Do it yourself: Manual prático para apoiar na requalificação dos musseques de Luanda

Abstract

In a global context marked by the spontaneous and irregular growth of cities, various urban and architectural models prevail, often detached from local realities and needs. This dissertation proposes a critical reflection on urban architecture in Angola, with a particular focus on the city of Luanda. The research is based on the comparison between traditional and contemporary approaches, questioning current construction paradigms and aiming to valorize vernacular knowledge, its techniques, and local materials. With a primary focus on Angola's musseques, informal urban neighbourhoods, the investigation seeks to understand spontaneous architecture and identify areas of improvement, particularly through the role of self-construction as an inevitable and necessary phenomenon. These contributions aim to outline a credible and resilient response to the country's fragile and inefficient housing, social, and infrastructural demands. Using a methodology that combines theoretical research, fieldwork and design process, the study results in the development of a practical manual to support self-construction, intended for unskilled labour. This manual offers sustainable, accessible, and locally adapted solutions through simple visual instructions and construction guidelines that do not require significant resources. With a sensitive approach to social, economic and architectural contexts of Luanda, this dissertation pursues the contribution to a more dignified and culturally accepted housing model, one that respects the specificities of each place and its communities.