Wood Work is the Building Centre's online lunch-time talks series featuring international designers and their wood inspired projects, supported by the Timber Trade Federation and Wood for Good.
The fifth project of the series is Children Village – Canuanã in Brazil. The project is presented by Gustavo Utrabo of Estúdio Gustavo Utrabo.
About Children Village – Canuanã
The Children’s Village provides accommodation for 540 local school children at the Canuanã School in rural Formoso do Araguaia, Tocantins, Brazil. Architects Gustavo Utrabo and Pedro Duschenes began the project with a 10 day residency on the site – engaging with the children they were designing for through workshops and games. The resulting design aims to create a place that feels like home for the children, many of whom travel long distances from surrounding rural areas to attend the school. Previous accommodation had slept 40 to a room, so the new home creates rooms for six in wooden bunkbeds, arranged around courtyards and connected by wooden walkways and play areas. The twin dormitory buildings are made from prefabricated glulam eucalyptus wood and bricks made with local clay. The materials and design respond to the environment to ensure the rooms stay naturally ventilated and cool. The project was completed in 2017 and was awarded the RIBA Award for International Excellence in 2018.
About Gustavo Utrabo
Gustavo Utrabo earned his degree in Architecture and Urbanism from Universidade Federal do Paraná – Brazil – in 2010. In his studio, Gustavo intends to expand the architecture field, connect people and imagine the future through sustainable and inclusive approaches. These ideas come together in an extensive portfolio that has earned important awards as RIBA International Prize (2018), RIBA International Emerging Architect (2018), among others. He has contributed to lectures and other actions in institutions like, IIT Chicago, University of Hong Kong, Future Architecture Platform at MAO museum in Ljubljana, RIBA London and FAU-USP in São Paulo, among others. Gustavo was a visiting professor in the MA 2019 program at the University of Hong Kong.
The Wood Work event series is generously supported by Wood For Good. It is part of the Conversations about Climate Change programme, in association with the Timber Trade Federation.
