. Though, the revenue SEHAB has to check if the family moving in com-
from the social housing will be spread over the plies with the user group for the specific apart-
next twenty years, meaning the public investors ment, to prevent social housing being lived in by
will have to wait for their investments to be repaid. families with too much income to live in social
Furthermore, a clear policy should be made on housing. For Parque Cocaía, the terms of these
how to deal with (1) inhabitants not paying the transfers are to be included in the dwelling con-
rent, (2) inhabitants moving out, (3) maintenance tracts.

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 SYNTHESIS
goal: answer the research question and reflect on the work done
Thesis architecture and safety | synthesis | conclusion

CONCLUSION
This thesis explored how architectural design can and safety. A relationship that is of great impor-
positively influence safety in the periphery of São tance to Grajaú, São Paulo, and other metropo-
Paulo, taking into account socioeconomic segre- lises dealing with similar problems. Solving the
gation, local building practices, and social equity. housing crisis and improving urban safety in São
This was done using a literature review, compar- Paulo are long-term processes, in which projects
ative analysis, contextual analysis, and research like Chácara do Conde set an example for future
by design. The results of the thesis contain of a developments. Hopefully, these transformation
catalog of design interventions positively influ- projects can illustrate a future in which enclaves
encing safety, an overview of case studies and are not required to offer a safe living environ-
how they deal with safety, a summary of the ment. A future in which various parties collabo-
context of Grajaú, and a design for the develop- rate to take one billion slum dwellers from urban
ment of Parque Cocaía. The goal of this thesis precarity, to hand them safer and more reliable
was to contribute to the collective knowledge homes.
of the relationship between architectural design

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Thesis architecture and safety | synthesis | conclusion

Figure 81. Impression street and slab type

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Thesis architecture and safety | synthesis | reflection

REFLECTION
Process sites. Despite trying to come up with a feasible
Spending ten months on a single project is a lot, concept to be able to do interviews already, my
yet this also brings forth the danger of dwelling ideas changed once I set foot in Brazil. Being able
on minor details and losing sight of the bigger to experience the context firsthand is of immense
picture. Especially since the thesis deviates from value and my own feelings during the field trip
other projects of the master track in the way that directly brought forth my research topic, safety,
it requires a research and design component. as explained in the Prologue.
Creating a symbiotic relationship, where one
reinforces the other, between these is one of the Upon returning to the Netherlands, I started
major challenges of this thesis. In this chapter, making elaborating my research plan based on
a reflection is drawn up on the development of my experiences. In this process, a forced myself
my thesis and myself as a future architect. As this to make many variations and alternatives, even
thesis marks the end of my study career, reflecting when these ideas may sound less feasible at first.
on my learnings might be equally as important This forced out-of-the-box thinking is something
as the results of the project itself. Furthermore, I I have taught myself throughout this master, as
look ahead to the P5, the future development of by nature, I am prone to stick to logical reason-
Parque Cocaía, and my career. ing and in doing so sometimes limit my design
process. This might be due to following the struc-
Explorative phase tural design track during the first two years of my
On Monday, September 5, 2022, the graduation bachelor before switching to urban design for the
studio officially took off with the first lecture on final year. Now that I am aware of this behavior, I
the research plan. I got back from two months counter it by dedicating time to design explora-
in Southeast Asia five days before and the first tion sessions during which I let go of my bounda-
weeks I mostly spend wrapping up my board ries of logic. At the same time, I use this behavior
year at the Netherlands-Asia Honours Summer as a strength when writing down my design narra-
School (NAHSS) I did the year before. We had tive and ensuring the project its viability.
five weeks to do explorative reading and come
up with a preliminary research plan before going
to Brazil to visit reference projects and the project

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Thesis architecture and safety | synthesis | reflection

Design hypothesis more time on the literature review and compar-

Having determined my direction for the thesis, ative analysis at first, as the first designs were
safety, most of my time after the field trip was made without much knowledge of the subject
spent on the case studies of Santo Amaro V and and were therefore not valuable to the design
Chácara do Conde. These analyses were highly process. What did help me out was figuring out
valuable, as they gave me a sense of the lifestyles, how I would answer the research question, with a
ways of living, and use of spaces. In my current literature review, comparative analysis, and con-
design, the influences of these are still visible. In textual analysis. It was only later that I started
the meantime, I also spend time on the literature using my design as an analysis tool rather than an
review and making a first design for the area for application of the results of the other three com-
the P2. Looking back, I think I should have spent ponents, but that did not hamper the process.

Figure 82. Problem-solving experiment performed with the students of Figure 83. First sketches contextual analysis
the University of São Paulo during the field trip

Figure 84. Design exploration of building block types Figure 85. First versions urban design

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Thesis architecture and safety | synthesis | reflection

Research question
How can architectural design positively influence
safety in the irregular settlements of São Paulo?

LITERATURE REVIEW

Sub-question 1 Sub-question 2 Sub-question 3

What forms of safety are there How can urban patterns and How can the street profile posi-
and how do they influence the amenities positively influence tively influence safety in the
lives of the inhabitants of the safety in the irregular settlements irregular settlements of São
irregular settlements of São of São Paulo? Paulo?
(definition) (horizontal) (vertical)

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS SITE ANALYSIS

Redrawing Data analysis

Understanding the designs. Demographics, income, age, etc.
Site visits Sketching
Analyzing real-life performance. Capturing urban life on the site.
Synthesis Interviews
Determining key concepts. Determining needs community.

APPLICATION

Writing
Thesis report on findings.
Reflection
Account for perspectives.
Design
Transformation ZEIS 4 area

Conclusion

Figure 86. Development of the research plan over time

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Thesis architecture and safety | synthesis | reflection

Problem statement

Personal fascination Explorative reading

RESEARCH SET-UP

Research question
How can architectural design positively influence safety during the development of social housing in the
periphery of São Paulo, taking into account socioeconomic segregation, local building practices, and the
Preliminary research plan
cohesion between various groups of inhabitants?
Sub-question 1 Sub-question 2 Sub-question 3
Which architectural interventions Which lessons can be learned How does the context of the
have proven to positively from the development of housing project site operate and which
influence urban safety? in São Paulo and the Netherlands factors should be taken into Field trip observations
on dealing with safety, segrega- account when designing?
tion, and cohesion?

Problem statement

LITERATURE REVIEW CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Research set-up
Course articles Synthesis Synthesis
On social housing and terminology. Roads, public space, green, busses, etc. Redrawing to understand the designs.
Northern authors Data analysis Site visits
E.g., Newman, Jacobs, and Jeffery. Demographics, income, health, etc. Analyzing real-life performance.
Southern authors Empirical research Derivation Comparative analysis Literature review
On application in the global south. Observations and interviews. Determining key concepts. Precedents from Brazil and the Netherlands. Articles, books, reviews, and building code.

Design Parque Cocaía

Development of social housing on greenfield
land with environmental restrictions.

Contextual analysis Reflection

Program of requirements Demographics and urban relations. Biases and perspectives.

APPLICATION - DESIGN

Writing
Graduation report on findings.
Reflection Graduation report
Account for perspectives.
Design
Development Parque Cocaía.

Conclusions

Conclusion

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Thesis architecture and safety | synthesis | reflection

Preliminary designs with my peers were:

Between P2 and P3, attention was put on the • A neighborhood with a lot of corners and
technical and managerial side of the project. I blind spots is not safe, but neither is one with
chose to aim for maximum viability of my design large open spaces or long streets. The chal-
by allowing it to be built with little heavy machin- lenge lies in finding a balance between these
ery, by small contractors, using local building two.
methods, and for a low price. Innovation was • Designing a safe neighborhood should be
brought in by using mollusk blocks, compressed done on all scales and in 3D. Not only the
earth blocks, and recycled concrete, three tech- master plan and urban block layout but also
niques that proved to be suited to the Brazilian the design of units, the plinth level, the street
context. By choosing nighttime cross-ventilation, section, and urban furniture are of impor-
Bahama shutters, and some thermal massing, tance.
I went for affordable and reliable strategies to • Designing new public space in the dense
ensure a comfortable indoor climate. Looking urban tissue of São Paulo is valuable, yet
back, I could have used this thesis to be more it also takes up space that could be used
innovative and explorative in the project its to build much-needed social housing. The
climate design. In a future project in a different design should strike a balance between the
climate, I wish to further explore the concepts of two.
solar chimneys and Trombe walls. • How to narrow down a research question to
a point where it becomes relevant, defined,
At the same time, I worked on the architectural and manageable.
elaboration of the project. Despite investing in Apart from these, of course, many smaller points
the comparative analysis and literature review, of feedback were integrated into the design.
one of the challenges for me was integrating the Sometimes, not at once, because I misunder-
outcomes of these analyses into the design. For stood the feedback or because other parts of the
this, the sessions with the faculty were very val- project needed attention first.
uable, as my tutors pushed me into figuring out
how to do this. What I appreciated in this was that Another lesson learned for future projects is
they did not tell me what to do, but rather what to that I should involve my design sketches more
explore, which made the process of figuring this often during tutors (or client meetings). During
out more valuable to my development. Further- the thesis, I sometimes was reluctant to show
more, I set up a feedback session with some of sketches of concepts that had not been thought
the other students in the studio every couple of through completely yet, but this also takes away
weeks, from which I drew inspiration and gained the opportunity for tutors to stimulate advancing
feedback on my design and process. Because of with certain design explorations.
our different personalities and backgrounds, we
all focused on different aspects of the design,
which helped me zoom out and go back to the
basics of my project. Concrete lessons learned
from the tutoring sessions and feedback sessions

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Thesis architecture and safety | synthesis | reflection

Figure 87. Pictures of various design variants and explorations

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Thesis architecture and safety | synthesis | reflection

Final design • Illustrating the human scale. Show how a

At the P3, the literature review, comparative anal- space is perceived, what dimensions it has,
ysis, and contextual analysis were close to being and how it is appropriated by its inhabitants.
done. Because I had spent time finishing these,
the design presented was lagging a bit. From Final phase
the analyses, I had drawn inspiration and learned Over the course of the next six weeks, the
about how architectural design influences safety, research and design are to be completed. The
but I had yet to integrate these mostly at block design concepts are mostly set, but they need
level. After the P3, I first processed the feed- further elaboration on a detailed level. Also,
back on site level, but at the same time did not the research question is answered and the liter-
make time to illustrate the design at block level. ature review, comparative analysis, and contex-
During the last feedback session before the P4 tual analysis have been completed, although the
(ref.: 1,5 weeks ago at the time of writing), I did results might need still be processed to a final
not manage to finish all the drawings of the block presentation level. During the next weeks, most
yet, making it hard to receive feedback on this. of my attention will go to producing atmospheric
On the other hand, I spent too much time fig- impressions of the public spaces in the project,
uring out the details of every part of the master working out the details on site level, building
plan, while these would change still later on. In a models, and finalizing the slides and report. The
future project, I would keep the master plan more site is massive and hence months could be spent
schematic at first and instead visualize an entire on figuring out every square meter, yet, of most
block in 3D with a detailed floor plan. This is what importance for this thesis and my development
is presented in this version of the report, with the as a future architect are the processes leading up
detailed master plan still being finalized after the to the design and the lessons learned during this
most recent feedback sessions. process.

Furthermore, this final phase between the P3

and the P4 taught me more about drawings tech-
niques. Through tutoring, by looking at my peers
their work, and by looking at my own work, I
improved myself at:
• Determining the level of detail shown in a
drawing. Too much detail can harm a drawing
because it draws the reader’s attention away
from the main message and it might insinuate
that everything is shown on the drawing.
• The balance between text and images in a
presentation. Especially during weekly tutor-
ing sessions, it’s tempting to put in a lot of
text to discuss, yet it distracts from the draw-
ings.

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Thesis architecture and safety | synthesis | reflection

Figure 88. Order and chaos on my desk

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Thesis architecture and safety | synthesis | reflection

Looking back designing the courtyards, I did research on what

dimensions, functions, and characteristics deter-
Relevance to the MSc Architecture mine whether a courtyard is perceived as safe or
In 2020, the UN (United Nations) estimated the welcoming. The case studies also made me refor-
number of slum dwellers worldwide at one billion, mulate the research question a couple of times to
and this number is still rising. Housing is one of narrow it down and make it more manageable.
the key human rights, though, creating housing
for everybody is one of the major challenges Working method
of our generation. It is up to current and future As stated above, I figured out my analysis tools
architects to solve this challenge and thereby early on in the project. This helped me to struc-
this thesis, in which a design is made for social ture the development of my project. Having these
housing in São Paulo, fits right in with the educa- four different chapters to work on, I could also
tion towards becoming an architect. change activities halfway through the day, to not
lose focus. The four analyses differ in how they
Relevance to my career progress, as the literature review was more linear
I chose the Global Housing study because of the whereas the comparative analysis and design of
sheer urgency of the global housing crisis. Per- Parque Cocaía were more iterative. The challenge
sonally, I feel like more focus should be put on was having all four components influence each
solving this crisis during the MSc Architecture. other, of which the results are hopefully visible in
Witnessing the harrowing living conditions of this report.
some in São Paulo has further sparked my inter-
est in a career in this working field. Although I Academic and societal value
am not certain yet about what role I could play in This thesis contains a set of concrete design
solving the global housing crisis, the graduation interventions improving safety, a description of
studio has further sparked my interest in contrib- the architectural context of peripheral neigh-
uting to finding solutions. After completing the borhoods in São Paulo, lessons learned from
thesis, I hope to travel to Latin America once other social housing projects, and a design for
more to further explore the cities, societies, and Parque Cocaía showing how a safe, fostering,
challenges it has to offer. Throughout my mas- and affordable living environment can be created
ter’s, I have been studying Spanish as well, which in São Paulo. Hopefully, these contribute to the
will help me out in doing so. collective knowledge of architecture and safety,
a topic whose importance can immediately be
Mutual influence research and design felt once arriving in São Paulo and cities dealing
In the first months of the master thesis, my idea with similar problems. Although the research
was that I would do research on safety and after- is performed from a northern point of view (as
ward integrate this into a design. Halfway through explained in the chapter Perspectives), an effort
the project, however, I realized that the two were has been made to set aside bias and prejudice,
also related in the opposite direction. Chal- with the efforts of the field trip playing a big part
lenges in design pushed me to dive into papers in this. At the same time, this different point of
and cases to find a solution. For example, when view might have produced solutions that would
not have been thought of by southern designers.

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Thesis architecture and safety | synthesis | reflection

Transferability value political unrest, the inflation rate is high, and a

The design of Parque Cocaía can be used as considerable percentage of the country its pop-
inspiration for future developments in the area. ulation does not have a job or decent education.
It offers an alternative to the enclavement strat- Addressing these issues has a higher priority than
egy applied in Chácara do Conde, Gleba A, and whether social housing projects have fences or
Santo Amaro V, thereby preventing further seg- not. At the same time, I feel this should not dis-
regation. The types and urban concepts, used in courage efforts to design safer neighborhoods
the design of Parque Cocaía can be replicated and more importantly, do research on what the
in other neighborhoods alike. For example, in future of Brazilian cities should look like.
other greenfield sites next to long blind facades
or walls, the courtyard type can be constructed
to create a safe, affordable, and fostering com-
munity. The strip, sobrado, and tower types can
be transferred as well, as long as care is given to
the design of the public space in between the
types. For this, the design concepts used in the
design of the public space of Parque Cocaía can
be used as a source of inspiration too. If applied
with care, this consolidation will also contribute
to improving the lives of inhabitants living in
neighborhoods nearby.

Design versus reality

The fences around the courtyard of the case
studies initiated the search for an alternative
design where no fences are needed. It sounds
like the best way forward for these communities,
though in reality, it might not be. With the Santo
Amaro V project, a similar dream was chased,
which resulted in an award-winning design that
in theory should be able to do so. Though, a
couple of years after the neighborhood was
constructed, fences were installed regardless. It
could lead to wondering if chasing this dream of
a fenceless neighborhood is worth the effort at
all and if it is not a dream which only exists in
the heads of people that have not been raised in
such an environment. Personally, I think it still is a
dream worth chasing, but it also requires societal
changes that are not influenced by architecture
for the dream to become a reality. Brazil is still in

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Architecture & Safety
Safe social housing for the inhabitants of the periphery of São Paulo
Huub Fenten (5273129)

Master thesis MSc Architecture, Delft University of Technology

Global Housing studio ‘22/23: São Paulo, repair and consolidate (AR3AD105)
Main mentor: Harald Mooij
Second mentor: Frank Schnater
Third mentor: Nelson Mota

This graduation report was produced for the Global Housing department as part of
the MSc Architecture at Delft University of Technology. Copy and publication rights
belong to Delft University of Technology exclusively. Text and images were produced
by Huub Fenten, unless stated otherwise.

Delft, the Netherlands, 06-07-2023

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