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A house in Luanda: patio and pavilion together with Teresa Otto, Cristina Peres and Tiago Andrade...........................................................................................2nd PRIZE

Luanda, Angola 2010

Patio & Pavilion are the concepts of living that we are given as a reference: the patio brings the outside into the house and the pavilion opens the house to the outside. These concepts combined with a reflection on the climate of Luanda are the basis of our house. The pavilion (shadow) represents the first element of the house - a roof to live. This flag would then be a kind of bamboo raft that functions as a filter of intense sunlight while allowing the output of warm air. The patio - central courtyard - allows to see the sky within the house and together with the outside zones of circulation cause also an effective cross-ventilation, soothing environments and facilitating ventilation of compartments.
The construction strategy combine methods and traditional building materials with the present construction industry in Angola, taking advantage of the best that both have to offer for a project of this scale. Thus, this project was also designed to integrate the population in the (auto)construction of their own homes by providing various training courses in the area of the building and fostering the creation of new jobs and business. This involvement in the construction of the house serves not only to reduce costs, but also to give instruction to people in need, affirming it as a project with strong communitarian and social involvement.