Abstract

GARCIA ALVARADO, Rodrigo; TREBILCOCK KELLY, Maureen  and  SOTO MUNOZ, Jaime. Environmental Improvement of Single Urban Housing in Centre-South of Chile. Arquitectura y Urbanismo [online]. 2013, vol.34, n.3, pp. 39-48. ISSN 1815-5898.

Chile, like many developing countries, presents a continuous residential growth and of energy consumption, but with a significant environmental impact. The nation has implemented programs and regulations, but there is a lack of detailed information on the housing performance. This paper presents a novel strategy for the analysis of urban single housing in the centre-south area of the country, to foster effective environmental improvements. The analysis is based on building statistics and the review of fifty homes, as well as energy simulation, with modeling and long-time monitoring of a dozen of these cases. Some experiences of improved housing design and refurbishment were also examined. This research work identifies energy performance patterns and related architectural characteristics. It has managed specific conditions to simulate this regional typology by climate, geometry, occupancy, materiality and equipment, demonstrating differences in comfort levels and building quality. At the end the study reveals a conflict between user’s expectations and construction quality, which must be faced in the design process with actions on line with local development.

Keywords : housing; energy simulation; environmental performance; refurbishment; Chile.

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