Thirteen architectural students, led by Christian Werthmann,
Associate Professor and Program Director Department of Landscape
Architecture, are conducting research in the favelas of Sao Paulo,
Brazil, as part of their studio option, GSD Cantinho do Céu Studio in
São Paulo.

Cantinho do Céu (A Place in Heaven) is an
informal city in the South of São Paulo; it houses 70,000 slum dwellers
out of the 1.5 million in the metropolis. Cantinho do Céu is of
strategic importance for São Paulo. It sits at the largest water
reservoir of the metropolis which it pollutes heavily. Despite its poor
infrastructure, sanitation and economic problems, Cantinho do Céu is a
vibrant city. Its several kilometer-long waterfront is undeveloped and
has high potential.

As finite masterplanning has failed in
the area, the studio will pursue tactical operations unfolding over
periods of time. Investigations will range from the watershed scale to
the individual housing unit. A special focus will be placed on the deep
integration of public space with alternative infrastructure propelling
current favela upgrading practices to more contemporary principals of
ecological urbanism.

Cantinho is a real project by the
studio sponsor, the São Paulo Housing Agency, which is funding the site
visit in the first week of March. The studio will be consulted by an
international team of specialists ranging from environmental engineers
to artists. The results of the studio will be published in a book,
presented and exhibited at the Museu da Casa Brasileira in São Paulo.

Studio slide show : http://www.drclas.harvard.edu/brazil/gsd/studio2009_photos