Comment of the Holcim Awards 2005 Jury for Latin America
The project is merited on the basis of its acute sensitivity to fundamental human needs in developing territories. To be highly commended is the effort to complement the large Brazilian social project of providing cisterns to peasants in the poor and dry semi-arid regions with a small toilet building, which combines a dry latrine, shower and sinks.
Equally noteworthy is the use of locally available materials such as pre-cast industrialized Ferro cement components combined with adobe bricks produced on site. The work is sensitive to the dire need for ecological and economic sustainability in such regions, while exercising respect for local customs and levels of technological skill.
The project promises a highly beneficial social impact, not only raising the hygienic quality of life, but also serving as an incentive for collective involvement in directing the course of further communal development. The proposed structures are easy to build and require no overly complicated resource management.
Considering their economy of means, the elements deliver a diverse range of improvements and substantially increase protection from contamination and disease. They also offer a sensitive aesthetic addition to the local ambience of the environment, while increasing its inherent capacities.