Oga’i House
CEDES/Habitat
Incremental housing solution for Mbya Guarani communities in Caaguazu, Paraguay.
The Oga’i House is a housing typology developed by CEDES/Habitat for and with the participation of the Mby’a Guarani indigenous communities living in the region of Caaguazu, Paraguay. The design of the Oga’i House follows the construction principles and cultural costumes of the traditional houses of the Mby’a Guarani community. The project also incorporates alternative building materials to replace or decrease the use of depleted resources such as wood.
Due to the remote location of these communities and difficult access to infrastructure, designers implemented passive design strategies and mechanisms such as low-tech interior airflow strategies, construction of new kitchen stoves to reduce the impact of smoke in the interior, hybrid roofing techniques combining standard and local materials to avoid Chagas disease spread, and external solar sanitary and shower system.
The Oga’i House initiative was co-designed between CEDES/Habitat and the Asociación Mborayhu Porã – Mbya Guarani, co-financed by the Ministry of Urbanism, Housing and Habitat of Paraguay through a social housing grant subsidy and benefited communities, assisted by the Architecture, Design, and Arts School at the National University of Asuncion, and executed by the construction company Altec S.A.
Paraguay
This product has been implemented by CEDES/Habitat through the Ministry of Urbanism, Housing and Habitat of Paraguay.
∼10,500 USD ( 58,800,000 ₲)Converted on December 2016
There are not primary competitors in Paraguay. However, similar initiatives can be found in other countries in Latin America. An example is the Masewalme kin chiwa in kaliwa Project in Mexico by COPEVI. The English translation of the project’s title is “Native people building their houses.” The project started in 2009 and so far they have built around 600 houses in fourteen different communities. The project received the World Habitat Award in 2014.
Target users include Mbya Guarani indigenous communities living in Caaguazu, Paraguay.
