Week 7 · Design & Planejamento: Estrutura Individual / Design & Planning: Your Individual Structure
Scale up: each participant finalizes their design, materials list, and build plan.
Learning Objectives
- Finalizar design pessoal com especificações completas
- Calcular material e custos (orçamento realistic)
- Planejar cronograma de construção (fases, curagem, manutenção)
- Integrar conhecimento: local, clima, função, GTCT
Concepts
Personalization & Constraints
Your design must fit your site, budget, and climate. It must serve your function (shelter, storage, studio, community space). It must use available materials and labor. Constraints are features, not limitations — they drive creativity.
Cost Engineering
A biosynthetic earth structure typically costs 1/10th as much as concrete/brick because you provide labor. Material costs: earth (free, on-site), straw or fiber (cheap), labor (mobilized community). A 6x6m structure: ~$500–2000 depending on roof and finishes. Compare to $10,000+ for concrete.
Build Sequencing
Construction has phases: site prep, foundation, walls (layer-by-layer, cure time), roof, finishes. Each phase has dependent-tasks. A realistic build takes 2-4 months for a small structure, accounting for drying time and weather. Planning prevents costly delays.
Integration with GTCT
Every decision in your design reflects GTCT: compression (minimal material, maximum function), threshold (load-bearing capacity), fold (branching supports, fractal efficiency), unfolding (emergence of livable space from geometry). This is not abstract — your design embodies it.
Lab Work (90-min session)
- Finalize architectural drawings: plan view, elevation, section, structural detail drawings. Dimensions clear. Scale 1:100 or 1:50.
- Materials list: earth volume (m³), straw/fiber weight (kg), wood (board-feet), water (liters for curing). Cross-reference with Week 2 test data (optimal ratios).
- Budget: price each material locally. Document sources. Sum total project cost. Break down: materials vs. labor hours (valued at regional wage or as volunteer contribution).
- Schedule: month-by-month timeline. Include: site prep, excavation, foundation curing, wall phases (with 2-3 day curing between layers), roof, finishes, safety margin for weather delays.
- Peer review: present to 2 other participants. Get feedback: is the design realistic? Any overlooked risks?
✓ Checkpoint · Entrega · Design Package: architectural drawings (plan, elevation, section, details), materials list with quantities, cost breakdown, build schedule, and a letter to your community (one page, PT or EN) explaining the project and inviting participation. /
See Challenge Week {w} for detailed checkpoint.
Resources
Reading:
Case study: participant-led builds in Brazil and Africa (provided in course packet)
Videos:
Reflection Questions
- What is the longest phase of your build? How can you accelerate it (more people, better curing, better weather timing)?
- Who in your community will be key partners in the build?
- How will you measure success? (Completion date, structural performance, community engagement, cost targets?)
→ Challenge Week 7