USINA CTAH: Collective Construction as Political Practice in Brazilian Housing

USINA — Centro de Trabalhos para o Ambiente Habitado (CTAH), established in São Paulo in the early 1990s, has been a pivotal force for over 30 years in collaborative building and social advocacy. The organization, founded amidst Brazil's transition to democracy, comprises professionals such as architects and engineers. USINA has successfully developed over 5,000 housing units and community spaces, with highlighted initiatives like COPROMO in Osasco, where they constructed 1,000 apartments in eight years, and the Mutirão Paulo Freire project. Additionally, they are actively engaged in a broader cooperative housing effort across Latin America, joining forces with Uruguay’s FUCVAM, which has facilitated over 35,000 homes.