School + Garden for Shanty Town

Villa 31 is one of the biggest shanty towns in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The government, scholars and the locals have been trying to improve the living condition for the residence staying at the slum. For this project, Freda Weng Chu designed a new school for the local residence inside the slum with an additional program, a garden. The student drop off rate is high within the slum due to financial difficulties, by having a vivero - garden as an additional program, the students can take regular classes while learning how to grow vegetation for their own consumption and for sale.

The school and garden is designed for the community. The design of the structural system is inspired by the local construction method and materials, so that the residence from the shanty town could build it on their own. The materials include parabolic steel truss, concrete gutter, lumber, and train track. By changing the envelope or cladding, the space will be transformed into different functional spaces. This design strategy allows flexible accommodations according to the need of the community.