Stem Cells are biological cells that can divide indefinitely and differentiate into

diverse specialized cell types. The project proposal introduces this concept to
sustainable architecture and urban design. The Stem Cell of the architectural
proposal is the 3x3x3 meter cube, the basic unit that evolves into a house tissue
of six-cube modules, which are interchangeable to satisfy the user requirements.
Although this is a project of social housing, each user has the option to customize
his home at his convenience, a prerogative that was accessible only to users with
higher incomes. The houses are limited to 54 sq meters to take advantage of the
Housing Act that provides different grants to houses under 60 sq meters, but its
structure and design is settled to reach 108 sq meters after additions. Each house
is an Eco-sensitive unit equipped with wastewater treatment systems that is
integrated with septic tanks, biological filtering gardens and ponds. Each house
can easily becomes an urban farm ecologically sound by using the treated water
to irrigate a backyard vegetable garden or to feed a tropical fish pond. The urban
Stem Cell is the eight-house neighborhood around a semi-private pedestrian
plaza that promotes inhabitants' interaction and identity. This assertion is based
on the findings of social scientists that establish a link between individualistic
behavior and the urban configuration of the last century industrial cities. The fact
is that urban settings impact human behavior. Therefore, the proposed design
prioritizes pedestrian public space in order to promote the personal encounter
and social interaction between inhabitants. These urban cells are grouped
around productive organic farms integrated to accomplish four important roles:
produce fresh organic food, recycle the septic tanks' effluents, promote
inhabitants labor into their homes or nearby and encourage a sustainable
behavior. This way the urban unit is created to contain leisure and formal
activities, reducing the usual displacements between private and public life
scenarios and increasing the environmental quality. The two story house is
intended to promote the addition of complementary spaces, like more rooms, or
the location for a family business or workshop at ground level, in order to place
together the leisure and the working places. A special street network conceived
to facilitate the pedestrian transit connects the urban units, constraining the
motorized traffic into 3 meter-wide tracks confined between pedestrian
sidewalks and wide linear parks.