Informal/Local/Impromptu Materials

An extremely common sight– and most often overlooked is the masonry block which seems to reproduce– sprouting and filling “in-between” spaces, patching holes, constructing walls spanning neighborhoods, class and aesthetic. After visiting Corcovado, Sugar Loaf Mountain, Copacabana Palace, and every other sensory-overloaded-tourist attraction that Rio had to offer– I take back the vision of masonry blocks, almost reproducing organically throughout the city.  This may be because of the objective quantity of masonry block seen– but I propose the opposite. The uniqueness of each block, often used to perform a different function, in a different configuration, in a different neighborhood, by a different class does not describe most construction materials.

Maybe this point is best illustrated with reference to a previous post, Project Morrinho, the masonry blocks permeate the built environment so entirely that it is easy to represent an entire building envelope– with just one unit— maybe a more accurate representation of the constructed environment than the environment itself.