The 27th World Congress of Architects UIA2021RIO will be a hybrid event, featuring virtual sessions starting in March, and in-person activities from July 18 to 22 in Rio de Janeiro, broadcast live online to congress participants worldwide.
The first UIA2021RIO World Architects Week, featuring digital content, will take place from March 22 to 25. During this week, the content will be free to access; afterward, it will only be available to registered Congress participants. The theme chosen to open UIA2021RIO in March is one of the most pressing global concerns today: social vulnerabilities and inequalities.
Architects and urban planners across diverse metropolises have been working to address critical situations, seeking to improve the precarious conditions of residents in favelas, tenements, temporary shelters, informal settlements, and self-built or self-managed housing units. They will bring these perspectives and experiences to UIA2021RIO.
The week's first debate – titled "The Architecture of Social Inclusion" – brings together Swiss architect Fabienne Hoelzel, Rio de Janeiro-based sociologist Maria Alice Rezende de Carvalho, and journalist Mariana Barros, who will moderate the session.
Fabienne Hoelzel worked at the Municipal Housing Secretariat (SEHAB) of the City of São Paulo and participated in the Favela Upgrading Program (2009-2012). She is the founder of Fabulous Urban, an urban design and research studio based in Zurich, Switzerland, with an office in Lagos, Nigeria. In the debate, Hoelzel will discuss the Makoko Neighborhood Hotspot project, a multipurpose community center that utilizes biogas.
Historian and sociologist Maria Alice Rezende de Carvalho provides a broad analysis of urban interventions in Brazil's favelas, highlighting the political context. Invited by FINEP (the Brazilian Funding Authority for Studies and Projects), she participated in evaluating the first phase of Favela-Bairro, one of the most prominent favela upgrading programs, which began in the 1980s. Over 20 years later, at the request of the Institute of Architects of Brazil (IAB), she developed a manual to assist architecture firms with social diagnoses.
An expert on urban issues, Mariana Barros will weave these different approaches together.
The following debate, "What Exactly Is the Periphery?", features two other prominent figures: architect Alfredo Brillembourg and community leader Gilson Rodrigues.
Born in New York, Alfredo leads Urban-Think Tank (U-TT), an interdisciplinary design practice based in Caracas, Venezuela. His focus is on innovation and sustainability in projects for populations living in informal settlements – often as a result of migration. In New York, he founded the sustainable urban housing laboratory, S.L.U.M. Lab.
He will speak with Gilson Rodrigues, who was born in Bahia and is currently known as the "mayor of Paraisópolis," one of the largest favelas in São Paulo. Rodrigues coordinates the "G10 das Favelas," a group of community leaders active nationwide. The debate will be moderated by architect Fernando Serapião, editor of Monolito magazine.
The third debate focuses specifically on "Architecture in the Favela" and also features highly distinguished names: architects Alejandro Echeverri and Jorge Jáuregui. Known for one of the most daring urban and social intervention projects — in Medellín, his hometown, between 2004 and 2008 — the Colombian architect will discuss how architecture can change behavior.
Argentine architect Jorge Jáuregui, who has worked in Rio de Janeiro for over 30 years, will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of almost all the favela upgrading initiatives carried out in the metropolis, while also sharing updates on his latest projects in the Dominican Republic. Evelise Grunow, architect and editor of Projeto magazine, will moderate the discussion between the two experts.
Additionally, a closing livestream will be held to consolidate these dense and highly relevant contents, where special guests will discuss the key issues highlighted in the debates. "It will be an opportunity to revisit topics raised in the debates, cross-examine ideas, and consolidate knowledge," says Elisabete França, Coordinator of the UIA2021RIO Scientific Committee, who is leading the organization of the debate program.
Starting in March, UIA2021RIO will promote these monthly debate series, culminating in live streams. In July, the in-person activities taking place from the 18th to the 22nd will be broadcast online.
Check the schedule for the First UIA2021RIO World Architects Week:
03/22 at 9:00 AM – The Architecture of Social Inclusion
Fabienne Hoelzel (Switzerland) and Maria Alice Rezende of Carvalho (Brazil)
Moderated by Mariana Barros
03/23 at 9:00 AM – What Exactly Is the Periphery?
Alfredo Brillembourg (Venezuela/USA) and Gilson Rodrigues (Brazil)
Moderated by Fernando Serapião
03/24 at 9:00 AM – Architecture in the Favela
Alejandro Echeverri (Colombia) and Jorge Jáuregui (Brazil)
Moderated by Evelise Grunow
03/25 at 11:00 AM – Closing Livestream: Vulnerabilities and Inequalities
This article was written by Romullo Baratto. The translation is powered by AI.
