Co-founders Gustavo Utrabo and Pedro Duschenes. Photo by Vinicius Postiglione.

Children Village, a boarding school for disadvantaged children in rural Brazil, has been crowned as the world's best new building of the year. Designed by the firm Aleph Zero in collaboration with Rosenbaum, the groundbreaking project has won the Royal Institute of British Architects' prestigious International Prize, a biennial award recognizing a new building from around the world that exemplifies design excellence, architectural ambition and delivers meaningful social impact.

Created with the community in mind using native building techniques from the region prone to both hot summers and heavy rain, the project has been described by the judges as a remarkable achievement. "We were impressed by the way the architects embraced the question of how architecture can stimulate its users, as well as the surrounding community, in a region rich in natural resources but poor in opportunities, education and economic resources," said Julia Barfield, Chair of the RIBA Awards Group. "Aleph Zero are philosophical, reflective and thoughtful architects who are reinterpreting the Brazilian vernacular using the abundant natural resources that surround the site in an innovative way which inherently promotes both economic and environmental sustainability," she added.

Aleph Zero are philosophical, reflective and thoughtful architects who are reinterpreting the Brazilian vernacular using the abundant natural resources that surround the site in an innovative way which inherently promotes both economic and environmental sustainability" - Julia Barfield, Chair of the RIBA Awards Group

Just six years old, Aleph Zero has already built up an impressive body of work; the firm, which was founded in 2012 by Gustavo Utrabo and Pedro Duschenes, also received RIBA's International Emerging Architect award this year. With the completion of Children Village, and the accompanying honors, the young practice has been further propelled onto an international stage. I talked with the founders to hear more about their work. 

When did you start your practice?

We started Aleph Zero in mid 2012.

How many people are in it?

The size of the practice varies greatly according to necessity. As of now we are four people.

What was the impetus for the Children Village project?

The project felt like a great opportunity to make a positive impact on all the lives connected to Canuanã school, especially the students, but also their parents, school staff and the overall community. To make architecture meaningful within a larger educational program, situated in an area of great complexity, was clearly an immense challenge. From our visits to the region, it became clear that for the design to be successful in providing a sense of home to the students, it would be vital to recognize the immense cultural value present in the region, and not overshadow it with a false sense of development.

What was the brief?

It was a very open brief: to create a solution to better the living spaces for the students in Canuanã boarding school. The open mind of the client in listening to the proposals was a great catalyst for the proportions it took on.

How did you decide to team up with Marcelo Rosenbaum?

Marcelo was on the jury of an architecture competition which Aleph Zero won. When Bradesco Foundation reached out to him about a project in Tocantins, he contacted us about the possibility of teaming up.

This project has been described by the judges as 'reinventing Brazilian vernacular.' What type of traditional techniques and building methods did you look at to help inform the building process?

The design for Children Village sought to utilize many of the ideas already present in the regions near the site

The most important thing to consider in a rural region where they get high temperatures is “building” the shadow. We observed how indigenous communities used light resources precisely to create their living spaces; wooden structures and straw are beautifully utilized to create space without the need for decoration. The agricultural populations that migrated from other areas of Brazil in past centuries have very intelligent systems of building with mud, that achieve great thermal comfort indoors. Their houses also have big verandas that protect the more sheltered body of the house from the sun, and become the most important part of the building by incorporating diverse functions such as socializing, greeting, working, and playing. Consequently, the design for Children Village sought to utilize many of the ideas already present in the regions near the site.

How did you collaborate with the community for this project?

We visited nearby farms and indigenous tribes to try to understand how local people faced the difficulties of the climate. Afterwards, to better comprehend the inherent contradictions of the place, there was a process of research, immersion and collaboration with the community, teachers and students. It involved workshops and dynamics where a common understanding of problems were sought, arising from the dialogue between contemporary techniques and the area’s rich vernacular knowledge.

Even though you used traditional techniques, the building still looks very contemporary and modern. How did these building techniques feed back into the design process and did it alter the way you'd typically design?

We approach each project as a new possibility and try to develop a process to better comprehend the real issue. We do not seek for a consistent style, even though there are areas of interest that appear in different projects, such as gradual transitions and the importance of structural elements to compose space, among others. 

The architecture we seek to design is contemporary and a reflection of the difficulties and possibilities of our times.

Pre-existence is [also] very important to us. Our projects arise from the analysis of that which is already is there—though we seek not to merely replicate the existing but to engage in dialogue. In this manner, the architecture we seek to design is contemporary and a reflection of the difficulties and possibilities of our times.

What was the biggest challenge for this project?

There were two main challenges involved. Firstly, in creating a real sense of belonging for the students that see the local customs and techniques used by their grandparents as old-fashioned compared to what they see in the media. The exchange process that took place was very important in bridging this gap and helped everyone to reach a common understanding of the issues.

Secondly, the huge distance of the rural site meant every decision had to be weighted in relation to how the materials would reach the area. Due to this, we decided that light materials such as the wood structure, lightweight roof and other prefabricated panels could be viably imported, while heavier materials such as the concrete floor and the brickwork made of compacted local soil bricks would be produced in the construction site.

How have people responded to this project, in the local community and in Brazil? How have the students reacted?

The inauguration day was very moving, as the students and their parents got to enter the building for the first time-- it was a big surprise for them. We’ve had positive feedback from the teachers as well, reporting that the students are much calmer and focused on their studies. The number of students who got into university after the first year of the project increased immensely. Also, as time goes on, the school is proposing different activities for the new spaces, such as after-school studying groups, pilates and acting classes.

Why do you think this project has resonated with the RIBA judges and the broader architecture community?

It shows that the issues at hand reverberate beyond national boundaries

We think that the project has touched on meaningful issues, such as highlighting the importance of the educational program, demonstrating how a building can positively influence its inhabitants, and creating a dialogue between the local and the global, the past and the present. It shows that the issues at hand, while deeply linked to local problems, reverberate beyond national boundaries.