Programa Bem Morar

One of the most ambitious aspects of the strategy is an attempt to alter the construction market by promoting and facilitating access by low-income families and communities to sustainable and modern housing technologies that are environmentally efficient for construction/remodeling of their homes. Today, these technologies are expensive and usually target wealthy populations or large development projects. One objective of this proposal is to create business and distribution models of these solutions so they can be used in public housing projects (in partnership with governments and social investors) and purchased by individual households when they build or renovate their homes, making them more secure, comfortable, dignified and sustainable.

It is noted that community banks are highly strategic instruments used in formulating innovative business models to bring these technologies to families in vulnerable areas. The community banks allow families to access financing to acquire the technology and purchase services (technical assistance), as they can make payments over the long term. Today in Brazil, there has been an increase in the income streams of families of the lowest classes, D and E. Although this positive change has not yet allowed people of these classes to buy these types of services/products under normal formal market conditions (tighter restrictions on access to credit and higher interest rates), it is much easier for them to access that market when they have the support of more flexible credit - as the model for finance proximity (solidarity) and the community banks predicts.

It is also noteworthy that the project is active on other fronts. In the production of materials, the generation of employment for those with difficult employability and in human resources training for sustainable construction. The first example is the creation of 5 job positions for women in the eco-brick factory. Another example is the provision of 15 slots for courses on ecological construction for residents of the neighborhood surrounding the factory. This will impact the construction market in Greater Vitória - both in the supply of materials and tools, and in the greater availability of skilled professionals to use sustainable methods of construction.

The Ateliê de Idéias is a member of Habitat Living Labs, which also includes the participation of representatives of all social and economic sectors of the state of Espírito Santo. Another key partnership is with the Federal University of Espírito Santo. However, partnerships with companies are very strategically important for the project. The first corporate partnership was with Marca Ambiental, which provided physical space and infrastructure for implementation of the eco-brick factory at its industrial plant in Cariacica.

Other corporate partners, through their social investment institutes, are: the HSBC Group and Energies of Portugal (EDP).

The Marca Ambiental provides a physical space and infrastructure in its industrial plant for the eco-brick factory. The HSBC Solidarity Institute and the EDP Institute are financial supporters of the project. Habitat Living Labs participates in studies for the planning and analysis of project viability and sustainability, as well as acting as a consultant for the technical procedures of the project. in Habitat for planning studies and analysis of viability and sustainability, as well as acting as a consultant in the technical procedures of the project. The Federal University of Espirito Santo (UFES) gives human resources (teachers, researchers and technicians) to serve on the project, and provides infrastructure for research and experimentation (engineering laboratories).