
HAUTE SOCKS
This studio investigated infrastructural solutions to flooding and erosion in one of Sao Paulo’s most at-risk favelas.
The studio began with a trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil where students collected photo documentation of the Paraisópolis favela and the surrounding areas. My focus was on nature / urban interface. I collected hundreds of photos and categorized them by intervention type and scale. Doing this research before considering a design strategy, ultimately lead us to an intervention that was in harmony with the existing qualities of the site.
DESIGN PROPOSAL
Haute Socks embraces the tension between the natural and man-made environment by implementing a retention system comprised of long mesh tubes filled with soil. When staked into the earth, they take on the informal qualities of landscape with formal, ordered articulation. This articulated landscape performs the duties of soil retention, water filtration, and stabilization of the many Eucalyptus trees on site, while also providing surprising human scale experiences.
Individually, the socks act like tendrils that run through the narrow spaces between houses. In specific locations throughout the site they accumulate and become environments in and of themselves with distinct spatial qualities. These mini-environments are lush, colorful attractions that are tucked into the dense material of the favela. The soft sock environments create spaces for residents to lounge, sit, explore, gather, and play.