Agustina Briano

constructing the in-between, Freedom Bairro

Freedom Bairro is a dense accumulation of relatively unplanned constructions, self-built over time and in response to changing circumstance, skills and available materials. Lively, chaotic and irregular … it is a patchwork community literally built on mutuality. Lean-tos and add-ons, upgrades and rebuilds … endless adjustments and re-adjustments of a hillside caught between a national park and the barrier of the aqueduct and transport networks. It has a strong sense of identity, and an equally strong sense of disconnection from the city of Lisbon.

It lacks basic infrastructures and the shanty construction has limited durability. How can this community be supported in improving its own conditions?

Amid the miscellany of accommodation, one can find overlooked spaces … patches of emptiness that make do as the bus stop, recycling collection points, the church forecourt, etc. These might be cultivated as social focal points for the Bairro.

A School of Building hinged to landings on the giant staircase in/out of Freedom will conceive and construct key elements for shared use. These projects will be the means to teach residents building skills that will benefit them individually and collectively.

The constructed pieces will be re-positioned in the neighbourhood’s in-between spaces and will be owned by the Bairro through its own efforts, negotiations and collaborations.