Mãos à Obra
Community service design project focused on repair and sustainability
Mãos à Obra is a community-driven service design project inspired by the Repair Café movement. It provides a dedicated space where people can come together to repair everyday objects, share knowledge, and promote sustainability. More than just a repair space, the project fosters collaboration and collective resourcefulness, challenging the culture of waste and overconsumption.
Client
Municipality of Funchal,
Madeira
Services
Service Design
UX/UI Design
Visual Communication
Community Engagement
Industries
Community
Social Innovation
Date
July 2023
Mãos à Obra embraces the principles of the circular economy by promoting repair and reuse, reducing waste, and challenging the throwaway culture. This project offers a sustainable alternative to overconsumption by extending the lifespan of everyday objects and minimizing excessive production. More than just a repair initiative, Mãos à Obra represents a movement committed to combating waste, planned obsolescence, and unsustainable consumption.
Mãos à Obra embraces the principles of the circular economy by promoting repair and reuse, reducing waste, and challenging the throwaway culture. This project offers a sustainable alternative to overconsumption by extending the lifespan of everyday objects and minimizing excessive production. More than just a repair initiative, Mãos à Obra represents a movement committed to combating waste, planned obsolescence, and unsustainable consumption.
Beyond fixing broken items, Mãos à Obra fosters knowledge-sharing, skill-building, and a strong sense of community. It provides an inclusive space where people collaborate to create a cultural shift toward more responsible consumption. Through in-depth research, including interviews and observations, we identified the community's needs and aspirations, reinforcing the importance of a shared space dedicated to sustainability, learning, and collective action.
Beyond fixing broken items, Mãos à Obra fosters knowledge-sharing, skill-building, and a strong sense of community. It provides an inclusive space where people collaborate to create a cultural shift toward more responsible consumption. Through in-depth research, including interviews and observations, we identified the community's needs and aspirations, reinforcing the importance of a shared space dedicated to sustainability, learning, and collective action.
The research phase revealed several key demographic groups interested in the Mãos à Obra project, including students and retirees eager to learn repair skills and adopt more sustainable lifestyles. Additionally, we discovered a significant presence of local talents—individuals skilled in various repair disciplines—who were enthusiastic about contributing and volunteering. These insights helped shape the project to address the community's specific needs, fostering collaboration and reinforcing a sense of belonging.
The research phase revealed several key demographic groups interested in the Mãos à Obra project, including students and retirees eager to learn repair skills and adopt more sustainable lifestyles. Additionally, we discovered a significant presence of local talents—individuals skilled in various repair disciplines—who were enthusiastic about contributing and volunteering. These insights helped shape the project to address the community's specific needs, fostering collaboration and reinforcing a sense of belonging.
To bring the project to life, we identified local institutions and NGOs that aligned with our goals and values. We conducted interviews and reached out to organizations focused on sustainability and community development. After mapping potential partners, we approached them with clear, targeted objectives. Through formal channels and in-person meetings, we presented the project’s goals, emphasizing its benefits such as waste reduction, consumer empowerment, and community engagement. These discussions helped build trust and secure commitment from stakeholders.
To bring the project to life, we identified local institutions and NGOs that aligned with our goals and values. We conducted interviews and reached out to organizations focused on sustainability and community development. After mapping potential partners, we approached them with clear, targeted objectives. Through formal channels and in-person meetings, we presented the project’s goals, emphasizing its benefits such as waste reduction, consumer empowerment, and community engagement. These discussions helped build trust and secure commitment from stakeholders.
Reflection plays a key role in the final phase of the Mãos à Obra project. I dedicated time to assess our design process, analyzing both the successes and areas for improvement. This self-evaluation exercise provides valuable insights into our strengths and weaknesses, guiding our future projects. As we conclude our work, we celebrate the achievements and express gratitude to everyone who supported us. The contributions of team members, mentors, and stakeholders were crucial to the success of the design project.
Reflection plays a key role in the final phase of the Mãos à Obra project. I dedicated time to assess our design process, analyzing both the successes and areas for improvement. This self-evaluation exercise provides valuable insights into our strengths and weaknesses, guiding our future projects. As we conclude our work, we celebrate the achievements and express gratitude to everyone who supported us. The contributions of team members, mentors, and stakeholders were crucial to the success of the design project.