Laurent Troost is a Belgian architect with a vast history of projects in the Netherlands, Spain, and Dubai. He made the decision to move to Brazil in 2008, settling in the city of Manaus. In this region filled with challenges and inspiration, Troost developed a unique architectural practice by combining his experiences in designing luxury buildings abroad with structures in the heart of the Amazon. His work gained international recognition and has been honored with multiple awards. On September 4th, 2023, he was in Florianópolis for a lecture at the NCD Summit, where we had the opportunity to discuss his work and his views on architecture and sustainability.
Eduardo Souza (ArchDaily): As a European who came to Brazil to work in architecture, what were the main challenges and lessons learned?
Laurent Troost: One of the first things was that I couldn't start practicing architecture as soon as I arrived due to the diploma validation process. This took some time, and in the meantime, I analyzed and observed local architecture, and attended academic events to learn about the history of Brazilian architecture, first in Manaus and later in São Paulo. It took five years to receive the diploma validation. So, I always like to say, especially when I speak at CAU (Brazilian Council of Architecture and Urbanism), that I practiced architecture illegally during this time because I couldn't afford to not work. But, of course, during this period, it was slower, and I was able to research a lot and immerse myself in Brazilian culture.
I believe the biggest lesson I learned was related to project costs. I came from a place where I worked with budgets of up to 10,000 euros per square meter, and in one of the first projects I did in Manaus, I had a limit of 90 reais per square meter. So, imagine everything had to be reconsidered, the way of thinking and focusing only on the essentials, truly.
Especially in Manaus, being almost an island where there aren't as many materials and suppliers that arrive from the outside, you have to work with an architecture of scarcity, of essence. I believe these are two of the most important aspects of arriving here, discovering new ways of designing and living.
ES: And in this logistical challenge that is the city of Manaus and the Amazon, how does it influence material specifications and solutions?
LT: Thanks to the industrial hub, many warehouses are being built with steel structures, as well as a huge number of barges. Manaus has one of the highest concentrations of shipyards in Brazil, so it benefits from highly skilled labor in steel construction. This is very advantageous because, in addition to the workforce, there are large local steel suppliers, and we end up using a lot of this material in our projects. However, when it comes to limitations, it becomes complicated, for example, to try to follow trends in brands, products, and materials as we see in projects in São Paulo or the southern regions. For us, it becomes much more expensive and time-consuming, and we rarely work with those types of elements. Therefore, architecture needs to focus on the essence of the structure and program organization, rather than on finishes and coatings. This is because, often due to time or cost constraints, the client ends up cutting these things.
It's obvious that the climate is also a shock, when you arrive from Europe to the Amazon. Essentially, you're in a place where the sun is in the north for six months and in the south for six months, and that's a really crazy thing, you know? It's not just a matter of reversing your thinking; it's a whole different set of parameters!
Essentially, it was a significant process of relearning. One of the first projects in Manaus that started to gain recognition is a residence called the Campinarana House. In that project, we used an all-steel upper structure, clad in corten steel. Instead of using interlocking and bolted panels, we specified a continuous weld joint between the panels to prevent water penetration. This continuous weld technique is commonly used for ship hulls. In other words, we leveraged the expertise of the shipyard workforce to build a house. It's all about truly tapping into local knowledge and utilizing the situation with steel, along with the shipyard expertise, to create a flawless continuous weld. Today, this house is six or seven years old and has no leaks. These are the specificities of adapting to scarcity situations, always working with what you have and the local know-how.
ES: What sustainable practices do you typically incorporate into your projects, and how are these practices received by clients? Additionally, how do you assess the role of architects in mitigating the environmental impacts of the construction industry?
LT: As I mentioned, we like to work with steel, but unfortunately, lately, it has become so expensive that it has made many private projects unfeasible. Bringing steel structures to compensate for this aspect in larger projects is also very difficult because developers and construction companies prefer working with concrete, which they are already familiar with, even if it's pre-fabricated. So far, we haven't been able to implement any large-scale projects with steel. However, in residential scales, we always pay a lot of attention to this. Before the pandemic, when steel was reasonably priced, we used to detach the structure from the ground with concrete, and as soon as we reached around eighty centimeters to one meter in height, we would switch to another construction model, either steel or wood. Although using wood is quite challenging in Manaus and is often viewed negatively, even prohibited in most condominiums, for instance. It's a very archaic perspective that is gradually changing, and we have managed to implement some projects with wood.
Additionally, we work extensively with bricks. On the opposite shore of the Rio Negro, across from Manaus, there are many brick kilns. So there is an extensive production of bricks, and we always try to use this as a local material that is readily available, generally within 10 km of any construction site in Manaus, making it very convenient to use.
Regarding the sustainability of the construction industry, I believe it's essential to consider the impact of urban use and buildings. In all our projects, we always try to study the wind patterns or the lack thereof and create ventilation whenever possible to reduce the need for air conditioning. We also pay a great deal of attention to site planning, the impact of sunlight through the use of sunshades, double skins, and intelligent placement of functions such as bathrooms and other humid areas where there is more sunlight.
We organize the program to capture the winds and then work on shading in various ways, which can be a designed element or the building's shape itself that provides self-shading with green roofs, as well as rooftop irrigation systems.
This is always a concern, and we have received good feedback regarding significantly lower electricity bills. We even quantified this in the Campinarama House using a program and found that energy consumption was 84% below the average for a house in the Amazon. When you convert that difference into monetary savings, it becomes a very compelling argument, right? This is the argument we use to persuade clients, either to hire us or to accept a particular site plan because it was designed with all of this in mind. It has been working well, and people are increasingly receptive to these ideas.
We also work extensively with natural vegetation filters, and currently, we are beginning to implement these more bioclimatic solutions on a larger scale. We use various types of solutions. For example, we work with a roof irrigation system that operates with automation linked to temperature or air humidity, but it can also be manual. In some projects, we leave a simple tap nearby, and when people feel it's getting too hot, they can activate it quickly. We have this system that is not high-tech; it's like a regular garden tap or sprinkler. It's a very cost-effective solution that provides a significant environmental comfort.
In addition to the natural cooling provided by the roof, we like to work without gutters. When the rainwater falls and hits the ground, it has a significant psychological impact, providing a refreshing feeling on its own. These are some of the passive sustainability measures we use, more on a day-to-day basis rather than in the actual construction or material specifications, for example. In the end, this is quite important, and in the long term, it can have a positive impact that we often don't consider.
