Homeless World Cup Legacy – Santa Cruz Community Center
The suburbs of the large Brazilian cities are marked not only by the self construction of houses, but also by the densely occupied urban mesh where the only unoccupied areas are the sidewalks and the roadbed. By some twist of luck, these enclosed and walled areas find a football field as the only emptiness preserved from soil occupation. The constructed landscape is invariably dense and shaded areas practically non-existent.
The Project for the Santa Cruz Community Center (Rio de Janeiro) proposes to organize a sports and social complex working from an understanding of the urban characteristics of Brazilian suburbs. The fundamental architectural premise was to maintain the area as a respite from dense occupation: the area, therefore, is open, like a square.
A quick-and-easy-to-mount metallic structure constructs a 7m X 7m square-module grid. Above this structure, a light bamboo lattice casts a shadow on the floor, creating a light filter. Street Football Court is in the center of the shaded-square plan.
Under the bamboo-lattice shading, low-cost and easy-to-mount industrial containers shelter the rest of the program: a classroom, showered locker-rooms, a storage-room, an administrative office, public lavatories, a fitness center, a day care facility, a small restaurant and a workshop for bamboo creations. The option of transport containers offers great versatility to the program.
In the external square, 4 piled containers form a landmark that allows all the surrounding area to be easily located. These modules are the management center of a small collective garden to serve the community residents. Completing the sports program, outside, there is a multi-purpose court and a skating rink.

Potential list of materials used in the construction of the center
metallic structure
bamboo lattice
high-permeability floors
industrial containers