students of the critical concrete summer school refurbish run-down houses in porto

over the last three years, more than 30 million of euros have been invested in porto‘s social housing neighbourhoods. however, to this day, many families still exist without a proper shelter. critical concrete, a porto-based collective have created a model that combines educational, architectural and social work, giving students and families in-need the opportunity to share the knowledge and create tight relationships through practical engagement with refurbishment of derelict homes.

while most people spend their summers on vacation, 42 students from 19 countries spent theirs at the second edition of critical concrete‘s summer workshop in porto. the students teamed up to refurbish the local family’s houses where they faced issues such as a leaking roof and humidity within the walls. four professional mentors from portugal and france supervised the building process of the students, while 10 local and international theoreticians inspired the group with lectures on sustainable architectural strategies considering limited budget.

as an alternative to standard technologies and resources, with the support of various partner companies, the critical concrete’s summer workshop participants used local materials and re-used waste from disposal sites. during the summer school, they developed their technical skills and social competences by engaging in the program, designed to put sustainable architecture into practice and fostering social involvement with a high impact in the communities in porto and beyond.

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynn chaya | designboom

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