The interview with Samuel Kalika appeared
in A&B 4'2021
Critical Concrete is an initiative each year that attracts crowds of students eager to deepen their understanding of low-tech sustainable construction through practical and theoretical classes. The three-week summer school, which has now evolved into a one-year postgraduate program, promotes alternative mechanisms for rehabilitating social housing. We talk to its founder, Samuel Kalika, about its experience so far and research challenges.
Edyta Skiba: How was the Critical Concrete initiative born?
Samuel Kalika: I was originally interested in creating a place open to the local community that would strengthen the neighborhood community through various initiatives and projects. However, when I arrived in Porto, I discovered that quite a number of residents were still struggling with the effects of the crisis, which was reflected in the condition of individual apartments and houses. The situation I found really moved me and caused me to radically change my original assumptions. The idea of a fab-lab open to the public receded into the background, and all attention was directed to the creation of an initiative to popularize sustainable construction solutions on the one hand, and support the poorest residents of Porto on the other. The average salary in Portugal is currently six hundred euros per month, so it is easy to calculate that it does not give a chance to set aside the amount necessary to carry out home renovations. Very often, it is not even enough to set aside the ten percent down payment needed to obtain a low-interest loan from the government specifically for renovations. Fortunately, thanks to the many volunteers, participants in our summer school, and the budget raised for it, we are able to renovate one house to a satisfactory level in a year. Of course, this is a drop in the ocean of needs.
a moment of respite
© Critical Concrete
Edit: The number of people in need probably doesn't make it easy to choose which family to help. How is this decision made?
Samuel: It's a long-term process that goes on between school editions. During this time, we visit all the homes identified by social workers working on behalf of the district office and NGOs. Each such visit is made with the participation of a social worker who acts as a mediator between us and the family visited. Each time it is a very difficult decision. Sometimes the selection process is done in a very orderly way, sometimes the decision is made spontaneously. This is how it was decided to choose the house to be renovated during the 2019 edition of the school. First we received information about a man who inquired at the office about available programs dedicated to the restoration of buildings. We decided to visit him and see if we could help with anything. When we got there and started looking at the house, we couldn't believe that someone was really living in the place. Some of the windows were gone, and the roof on the first floor had completely caved in. However, when we noticed that the building had a usable kitchen, that there were slippers at the entrance, and that there was a TV in the corner, it occurred to us that the place really was inhabited. Two days later we showed up again, this time to secure the roof. We were sure that this year we had to help this very person. Sometimes the decision is not an easy one to make, because we have to make a choice between families whose situations are in some ways comparable. Sometimes, however, we have no other option but to support this person and not another, even if the process of making the choice has been planned in detail.
Woolen offcuts as insulation material for interior walls
© Critical Concrete
Edit: Are residents involved in the redevelopment itself? How does this affect their final perception of the project?
Samuel: Involvement and inclusion in the process each time depends on the family, and it looks different in each case. In one of the first editions, we worked with a mentor who decided to exclude the homeowner from part of the process, mainly for reasons of facilitating communication and the need to make quick decisions on site. Unfortunately, although the project was very well designed and executed, the result was not welcomed by the residents. Therefore, in each subsequent edition, we tried to involve the family as much as possible, including in some of the work, so that they could paint a piece of wall or fix some other elements. In one edition, we ran a renovation for an elderly couple and their daughter, who, for health reasons and busy schedules, were unable to participate in the execution phase. Instead, they were very active in the conceptual part. The work schedule is very tight, so it is not always possible for the homeowner to influence all decisions. As in any construction site, numerous problems arise in the course of work that need to be solved right away, they cannot wait. Commitment is one of many aspects that affect the final acceptance of the project. The other is how we handle the expectations and hopes placed on us by the owners. We are not like a team of TV revolutions consisting of many skilled workers. We are a solidarity project with people traveling hundreds and thousands of kilometers to pledge their time and commitment, to provide assistance, but also to gain knowledge and new skills. Each time, we leave the house in better condition than we found it. We make sure the roof is airtight, the electrical systems are working and the plumbing is in working order. Although each project has a great many limitations - both financial and technical - we manage to achieve a great result every time from an architectural point of view as well. Of course, the final assessment depends on the aesthetic sense and taste of the individual.
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foundation from tires
© Critical Concrete
Edyta: How is the design process conducted during summer school?
Samuel: Before the workshop begins, we send students a packet with basic information about the building and its occupants. This gives them a chance to familiarize themselves with the subject beforehand. On the first day, we go to the house to be remodeled in order to introduce the team to the family, introduce ourselves, and get to know the people for whom we will be conducting the renovation. This is also the moment when we can look at the building and its structure, and identify the main spatial problems - perhaps a lack of privacy or problems with room accessibility. In the following days we work on the design concept. Students are divided into groups of fiveto six people, in which they will search for possible solutions for roughly forty-five minutes. The ideas developed are then presented in front of the entire team, so we can choose the most important and best of them. Each summary serves as a guideline for subsequent brainstorming. We work in this way until we have four to five versions of the projects that we can present to residents. Each time we try to make sure that the composition of the teams is different during these design sprints. Doing it this way allows us to minimize the egos of individuals, so that full focus on the project and its challenges is possible. The next day the owners join us, we present the solutions we have developed, comment together on the designs and make changes, so that ultimately we give the residents a choice between two feasible scenarios. Sometimes we have to have one more design session that day, but this doesn't happen very often. After three days, we have all the drawings ready and can start remodeling.
getting ready for work
© Critical Concrete
Edyta: Do you take care of the remodeled house after the work is completed? Do you maintain contact with the owners?
Samuel: We only leave the house when everything is working properly. Later, if there is a problem, we always do our best to solve it or provide support from someone who can help. Nevertheless, we try to disappear as soon as possible. A very important part of the process is to put the house back in the family's possession so that they can feel independent and at home again. Of course, once in a while we call the owners to find out what's up, to check if everything is in order, if there are any defects. We offer our work and the whole process hidden behind it, but we have to leave the people we help at some point. During the process, we establish a strong relationship with the residents, and we need to know when and how to give up space to the other person. Constant visits and too close contact could also put pressure on the owners. Just as important as the remodeling part of the process is how to leave the location.
roof support structure installation
© Critical Concrete
Edyta: The summer school takes place in a rigorous timeframe with the support of students who are not always familiar with site work. Aren't you concerned about technical defects that might arise because of this?
Samuel: This is true, but the duration of the workshop is sufficient to make all the solutions introduced work and functional. Each summer school is supported by four experienced mentors who have one group of ten or so students under their supervision. In addition, there are technical assistants qualified in various types of construction work with us. So we are a group of at least eight experienced people and forty students willing to work. The process goes without major problems every time. The biggest risks are the aesthetic execution of the details, leaving a gap between the panels or a non-ideal division of the elements or tiles. As for the main core of the intervention - plumbing, electrical installations, damp proofing, heating - they are always correctly solved and in working order.
installation of the roof support structure
© Critical Concrete
Edyta: How is the work at the construction site organized? Do the participants perform different tasks every day, or are they assigned to them for longer periods of time?
Samuel: Construction consists of many different tasks and jobs. Usually, if a task assigned to one team is completed, its members move on to other jobs or teams. Some of them are assigned long-term goals, while others work on short tasks. However, we try to make sure that participants do not change their assigned works too often. We want them to feel responsible not only for the construction itself, but also for the whole team. If someone starts doing one thing, gets involved in it, they should see things through to the end. This is a very important principle that we try to convey to the school participants. It seems to me that this approach gives the students a lot of satisfaction. As much as possible, we try to be flexible, but for the sake of everyone and the whole process, we make sure that any changes are not too frequent and do not affect the smoothness of the process.
