Brazil: Celso Garcia, 787 Building Restoration for Social Housing Purposes

Abstract

Celso Garcia, 787, one of the many derelict buildings in the centre of São Paulo, was converted into housing for 84 low-income families. Members of the ULC popular housing movement occupied the vacant former bank branch and, with technical support from the Integra Interdisciplinary Work Cooperative, converted the building into affordable apartments. The project works toward the reversal of the process of exodus from the city centre, proposing housing alternatives in central areas that have lost part of their population in the last several years yet remain rich in urban infrastructure.