Recife
Brazil
Collins and Turner were invited to participate in the 2nd Living Steel International Competition for Sustainable Housing in Recife, Brazil. The brief for forty eight, 50sqm low cost and sustainable apartments on a brownfield site for a construction budget of US$300/sqm. The design concept is characterised by four main foci:
• Narrow floor plates and breezeways
• Minimisation of solar gain
• Formation of pleasant and secure semi public spaces
• Construction system utilising on-site un-skilled labour where possible, which is plentiful in Brazil.
The facades are expressed as a patchwork of solid and perforated steel mesh screens providing shade and privacy. Other environmental initiatives include the integration of a cooling labyrinth below the building as part of a passive cooling system, and extensive use of solar energy.
Clients Living Steel City of Recife
Structure Taylor Thompson Whitting
Environmental Arup
Fire Arup
Cost Gardiner and Theobald
Project Value US$300/sqm