Text description provided by the architects. Casas Melhoradas is an applied research project on housing for low-income groups in the informal settlements of Maputo , Mozambique with a three-fold focus: 1 developing alternative construction methods to improve the quality and decrease the cost of housing; 2 developing housing typologies that utilize space and infrastructure more economically to initiate a more sustainable urban development; 3 engaging in the construction of affordable rental housing through public and private partnerships to scale up the impact of the project.
Accordingly, the project demonstrates how space and infrastructure can be utilized more economically and thereby counter urban sprawl and the growing infrastructure deficit. All the dwellings have small private outdoor areas with kitchens, as cooking is largely an outdoor activity in the informal settlements of Maputo due to the use of charcoal. On the ground floor, the kitchens are placed on the verandas next to the street, adding a semi-private transition zone between the public and private.
All kitchens are equipped with gas stoves to reduce air pollution and deforestation caused by the use of charcoal. The project has small common courtyards with shared bathrooms and laundry facilities. The project has a green roof where an additional floor can be added, which ensures the project a robustness in case further urban densification should be relevant in the area. Furthermore, the evaporation from the roof improves the indoor climate in the dwellings.
The project was built using locally produced compressed earth blocks. Thereby, the energy consumption in the construction process was reduced while adding the same red color tone of the local soil to the project.
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