2011年，一个年轻人向我们提出为他的母亲设计房子的可能性，他的母亲没有什么财产，住在一个有严重结构和卫生问题的房子里。
达尔瓦女士在巴西圣保罗的一个外围社区维拉-马蒂尔德（Vila Matilde）生活了几十年。与她关系密切的有表亲、叔父、兄弟和朋友。第一个选择是卖掉房子，用她一生的积蓄买一个小公寓，甚至更远，而且很可能没有电梯。考虑到她年事已高，这种情况很麻烦。
In 2011, a young man reached out to us about the possibility of designing a house for his mother, a person of few belongings, who lived in a house with severe structural and sanitary problems.
Ms. Dalva has lived for decades in Vila Matilde, an outlying neighbourhood in São Paulo, Brazil. Close to her are cousins, uncles, brothers and friends. The first option would be to sell the house, and with her lifetime savings acquire a small apartment, even further away and most likely without access to an elevator. A troublesome situation, considering her advanced age.
没过多久，抵制流离失所和孤立的想法就很明显了。不要搬走。考虑到这一点，这就需要我们和一个合作者网络来使其发挥作用。一旦这个过程开始，就没有回头路可走了，一切都必须工作到最后。项目的设计和建造工作必须适合这个家庭有限的财务状况。
Before long, it was glaringly obvious to resist displacement and isolation. To not move away. With this in mind, it was up to us and a network of collaborators to make it work. Once the process commenced, there was no going back and everything had to work until the end. The project’s design and construction work had to be suitable to the family’s constrained finances.
2014年初，房子出现了明显的恶化迹象，开始倒塌。达尔瓦女士继续在一个亲戚家中租房生活。新房子必须尽快建成，否则她的开支将完全消耗所有的储蓄。 我们利用我们最近在裸露的结构墙砖方面的经验，以极大的控制力和敏捷性建造了一座低成本的建筑。
In early 2014, the house showed clear signs of deterioration and began to collapse. Ms. Dalva went on to live on rent at a relative’s house. The new house had to be built as fast as possible, else her expenses would completely consume all savings. We used our recent experiences in exposed, structural wall blocks to erect a low-cost building, with great control and agility.
最大的挑战出现在施工的第一阶段。小心翼翼地拆除老房子花了四个月，与此同时，我们实施了地基和加固的挡土墙，以支持邻近的建筑物。房子在砌筑工作开始后的6个月完成。
The biggest challenge appeared at the first stage of construction. Careful demolition of the old house took four months, at the same time that we executed the foundation and reinforced retaining walls which supported neighbouring buildings. The house was completed six months after masonry work was set forth.
房子被布置在一个4.8米乘25米的城市地段。在一楼，它有一个客厅、盥洗室、厨房、洗衣房和套房，以满足房主的需要。盥洗室、厨房、洗衣房和内院之间的衔接将前面的客厅和后面的卧室连接起来。在中心位置，绿色的庭院提供了光线和通风。这个区域也是厨房和洗衣房的延伸。二楼容纳了一个客房，使总面积达到95平方米。在起居室的混凝土板顶上生长着一个菜园，以后可以覆盖起来，以满足家庭的未来需求。
一个简单的解决方案，是一个漫长、复杂和令人满意的过程的结果。
The house is laid out in a 4.8m by 25m urban lot. On the ground floor, it features a living room, lavatory, kitchen, laundry and suite, to attend the needs of the homeowner. An articulation between lavatory, kitchen, laundry and an inner courtyard connects the living room at the front to the bedroom in the back. At the center, the green courtyard provides for light and ventilation. This area also serves as an extensions of the kitchen and laundry. The second floor accommodates a guest room, rendering a total area of 95m2. A vegetable garden grows on top of the living room’s concrete slab ceiling, and can be covered later to accommodate future demands of the family.
A simple solution, result of a long, complex and gratifying process.
Architects: Terra e Tuma Arquitetos Associados
Year: 2015
Photographs: Pedro Kok
Manufacturers: Rothoblaas, Glasser
Design Team:Bruna Hashimoto, Giulia Sofia Galante, Jéssica Zanini, Lucas Miilher, Zeno Muica
Landscape:Gabriella Ornaghi Arquitetura da Paisagem
Structure:Megalos Engenharia
Construction:Valdionor Andrade de Carvalho e equipe
Architects In Charge:Danilo Terra, Pedro Tuma, Fernanda Sakano
City:São Paulo
Country:Brazil