Instituto Fazendinhando builds a bathroom that didn't exist in a 4 m² house
The project was carried out at the home of a resident of the Jardim Colombo community, using donated materials and reused resources
On September 11th, the Instituto Fazendinhando presented the completion of a renovation of a 4 m² house located in the Jardim Colombo community, in the West Zone of São Paulo.
The project by the architect and social activist Ester Carro sought solutions to provide a more dignified and healthy home for the resident Francisco da Silva, 59, - popularly known as Tiquinho in his neighborhood. The room had no bathroom and the bed was suspended from the ceiling.
According to data collected in 2019 by the IBGE's Síntese dos Indicadores Sociais (Synthesis of Social Indicators), around 15 million Brazilians live in housing with some precarious conditions or safety risks. The survey also highlighted that 21.3% of the population lives in houses without bathrooms, built with scraps of wood or in other situations.
Reform process
After several assessments of the space, the work began at the end of April 2023, through Fazendolar - the Institute's pillar responsible for renovating precarious housing. Nowadays, the house has areas and elements with basic functions. Before, Francisco couldn't even imagine this possibility in the place where he lives. "I had no room for anything. Even moving around had to be calculated," he says.
To achieve the result, the process was divided into two stages. The first step was to build the bathroom under a staircase that leads to the floor of the neighboring house. "From the start of the work, Tiquinho already had this room. Before it, he couldn't even do his basic needs," says Ester.
The space has been covered in white tiles, with the addition of a toilet, sink, shower and a large mirror, installed according to the characteristics of the environment. Since the beginning, the renovation has been carried out using materials acquired from donations.
"Before starting the work, we started a campaign to raise funds, mainly for the carpentry part," says Ester. For the architect, this was one of the most challenging phases, because at first she and her team struggled to obtain the necessary materials. "As the house is very small, it had to be completely adapted."
During the course of the project, Ester took part in CASACOR 2023, presenting her space called "MOTIRÕ". In it, the architect represented social architecture and living in small homes on the outskirts. As well as provoking reflection in the public, the exhibition also served as an opportunity for the Institute to reuse various resources.
"With the dismantling of the event, we were able to take coverings and cabinets to Tiquinho's house," says Ester. In addition, some purchases were made in the community's own shops, boosting the local economy.
As a result, the work was also able to move forward with the second stage, which aimed to raise the resident's bed by leveling the floor and installing a wooden structure.
Franciso says that the project to extend his house has had a big impact on his life. "It helped me a lot and raised my self-esteem. There were a lot of things I needed, like comfort in my living space and my bathroom”, he says.
In fact, he helped with the renovation, along with volunteers and women trained by the Fazendeiras pillar. Francisco stresses the importance of having a place to sanitize, to sleep more comfortably and even to store food.
"We are grateful to SUM Engenharia for donating the materials, as well as the other donors who took part in the campaign. We would also like to thank CASACOR, CASACOR Sustentável, Plataforma Caos Planejado and RPN Cobogó for their support for the project", says Ester.
Team:
Architect: Fazendinhando
Photography: André Del Casalle
Architectural project: Ester Carro
Management: Silvia Ferreira
Team: Gilvan, Samara, Taina Cesario, Cobogó Relações Públicas, Estúdio Buriti, Wsstones marmoraria
Support: CASACOR, CASACOR Sustentável, Sum Engenharia, Kell Farias, Fernanda Aidar, União Jardim Colombo, Waxamani Mehinako and Claudia Moreira Salles
Material Used:
Bathroom
1. Aluminum Hinged Window
2. Soft Sensea Chrome Medium Spout Bathroom Faucet
3. Loren Shower Eletronica
4. Straight facing brick
5. Ceral’s flooring
Kitchen/Bedroom
1. Kitchen cabinet – donated by the event CASACOR 2023
2. Carpentry Stair / Cupboard by Estúdio Buriti (@estudio_buriti)
3. Custom-made mirror
4. Midea 45L White Frigobar
5. Fischer 2-burner Metal and Glass Black Bivolt Gas Cooktop
6. Torneira Cozinha Cromada Cc01 Doan
7. Portinari Boulevard Ceramics
8. Nidus Sbe Nat Ceramics - PORTINARI
9. Glossy Hale Postigio Door
10. Colchão Espuma Solteiro D20 Polar Branco / Preto
11. Coral Paint – Valsa Azul – Acrylic Paint
12. Square Led Overhead Panel Lamp 18w 6000k Cool White
