Archinect - News

Before Olympics It's Demolition Derby

2012-03-05T15:13:00-05:00

The authorities think progress is demolishing our community just so they can host the Olympics for a few weeks

Brazilian government is evicting people and demolishing thousands of homes to stage the Olympics and the World Cup.

“These events were supposed to celebrate Brazil’s accomplishments, but the opposite is happening,” said Christopher Gaffney, a professor at Rio’s Fluminense Federal University. “We’re seeing an insidious pattern of trampling on the rights of the poor and cost overruns that are a nightmare.”

The favela evictions have struck a particular nerve on the streets. A network of activists in 12 cities estimates that as many as 170,000 people may face eviction ahead of the World Cup and the Olympics. In Rio, evictions are taking place in slums across the city, including the Metrô favela near the Maracanã stadium, where residents who refused to move live amid the rubble of bulldozed homes.

From the School Blogs: 5-hour film: Favela Santa Marta

2011-08-08T15:32:42-04:00

I am back home, in Rio, and have made an architectonic-cinematographic collaboration with filmmaker Rogerio Boettger. The 5-hour film must be produced, shot and edited within a period of five hours.

New ideas for sustainable architecture in the Americas

2011-07-05T13:30:19-04:00

... in Rio de Janeiro, city officials are working with architects to integrate the notorious favelas with the rest of the city by new cable car lines and a walkway designed by famed architect Oscar Niemeyer designed. Rio's government and business community are also funding the Morar Carioca architectural competition that will hire 30 architects to build healthy homes, schools, and clinics for the city's poorest 200,000 residents.