Canuanã Farm School named best project in the world by RIBA

The Canuanã Farm School project, designed by Rosenbaum and Aleph Zero, was the winner of this year's RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) International Award. Located in the rural area of Formoso do Araguaia, the construction site encompasses three biomes, the cerrado, the Amazon rainforest and the Pantanal. For almost 40 years, it has been home to a boarding school maintained by the Bradesco Foundation. The goal of the renovation was to provide new housing for the children and young people who study there. The team of architects and professionals went to Tocantins to get in touch with the students and residents. so that they could understand their needs, demands and hear their stories. This approach is the proposal of the Instituto A Gente Transforma, by Marcelo Rosenbaum. The result was a human architecture that reflects cultures. The project is expected to house up to 540 children, many of whom come from remote parts of the country, using architecture as a tool for social transformation. The building provides an exceptional environment designed to improve the lives and well-being of the school’s children. The facility comprises two identical complexes, providing separate areas for boys and girls. Each group of buildings is organized around three shaded courtyards, with dormitories on the ground floor and communal spaces upstairs.

The project was selected by a panel of judges led by architect Elizabeth Diller, co-founder of Diller Scofidio + Renfro. They selected the project from three others after viewing them in person. The RIBA International Prize was launched in late 2015, replacing the former Lubetkin Prize. It is open to buildings of any size, scope and budget, in any country and by any qualified architect, provided they have been completed within the last three years. The first winner was Grafton Architects for the University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) in Peru. The other projects competing for the award this year were the Toho Gakuen School of Music by Nikken Sekkei, the Central European University by O' Donnell + Tuomey and Il Bosco Verticale, by Boeri Studio.