In 2016, in the frame of the Actors of Urban Change programme, Critical Concrete will hold an innovative Architecture Summer School in Porto, both practical and theoretical, in the neighborhood of Bonfim. In collaboration with the Junta de Freguesia do Bonfim, students and teachers will rehabilitate houses that will be included in the social housing programme Habitar.

In 2015 Critical Concrete was founded with the ambition of promoting a new model: the refurbishment of abandoned places for social housing and cultural initiatives through summer camp programs centered on sustainable architecture and art in context.

Thus, the newly created organisation aims to generate a cultural and social space in cohesion with a playground for architectural experimentation.

In the Summer Courses, we offer a completely unconventional and cutting edge program. We will work on innovative solutions for social housing, while simultaneously developing new working methods. Both students and young professionals will explore models of cooperative planning in interdisciplinary groups, design and build their projects, and engage with the surrounding communities.

Critical Concrete aims to promote a new model of urban rehabilitation and recover abandoned buildings for social housing and cultural initiatives, through innovative and sustainable architecture summer programmes

1. Participate in the refurbishment of three houses that will become part of a social housing programme
2. Collectively design and build. Participatory processes in social architecture
3. Contribute to the neighborhood’s cultural life, by opening our doors for some theoretical courses, evening and screenings
4. Construct the basis for a new production space in Porto playing with popular formats (summer screening, markets, balls, etc.) filled with critical content
5. Development of high quality furnitures and architecture with a restricted budget and time.
6. Offer the students a new language of skills and techniques, both in community engagement and building strategies.
7. Offer the students a supportive network for their future project and their promotion, opening new professional perspectives
8. Offer a good mix of practical work, monitored by international and local mentors, and theoretical work, all this working in the frame of a social work engagement.

Critical Concrete was founded with the ambition of promoting a new model: the refurbishment of derelict buildings for social housing and cultural initiatives through summer camp programmes and workshop centered on sustainable and human scale architecture.

We want to conceptually reconnect the artist to the amateur and foster the sharing of skills and knowledge between experienced practitioners and surrounding communities, material reuse and sustainable, ecological constructions.

In 2016, in tight collaboration with the Junta de Freguesia do Bonfim (district municipality), Critical Concrete will hold a summer school in Porto, through its new program Habitar. This programme helps owners to rehabilitate degraded houses in exchange of placing these in the social housing circuit.

In the Summer Course, we offer a completely unconventional and cutting edge program. We will work on innovative solutions for social housing, while simultaneously developing new working methods. Both students and young professionals will explore models of cooperative planning in interdisciplinary groups, design and build their projects, and engage with the surrounding communities.

On this edition of the Summer School (1.08-21.08.2016), Critical Concrete, its partner and students will be working on an Ilha house.

This traditional social housing configuration of Porto has been used since the 19th century to host the workers coming to the city attracted by the new jobs in the industry. Today the factories moved away from the city center but the houses are still here, very often in a state of abandonment.

The house that will be refurbished in the programme is 35sqm plus outside space and it needs major interventions to achieve a habitable status. Even though it is currently being occupied, the house has no basic infrastructures, such as kitchen and bathroom.

Architecture and design professionals, graduates, students and PhD-students, engineers, makers, DIYers, builders, artists in their respective fields. People who want to engage with the practice and learn how to build and meet people with inspiring background and know-how. People who want to get a first experience in building with a theoretical input, so to start their own projects, with the support of our network. In general, all people interested in sustainable construction and social engagement. People in the need for social housing Neighbourhood cultural network, associated to the project Local inhabitants who will participate in the open sessions and benefit from the screening programme, popular events developed in collaboration with the existing cultural network Networks of the participating students and teachers, who will report their experiences in their respective working environments.

This production space will be framed around the social activity of the neighbourhood, and host the machines used during the summer school programme, so to facilitate an access to these tools to the neighborhood.

Along with this tool bank and workshop spaces, the space will offer coworking spaces for creative’s minds, architects, urbanists, cultural actors, conceptually connected to our framework. We will also work in tight collaboration with the local associations, to offer popular cultural formats, such as screenings, dancing balls, markets, twisted with critical content.

The fee for one the architecture program Practice & Theory of Sustainable and Social Architecture, for three weeks of courses and workshops, is:

• €1200 student price
• €1500 institutional price

This fee includes:

• The theoretical and practical courses
• The construction materials and availability of enough working tools. You’re also very welcome to bring your favorite cordless drills (and put your name on it)!!
• Lunch from Monday to Friday (vegetarian)

**We’ll suggest cheap hostel situation around the working sites (10-15€/night) to the summer program’s students.

Please Note: to affirm your registration seriousness, there is a €50 to be paid in advance, and the rest to be paid when later asked to.

Please notice that we will endeavor to assist you in obtaining a visa (if needed), by sending an invitation letter, but the responsibility is yours and the decision rests solely with the appropriate Embassy.

Delegates in any event (conference, workshop, summer school, or any others activities) who cancel their registration due to special circumstances or due to visa rejection for any reason and they do not have a paper published in the proceedings will receive a complete refund minus a €100 administration charges, and the bank commissions. If the proceedings book has already been published or any of the events, where a refund is requested, has started, the fees cannot be refunded.