AESTHETICS AND SELF-BUILT HOUSES - AN ANALYSIS OF A BRAZILIAN SETTING

Aesthetic considerations on the appearance of low-income family houses in a specific Brazilian setting, Campinas, Sao Paulo, are discussed i n this work. Houses built by owner families in private subdivisions ar e analyzed. Formal aspects of architecture are shown to have limited a pplication in relation to this self-building process. Specific house f acades are preferred by the population studied. The sample showed dive rsity of construction and comfort quality. Low building quality and sl ow construction evolution in the self-building process of houses sugge st the need for some technical aid. The complexity of the meaning of a esthetics and the environment of economic constraint call for restrict ed professional intervention. Technical aid should concern neighborhoo d design, siting of individual dwellings, house plan configurations, a nd construction detailing guided by knowledge on aesthetic preferences . (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.