the informal construction process of the favelas is an architecture derived from our building practices but less inhibited by preconceived notions of design.

in times of limited resources, fast urbanization and increasing demand for shelter, such process in which the materials not only come first but arrive at the construction site before any spatial abstraction has been conceived is a challenge to our creative process.

the favela studio was a semester-long exploration of informal settlements searching for creative design solutions as well as a deeper understanding of the issues at Acaba-Mundo favela, a settlement of 1200 people in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.