BORBOLETA -

FARIM

Borboleta, that means butterfly in Portugues, is a small infirmary of 50 square meters that will fly up from Italy to Guinea Bissau. The project was conceived by Gruppo 29 Maggio, an ONG Association: a space for medical assistance for children of a village of Farim (Guinea Bissau), since this need of a mission of the Carmelitani Fathers. The precise and dramatic request was to have a closed and protected space where a lot of children, suffering from glaucoma, could be easily treated with simple creams; but especially a place where this children will be protected from the infection to eyes and mouth. In fact, in the current situation, the children risk to contract serious infection and become blinds. These conditions of extreme poverty deeply move supporters of Borboleta, aware that a blind child in Guinea Bissau will not receive any help or assistance, and risk seriously to be abandonment and dying. Borboleta is a symbol of life and cooperation and respects the prerogatives of POLISOCIAL of the Politecnico di Milano. The project is coordinated by the Politecnico di Milano, under the responsibility of professor Marco Imperadori who has assembled a team of designers and suppliers. Among these Atelier2 and Valentina Gallotti for the architecture and technology, Brianza Plastica for shingles and photovoltaic panels, Marcegaglia for the facades and the interior furniture, Colombo Costruzioni for cladding and flooring, Velux Italy for windows and for the solar thermal systems, Bertolani Costruzioni for logistics and the insulation of electrical system, Cittadini for the shading nets and hammocks, Rovati for carpentry, Nordzinc for the protection and paint of the steels, Italcementi for the foundations, the study G.P. Imperadori for structures, Forlani Systems for the lights, Valassi Costruzioni for the reinforcement of foundation, FaPa for the insect screen and Hoval for the kettle. Borboleta is a shell. The deck is supported by a steel structure realized with three-hinged arches that lead tubular cross- braced, also in steel. All the structure was treated with the Triplex System, provided by Nord-Zinc. On the shingle are positioned shading nets , that seems like the wings of a butterfly, anchor at the surrounding trees. All components and materials of the project will be provided in Ghedi (Brescia), at the Gruppo 29 Maggio’s headquarters, where Borboleta will be pre-assembled and tested. Subsequently, the structure has been loaded into containers and sent in Guinea Bissau, where it was mounted permanently by the volunteers of Gruppo 29 Maggio and Todeschini workers. Borboleta was inaugurated in February 2015.