Proyecto POPA
POPA PROJECT
Members:
-Architects: Roberto Frangella, Roberto Colombo, Luciano Dimaio, Gastón Noriega, Marcela Carolina Franco, Alicia Busso, Matías Frazzi.
-Isla Maciel Foundation: Francisco Olveira, Claudio Abel Freda.
-Collaborators: Florencia Blanco, Leticia Escarra, Lucía Frangella, Inés Frangella, René Frangella, Enrique Rosselee, architect Luis Castro.
Year of Creation: 2016 – Present
Location: Isla Maciel, General Rivas Street, Avellaneda District
Contact: [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected]
Description, Concept, Objectives
The POPA Project is a solidarity-driven initiative established to address social vulnerabilities within Isla Maciel—a territory marked by numerous deficiencies and limited opportunities. Spearheaded by the Isla Maciel Foundation and a collective of architects and artists, the project integrates Art and Craft Workshops with an Architectural Office. Its primary aim is to enhance living conditions in a community characterized by housing precariousness and social exclusion, by valuing the unique attributes of the island.
Activities
-Art Workshops: Painting, Sculpture, Photography
-Craft Workshops: Carpentry, Jewelry Making, Recycling, Weaving
-Architectural Office: Department of Solidarity Architecture
Difficulties
-Community Engagement: Maintaining consistent participation and interest in workshops, especially among the youth.
-Funding: Securing materials and labor necessary for project execution.
-Networking: Establishing connections with municipal bodies and other stakeholders to intervene in hard-to-access yet impactful public spaces.
-Supplier Relations: Finding providers willing to operate in the island at reasonable costs
Futures Challenges
-Productive Cycle: Ensuring that outputs from craft workshops (e.g., furniture) support and complete the prototypes of solidarity housing developed within the space.
-Dry Construction Techniques: Educating Isla Maciel residents on alternative construction methods to supplement traditional building practices.
-Awareness: Fostering community recognition and appreciation of their own territory, rich in cultural treasures.
-Employment Opportunities: Creating pathways to the labor market through skills acquired in workshops and partnerships with other actors.
-Workshop-Based Housing: Developing a prototype for minimal housing that allows for growth, produced in workshops and assembled on-site in the shortest time possible.
