Emergency Shelter | Hugo Alkmim de Matos

The emergency shelter built in Fazendinha Village located in the Calafate neighborhood in Belo Horizonte - Brazil, is the result of an academic project with an extensionist emphasis developed by the Department of Architecture and Urbanism of PUC Minas and coordinated by Professor Hugo Matos. The activity included the conception, fabrication, and assembly of a single-family dwelling, carried out jointly by students, professors, technicians, supporters, and community residents.

The choice of Vila Fazendinha was due to its proximity to the construction experimentation laboratory of the Architecture course at PUC Minas, the scale of the intervention, and the urgent need for dignified housing conditions for the community. The benefiting family consists of three women, Dona Maria and her two daughters, who were nominated by residents due to the precariousness of the housing they were living in.

The project was developed through workshops that aimed to integrate academic construction practice with addressing specific needs of social groups in vulnerable situations, using constructive rationalization, appropriate use of local raw materials, technical investigation of manufacturing processes, and collaborative work.

Once the needs program, budget, physical space, and available labor were defined, the participatory process for decision-making about the project sought to arrive at an architectural proposal consistent with possible construction conditions. The solution aims to preserve the family's daily dynamics, suggesting space organization according to activities and ensuring a secure structure where architecture fulfills its primary function of shelter.

Mrs. Maria's house has thirty square meters divided into a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedroom. The three-meter ceiling height contributes to ventilation by allowing hot air to escape through upper panel openings. The construction system consists of three cedar wood frames, braced with pine wood frames and steel cables, with the roof structure made of rounded eucalyptus pieces.

The construction system consists of three cedar wood frames, braced with pine wood frames and steel cables, with the roof structure made of eucalyptus round pieces. The enclosure was made using naval plywood panels covered with cementitious boards and finishes varying according to the waterproofing needs of each space.

Due to on-site assembly conditions, a prefabrication system was chosen, allowing components to be produced in the Construction Experimentation Laboratory and transported to Fazendinha Village, ensuring optimization of the construction process. Once the pillars, beams, and closures were produced, the components were transported to the site and assembled within five days on a raft slab, with electrical and plumbing installations carried out subsequently.

This initiative stems from the concept of the “extramural construction site” to suggest didactic paths adaptable to different urban contexts, facilitating the integration between academia and society beyond the physical boundaries of the University. This initiative stems from the concept of the 'extramural construction site' to suggest didactic pathways adaptable to different urban contexts, fostering the articulation between academia and society beyond the physical boundaries of the University. It involves an interdisciplinary approach guided by the active participation of students in building knowledge related to technical skills, social responsibilities of the profession, and critical reflection on the architect's role in the construction industry.