[Sdpg] BRAZIL SUMMER ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM 2005

[Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson]

BRAZIL STUDIO, AXIS MUNDI, KILOMBO TENONDE, CAPOEIRA ANGOLA
Mestre Cobra Mansa and Meghan Walsh, AIA

Meghan Walsh, AIA is the founder of the Brazil Studio and a co-founder of 
Kilombo Tenonde 
(<http://www.kilombotenonde.org/>www.kilombotenonde<http://www.kilombotenonde.org/>.org) 
with Mestre Cobra Mansa of the International Capoeira Angola Foundation 
(<http://www.capoeira-angola.org/>www.capoeira-angola<http://www.capoeira-angola.org/>.org) 
. Kilombo Tenonde is project that will support the development and 
education of communities in which these opportunities are not usually 
available. The construction and development of the land of Kilombo Tenonde 
will be based on principals of sustainability and conservation.  Mestre 
Cobra Mansa has created a worldwide network of academies of Capoeira Angola 
in Brazil and also in the US, Europe, Japan, and even Africa. Ms. Walsh met 
Mestre Cobra Mansa as a student of Capoeira Angola in Washington, DC, and 
the two have collaborated on the creation and development of Kilombo 
Tenonde.  to view the photos click here
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Capoeira Angola is the seed of the work of Kilombo Tenonde. While Mestre 
Cobra Mansa is a great figure of Capoeira Angola in Brazil and abroad, he 
is also strong community leader who’s charisma and capability of leading 
community work reaches far and beyond only the Capoeira Angola 
community.  Ms. Walsh brings her experiences as an architect, an educator, 
and her own experience with community-based work.

Ms. Walsh is an Adjunct Assistant Professor Howard University with 5 years 
of teaching experience at the Catholic University of America and 3 years 
teaching experience at the University of Michigan. She is an award-winning 
local architect with her own practice Meghan Walsh Architecture 
(www.mw-architecture.com). In 2001 she received the Young Architect of the 
Year Award from the DC Society of Engineers and Architects. She is also the 
founder of a non-profit organization Axis Mundi, Inc. (www.axismundi.us) 
that provides creative design/ build services for other local non-profit 
organizations.

In both her private practice and her non-profit organization, she is fueled 
by a passion for working on community related projects. Axis Mundi began 
with a project involving local youth graffiti artists that Ms. Walsh 
organized and completed in 1999 with a permanent public art installation at 
the Columbia Heights Metro Station.  Funding was granted from the DC 
Commission on Arts and Humanities and the Eugene and Agnes Meyer Foundation 
for the project.

Ms. Walsh’s master’s thesis at the University of Michigan focused on 
housing in a squatter area – Cato Manor in Durban, South Africa. There in 
South Africa, she began learning about sustainable architecture and the use 
of recycled materials in a developing country. She has taken this knowledge 
and 10 additional years of experience teaching and practicing as an 
architect to Brazil where she is beginning this Brazil Program.

BRAZIL SUMMER ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM 2005

ABSTRACT:

Students will travel to Salvador, Bahia Brazil to participate in a course 
focusing on the design and construction of a community center using natural 
and recycled building materials. The program is the first of its kind at 
Catholic University's Architecture School, giving students the opportunity 
to learn and study abroad in Brazil.  Catholic University is intending to 
make this an annual program. They are also in the process of advertising 
the studio at all schools of Architecture in Brazil and the US as well as 
some other schools in South America, Europe and Japan. The intention is 
that each year, students will design/construct a new community building in 
Bahia.

RATIONAL/ PURPOSE/ OBJECTIVES:

The Brazil Program seeks to educate students in an intensive summer 
workshop solely focused on the design and construction of a building. This 
offers a student a truly unique experience to learn about architecture and 
construction in a hands-on manner while simultaneously learning about a 
foreign culture.

It is intended that students will broaden their understanding of materials 
and methods of construction through the exploration of unfamiliar materials 
in a foreign context. Instead of relying on the conventional methods of 
solving a problem, which in the US often means purchasing a product that 
specifically solves the problem, students will need to understand and 
engage in the process of solving these problems with invention, creativity 
and intensity.

Bringing in specific highly experienced, guests in particular areas of 
expertise to aid students in their process of design and decision-making by 
exposing them to knowledge of materials, structures, design, architecture, 
and culture will facilitate a more thorough and full learning experience 
throughout the program.

Through the Brazil Program, students are expected to develop the following 
understanding and capabilities:

A basic understanding of sustainable building materials including natural 
and recycled materials.

An ability to develop a unique architectural detail utilizing natural and 
recycled materials

A knowledge of African-Brazilian history and its influence on architecture 
and culture of Bahia

Knowledge of the varieties of Brazilian woods and their material and 
aesthetic properties

A knowledge of sustainable building methods such as passive cooling and 
rainwater collection

An ability to communicate through drawings to contractors (even with 
language barriers)

An ability to compute basic structural loads for a small frame building

The subjects that will be the focus of the project are:

Sustainability & Construction in a Developing Country with a Tropical Climate

This course will focus on analysis of site conditions to impact and improve 
the buildings ability to function efficiently and to be comfortable. The 
climate of Salvador is warm even in the winter. The site the students will 
build on is located on a hill, directly on the ocean, with many types of 
fruit such as mangos, coconuts, jackfruit, tamarindo, and banana. Water, 
sewage and electricity are provided as municipal services, but the goal of 
the community center is to be as sustainable as possible, depending on 
natural methods of energy collection and conservation where necessary. 
Students will design systems for ventilation and cooling without the use of 
air conditioning. They will develop systems for collecting and 
redistributing rainwater for use as gray water (non-potable) for irrigation 
and washing. Students will consider the relationship between the site’s 
topography, vegetation, wind, and rainfall in their design for the 
community center. A highlight of the course will be the involvement of one 
of the most well known experts on the subject of environmentally friendly 
building design and construction in developing countries. Johan Van Lengen, 
founder of TIBA, and Author of Arquiteto Discalçado (The Shoeless 
Architect) will travel from his center TIBA in Rio de Janeiro to visit the 
project and offer his input and expertise.

Wood and Bamboo Structural Design

This course will focus on the use of wood and bamboo. Students will study 
the properties of species of Brazilian woods such as Massaranduba, Beriba, 
Pau Darko, Angelinha Vermelha, Eucalypto, Jaqueira, and others. Students 
will also study the 1600 different species of Bamboo, focusing on Mirin, 
the type that is used most frequently for demanding structural 
requirements. Wood will be used in the construction of the roof and walls 
of the Community Center and will be studied for its potential as structure 
as well as for screening and finishes. Students will learn and utilize a 
variety of systems of hand and mechanical joinery for both wood and bamboo 
construction. Professor Sandro Cesar of the Laboratory of Wood Construction 
at the Federal University of Bahia will work closely with the group to 
provide expertise on the strength, resistance and characteristics of local 
wood and bamboo as well as to assist in the actual calculations necessary 
to design a sound framing structure using these materials.

Architectural History & Culture of Brazil: Indigenous Buildings, Kilombos, 
Colonialism, Modernism and
Contemporary Architecture.

This course will explore the history of Brazilian Architecture form the 
earliest building methods and materials of indigenous tribes such as the 
Tupi, Guarani, and Xucuru. Students will visit Kilombos, communities of 
resistance to slavery and Colonialism, to see the influence of African 
architecture in Brazil. The class will also cover the Colonial Architecture 
of the Portuguese and Dutch, and the Modern Movement of architects such as 
Oscar Neimeyer and Lina Bo Bardi.  Professor Daniel Dawson, a premier 
scholar of the Kilombos in Brazil will visit the site to give the students 
a cultural history of their origins and influence in Brazil. Practicing 
Brazilian Architect Chico Rocha of the firm O’Norte in Recife will lead 
the students on a journey of understanding the history of Architecture and 
Contemporary Architectural practice in Brazil.

Design/Construct from the Detail

This course will focus on the process of designing construction details. 
Carlo Scarpa said, “God is in the details”. It is often true that what 
separates the mundane from the profane is the care attention and creativity 
that people put into designing a unique detail. The experience of 
participating in a design/build course gives students the opportunity to 
build details at full size. Focusing on the relationship between drawing 
and building, students will work in a Scarpa-esque manner to design, draw 
and actually build their ideas. The palette of materials for their 
experimentation will include standard brick (tijolo), concrete, recycled 
metal, steel cables, bamboo, wood, glass, and other recycled and economical 
materials. The course will investigate the inventive, unconventional, 
creative ways to use materials that are very common & familiar. Students 
will learn to detail, not just from a reference book but also through their 
own trial and error, experimentation and investigation. Students will work 
with local and American master builders to help realize their ideas and 
visions.


WORK PLAN

The Brazil Studio will take place during the summer of 2005. It will be a 
total of 10 weeks, including a trip the students and faculty will take to a 
conference in São Paolo with over 4000 architecture students from Brazil 
during the 7th week of the program.

Dates:  May 30 to August 5

Week 1: History and Culture workshop
Week 2: TIBA workshop                        (Johan Van Lengen)
Week 3: Structural workshop                    (Prof. Sandro Cesar & Prof. 
Rita Cunha)
Week 4: Working on site of building project          (C. Daniel Dawson & 
Chico Rocha)
Week 5: Working on site of building project
Week 6: Working on site of building project
Week 7:  ENEA Student Conference in São Paolo
Week 8: Working on site of building project
Week 9: Working on site of building project
Week 10: Working on site of building project - Final Presentation and 
Completion

WORKSHOPS AND CONSULTATION

TIBA –BIO ARCHITECTURE: Students will participate in the BIO-ARCHITECTURE 
workshop of an acclaimed organization in Brazil – TIBA.  Various 
techniques of building design and construction will be presented including 
Bamboo construction, Grass Roof construction, Cascaje – lightweight 
concrete, and Bason – construction of composting toilets. The workshop 
will explain the concept of Bio-architecture through the combination of 
traditional materials like bamboo or adobe and modern materials such as 
cement or plastic.

The lecturer for this weeklong workshop is Johan Van Lengen, architect and 
author of the "Handbook of the Barefoot Architect". Mr. Van Lengen is 
originally from Holland but spent his early career and schooling in the US 
on the West Coast. He then spent time in Mexico before finally relocating 
in Brazil 40 years ago to begin TIBA. He is well known throughout the 
architectural community of Brazil for his work with poor communities using 
natural building technologies.

WOOD & BAMBOO STRUCTURES AND CONSTRUCTION: The Federal University of 
Bahia’s College of Engineering, Laboratory of Wood Construction has 
offered their laboratory as a classroom for Howard students to utilize for 
workshops and lectures during the course of the program. They will also be 
providing structural engineering consulting on  a one-on-one basis 
throughout the project.  As students will be designing a pavilion like 
structure, they will benefit greatly from working with engineers who can 
help them with load calculations and who are familiar with the properties 
of wood and bamboo indigenous to Brazil.

Professor Sandro Fabio Cesar, a structural engineer and head of the 
Laboratory of Wood Construction at the Federal University of Bahia will 
serve as an ongoing consultant to the students throughout the project over 
the course of 10 weeks. Several graduate students will also be working 
closely on the design and construction with the students from Catholic 
University.

HISTORY, CULTURE, CONTEXT AND ARCHITECTURE: Students will learn about 
Indigenous and African architecture in Brazil through studying the Kilombos 
(communities of resistance of slavery and colonialism) and Indigenous 
settlements of the Xucuru, Tupi, and Guarani peoples.  They will visit 
building sites close to Salvador with two scholars on the subject matter.

C.Daniel Dawson is a scholar who has taught at Univ. of Iowa, New York 
University, and Yale University, has done extensive work with the Capoeira 
Angola community and Kilombos (communities of Africans and Indigenous 
peoples created in resistance to colonialism and slavery in Brazil). The 
focus of his lecture will be: The Culture of Freedom: *Quilombos, Palenques 
and Maroon Societies in the Americas.

Chico Rocha, an African - Brazilian Architect and principal of the firm 
O’Norte in Recife, Brazil, who has an extensive knowledge of Contemporary 
Brazilian Architecture will each give a two day workshop that will include 
lectures, discussions and tours of various sites of architecture.

BRAZIL STUDIO, AXIS MUNDI, KILOMBO TENONDE, CAPOEIRA ANGOLA
Mestre Cobra Mansa and Meghan Walsh, AIA

Meghan Walsh, AIA is the founder of the Brazil Studio and a co-founder of 
Kilombo Tenonde (www.kilombotenonde.org) with Mestre Cobra Mansa of the 
International Capoeira Angola Foundation (www.capoeira-angola.org). Kilombo 
Tenonde is project that will support the development and education of 
communities in which these opportunities are not usually available. The 
construction and development of the land of Kilombo Tenonde will be based 
on principals of sustainability and conservation.  Mestre Cobra Mansa has 
created a worldwide network of academies of Capoeira Angola in Brazil and 
also in the US, Europe, Japan, and even Africa. Ms. Walsh met Mestre Cobra 
Mansa as a student of Capoeira Angola in Washington, DC, and the two have 
collaborated on the creation and development of Kilombo Tenonde.

Capoeira Angola is the seed of the work of Kilombo Tenonde. While Mestre 
Cobra Mansa is a great figure of Capoeira Angola in Brazil and abroad, he 
is also strong community leader who’s charisma and capability of leading 
community work reaches far and beyond only the Capoeira Angola 
community.  Ms. Walsh brings her experiences as an architect, an educator, 
and her own experience with community-based work.

Ms. Walsh is an Adjunct Assistant Professor Howard University with 5 years 
of teaching experience at the Catholic University of America and 3 years 
teaching experience at the University of Michigan. She is an award-winning 
local architect with her own practice Meghan Walsh Architecture 
(www.mw-architecture.com). In 2001 she received the Young Architect of the 
Year Award from the DC Society of Engineers and Architects. She is also the 
founder of a non-profit organization Axis Mundi, Inc. (www.axismundi.us) 
that provides creative design/ build services for other local non-profit 
organizations.

In both her private practice and her non-profit organization, she is fueled 
by a passion for working on community related projects. Axis Mundi began 
with a project involving local youth graffiti artists that Ms. Walsh 
organized and completed in 1999 with a permanent public art installation at 
the Columbia Heights Metro Station.  Funding was granted from the DC 
Commission on Arts and Humanities and the Eugene and Agnes Meyer Foundation 
for the project.

Ms. Walsh’s master’s thesis at the University of Michigan focused on 
housing in a squatter area – Cato Manor in Durban, South Africa. There in 
South Africa, she began learning about sustainable architecture and the use 
of recycled materials in a developing country. She has taken this knowledge 
and 10 additional years of experience teaching and practicing as an 
architect to Brazil where she is beginning this Brazil Program.