The Beauty in Imperfection
The Quinta Monroy project in Iquique, Chile by Elemental really focuses in on this idea of participatory architecture. If architecture is about bringing people together and benefiting the collective, then that is what this project flourished at. The program that Elemental was given was simply to provide social housing – but they not only wanted to provide housing but they wanted it to be a sustainable way of living that would give them a chance to grow as individuals and families.
I think that the way Elemental chose to use voluntary participation
to overcome poverty in their architecture was brilliant. It allowed a place
that would have been very modular with little distinctive character to flourish
into something very unique and excitingly random. If you give someone the
opportunity to paint a blank canvas, no two instances will ever be the same. By
starting with the more expensive half of the structure with walls that that
could eventually be moved – it gave the inhabitants the opportunity to be able
to afford the expansions rather than living in a constrained framework with no
way out.
This is a great example of architecture that allows people to create. I think this also contributes to a more positive sense of community and neighborhood pride as all members have built something of their own.
ReplyDeleteI like you love this example. It has been very criticized by others because "the users will not know what to do or how to do it properly" when in majority we are talking about a community made out of builders and even the ones that are not look for help from the others. Like the example shown in class I believe we should give users a bit more of credit.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. Especially because the people who will be using these spaces are likely to have at least some construction knowledge. They might actually be very skilled laborers.
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