Restoring the Pedregulho Housing Project: the course of modern architecture and the contemporary challenge

Abstract

The Pedregulho Housing Project, built in the 1940s by the Rio de Janeiro Public Housing Department, is one of the quintessential works of modern razilian architecture. Designed by Affonso Eduardo Reidy, it is emblematic of how the country dealt with the challenge of offering public housing to its citizens. A neighborhood unit, it was planned to include all community services within a single city block: residential buildings, school, swimming pool, health clinic, laundry and grocery store. Featured on leading international architecture journals and recognized as an icon from the time it was built until the 2000s, it had a troubled history. Suffering from a lack of funds for its construction, it took several years to complete – and even then, the original project was only partially implemented. Lack of maintenance led to the rapid decay of many of its buildings, and even though it was eventually listed by municipal and state agencies, the process and the project for its restoration took a few years to complete and presented several challenges. Attempts to restore this cultural asset began in 2000 and lasted throughout the decade. Restoration of “Building A” was complete in 2015, representing an unprecedented achievement for public housing in this field. Among the many housing projects built in Brazil and Latin America, the restoration of Pedregulho is a pioneering event. This paper aims to examine the restoration of the Pedregulho Housing Project in light of its history, its design and its residents, by seeking to present the options adopted by its stakeholders.