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Este artículo es el resultado de un quinquenio de investigación científica sobre la arquitectura vernácula manabita donde se estudió el tipo de “viviendas de los tres espacios”. El artículo tiene como objetivo revelar los valores y tradiciones culturales de las viviendas de los tres espacios en las comunidades rurales de Portoviejo, en Manabí, Ecuador. Se hizo uso de la investigación cualitativa, para lo cual se utilizaron las técnicas de entrevistas semiestructuradas, historias de vidas, observación científica y análisis de contenidos de archivos y documentos históricos. Se estudiaron 309 viviendas. Se identificaron las variables de identidad cultural, tradiciones constructivas y usos de los espacios. Los resultados revelan que las viviendas de los tres espacios manabitas ha sido una construcción histórico-cultural de su pueblo transmitida de generación en generación. A estas viviendas se le atribuyen valores económicos, estéticos, históricos, de uso, formal y simbólico que se corresponden a los señalados en las cartas de la Unesco como parte de la arquitectura vernácula. Las viviendas de los tres espacios han sido conservadas por los pueblos rurales, son sostenibles y preservan sus valores en los entornos naturales donde están localizadas. This article is the result of five-year scientific research on Manabi vernacular architecture where the type of “dwellings of the three spaces” was studied. The article aims to reveal the cultural values and traditions in houses of three spaces located in rural communities of Portoviejo, in Manabí, Ecuador. Qualitative research was used. Techniques of semi-structured interviews, such as life stories, scientific observation, and analysis of the contents of archives and historical documents were carried out. 309 homes were studied. Variables like cultural identity, constructive traditions, and uses of the spaces were identified. The results showed houses of the three Manabi spaces have been a historical-cultural construction of their town transmitted from generation to generation. Economic, aesthetic, historical, use, formal, and symbolic values that correspond to those indicated in the UNESCO charts as part of vernacular architecture, are attributed in these houses. Homes of three spaces have been preserved by rural peoples, are sustainable edifications, and preserve values in the natural environments where it is located Este trabajo ha sido financiado por las Universidades de la Costa, Colombia y la Universidad Técnica de Manabí, Ecuador, mediante el proyecto de investigación Índex Código INV. 1106-01-006-13 denominado “Metodología para el aprovechamiento de materiales autóctonos renovables en zonas rurales y costeras de Ecuador con fines constructivos”

La importancia de incrementar el número de viviendas sustentables, y con ello contribuir a frenar los efectos del cambio climático, responde a que 4.62% de las emisiones de provienen del sector habitacional. Las ecotecnologías para la vivienda son dispositivos con potencial para reducir emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero, así como para ahorrar. Estos instrumentos están cada vez más disponibles en el mercado, sin que se utilicen de manera generalizada en las viviendas de la Ciudad de México. Este trabajo identifica las diferencias entre la población que conoce y utiliza ecotecnias en las viviendas de la capital mexicana. Por medio de encuestas y estadísticas se encontraron diferencias significativas entre cinco estratos socioterritoriales en las formas de conocimiento y uso de ecotecnologías para la vivienda.

Adequate housing is one of the rights of Indonesian citizens. Nevertheless, forced eviction is something familiar in Indonesia. One of the areas that experienced forced evictions was Kampung Akuarium. In April, the Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta evicted Kampung Akuarium settlement area residents. As a form of demonstration, they survived on the rubble from the evictions and built tents to carry out their activities in the Kampung Akuarium area. The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government began to rebuild the site into an adequate residential area called Kampung Susun Akuarium (KSA) as a solution for the residents. Based on the government’s solution, the study aims to determine whether the KSA meets the principles of sustainable housing. Sustainable housing promotes environmental preservation, social equality, and economic development to improve the residents’ quality of life. This study conducts a preliminary study to compile sustainable housing variables and indicators. The variables used in this research are community development, environment, social, and economy. Data analysis using Structural Equation Modeling was performed with SmartPLS software, based on the data collected, with an intensive study by distributing questionnaires to 102 residents. The findings indicate that KSA residents have performed most of the sustainable housing and community development indicators well and can still be improved by considering solutions related to poorly implemented indicators. This study’s results also emphasize that community development is a significant variable in building sustainable housing to be used in subsequent studies.

The current paper aims to analyze the architectural genotype principle that considers the arrangement of spaces as an abstract relational model. The goal is to demonstrate that syntactic measurements show that spatial structures allow messages to be decoded in each dwelling's inner spaces' architecture. The research uses the justified graphic technique for spatial syntax. Twelve detached houses have been randomly selected out of a total of sixty-two contemporary buildings that were built in a subdivision of Setif between 1990 and 2010. The analysis findings showed that the spatial characteristics and properties that constitute the generic rule underlying the studied space can be detected. This research supports the notion that the implementation of the spatial syntax method can aid in the proposition of innovative solutions regarding the design of sustainable housing projects.

The use of polystyrene beads in concrete applications has been limited due to its perceived low strength properties. Tensile strength test is an important test that determines the vulnerability of concrete to tensile cracking due to the weight of the structural load. Water, sand, coarse aggregates, expanded polystyrene beads, and ordinary Portland cement are the materials used for this study. All the materials were batched according to their weight, except for polystyrene and coarse aggregates which were batched in volume after mixing them together. The polystyrene partial replacement level was considered at 12% of the coarse aggregate volume. The model equation adopted for this study was based on Scheffe’s {4, 2} simplex lattice design for both Pseudo component and component proportional models. The actual model was developed from the 28th day test result. The Mathlab and Minitab 16 software were used in this study to generate the actual mix ratios. The results obtained showed that both Pseudo component and component proportional models both produced an average split tensile strength of about 5.10N/mm2. This implied that the results of this study produced a split tensile strength result that varied between 18% - 19% of its compressive strength result. This showed that the materials and the mix ratios optimized in this study are suitable as building blocks for residential low rising buildings and as partition slaps for high rising buildings. The lightweight property makes it highly suitable for large scale application in high rising structures as internal partition slaps only.

Sustainable housing is a worldwide challenge, while the case of Serbia could be an example of how complex the circumstances can be and how difficult it is to see the path towards sustainability. This paper sets out to answer multiple challenges; can energy-efficient, low-impact housing enter the market and respond to the needs of its population, potentially contributing to a more affordable and future-proof housing reality in Serbia? And does this demand rather different measure than the ones conventionally explored in innovative housing approaches else-where? To answer these questions, the paper starts from the preview of circumstances, then the methodology is proposed and explained, after which the possible building materials and technical installations for pilot multi-apartment Passive House are selected, and in the end, results are given and conclusions are drawn. Since the building is intended for a housing co-operative, both the affordability of the proposed solution and the environmental footprint has been comprehended by the methodology proposed. In the end, by carefully balancing the benefits of individual measures ? favouring those that are cost-effective and discouraging the implementation of measures that are not, a viable pilot project that could step into the market-oriented society is selected.

Housing precariousness is a current issue across all tenures in many urban centres globally. As a response, civilian-driven initiatives as well as scarce government-led examples have tried to address the problem. Still, these are yet to be acknowledged as viable alternatives supported by legislation and trusted by prospective occupants. This article maps the potential of environmentally and socially sustainable housing options based on the group-build (Baugruppen) model in Australia. A case study was conducted to detect the role contemporary socio-spatial tensions together with urban and environmental unsustainability play in creating housing precariousness. As part of it, the possibility of a housing shift grounded in the group-build (Baugruppen) model was explored by looking into a prospective project in Queensland and completed projects in Victoria. The findings of the case study demonstrated that the existing housing model is contributing to conditions of spatial injustice and urban unsustainability. Additionally, they revealed the limited feasibility of a paradigm shift.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are a large problem globally and residential buildings account for a sizeable portion of the global CO2 emissions. The technical report discusses designing a heat exchanger for a ground source heat pump, a solar tracking device, and testing different types of insulation. Each goal contributes to the main goal of reducing CO2 emissions in housing either by producing clean energy or by reducing the amount of energy consumed. The STS portion of the research is focused improving the accessibility and affordability of sustainable housing. STS research focused on using various methods such as subsidies, shared equity housing, and changing rating systems used to score neighborhoods on sustainability. The technical and STS portions are tightly coupled since they both work on improving access to sustainable housing and reducing CO2 emissions from the residential sector. The technical portion discusses powering a home designed and built by the UVA School of Architecture using clean energy sources. The project was split into a group testing different insulation types, a group developing a solar tracker, and a group designing a heat exchanger for a ground source heat pump. The insulation group designed and constructed a device that uses heating tape and a box to expose one side of the insulation to heat and expose the other side to a room temperature conditions. The R-value and thermal conductivity of each insulation sample were calculated using a 1D heat transfer analysis. The solar group designed and built a system that allows a solar panel to “track” the sun by keeping the solar panel perpendicular to the sun’s rays at all time in order to maximize efficiency. The heating and cooling group is testing scale models of different piping designs for heat exchangers used in ground source heat pumps. Applying these three systems in homes should reduce emissions by adding clean energy sources and by reducing the energy needs of the residential sector. Due to permit restrictions, the additions were not able to be added to the house. However, proof of concept was still feasible. The solar panel group was able to design a working scale model solar tracker and is currently building a full-scale system. They were able to generate enough energy to power household appliances during testing. The ground source heat pump group was able to create scale models of different heat exchanger piping systems and is currently testing them to collect data. Currently, mineral wool, fiberglass rolls, extruded polystyrene, and expanded polystyrene have been tested as insulation candidates. Data analysis still needs to be completed so the report is currently inconclusive. The research question being addressed within the STS portion of the report is as follows: how can sustainable homes become more affordable and appealing to the average person? Support for the thesis was given by a combination of interviews and studies. For example, the suggestion of mandating the affordability component of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED®ND) rating system for neighborhoods being considered for LEED®ND certification. Studies were used to back up claims about shared equity housing as a viable method for improving the affordability of housing in general. Those same studies found lower foreclosure rates and a high rate of people within the program eventually buying homes at market rate. Overall, changing rating systems, expanding shared equity housing, and improving subsidies could improve access to sustainable housing. Changes to rating systems could either involve weighing the cost categories more heavily or making them mandatory for certification. Doing so would put pressure on builders focused on sustainable housing to lower the costs of their products. Also, adding shared equity housing programs to sustainable housing neighborhoods would improve affordability and foreclosure rates as previous studies show over 90% of low-income homeowners in such programs remain homeowners five years later. Subsidies such as the California Solar Initiative allow for rebates that come with the initial installation costs and energy provided to the grid. These subsidies and rebates make sustainable housing practices more attractive by lowering upfront and overhead costs. In conclusion, the attractiveness for sustainable housing is often determined by economic factors. Lowering the costs of clean energy technologies and providing incentives for implementing them in houses lowers overall CO2 emissions by increasing the attractiveness of those technologies. Finally, lowering CO2 emissions in the residential sector is difficult but fixing rating systems, expanding shared equity housing and subsidies, and improving energy efficient technologies can help.

As global livability rankings gain press attention and powerful influence with policy makers, we need an expanded critical debate on their context and problems. This essay narrates a brief history ...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the people’s perceptions of sustainable housing in Saudi Arabia using Riyadh as a case study. Riyadh was chosen as a case study for two reasons: it is the capital city of Saudi Arabia and the largest city in the country; and there are no major differences between the characteristics of people in Riyadh and other major Saudi cities. Design/methodology/approach The questionnaire survey technique was used in this study to achieve the main purpose. The study used descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage) with the aid of the Statistical Package of Social Science Software (SPSS) to analyze the data. Findings The findings reveal that there is a lack of people’s awareness about the sustainable housing. However, it shows a positive response regarding people’s willingness to live in sustainable housing in the future as well as to adjust their current houses to be more environmentally friendly houses. Research limitations/implications The thoughts of stakeholders who are involved in the housing field, including policymakers and real estate developers, are very significant, however, due to the time limitation it has not been explored in this study. Therefore, future research is recommended to investigate the opinions of different stakeholders to have better insights for delivering sustainable housing. Originality/value The study contributes to exploring the people’s perceptions of sustainable housing in Saudi Arabia using Riyadh as a case study. Only a few studies have discussed this issue, so this study was conducted to bridge this research gap and build upon the literature.

“Cohousing” is a collective housing model, which has the potential to offer socially and environmentally sustainable housing for a community. It is a collaborative housing concept designed to foster meaningful relationships, closer social bonding, and more efficient use of resources. This study aimed to examine the motivations of cohousing groups to create or enter a cohousing community in the UK and identify potential issues to improve future cohousing development. In total, 24 people participated in this study: 18 cohousing group members and 6 project architects. Interviews were conducted in eight cohousing communities in the UK. The results showed that the social aspect was the driving characteristic attracting people to a cohousing project. This study focused on social aspects related to cohousing, but environmental, financial, family, and health aspects were analyzed as well. Potential issues were identified based on the experiences of group members and the architects, which showed the concerns and obstacles experienced by cohousing group members. The findings of this study could be used as an evidence-based tool to enhance social engagement for the development of future cohousing communities and other collaborative residential facilities.

Housing performance has typically been governed by mandatory performance policies. There are examples of voluntary policies and programmes which have been introduced to augment mandatory requiremen...

Rental houses in Australia represent approximately one third of all homes, and this proportion has been growing over recent decades. However, the quality, comfort and environmental credentials of t...

Current housing design faces various environmental, social, and economic issues, such as climate change, aging population, and workplace needs. Dealing with such issues and pursuing sustainability is a target-oriented challenge. The science of system control can be utilized for all target-oriented tasks. Therefore, applying system control, we have been developing methods for sustainable design. Based on our finished research and practice results, this chapter shows how to design sustainable homes. Section 2 briefly illustrates the methods with two figures: (1) the control system for promoting sustainable housing design, (2) the process of producing and revising sustainable housing design guidelines. Section 3 demonstrates a concrete process of creating sustainable design guidelines. First, it identifies global and general problems related to current homes and specifies requirements for sustainable housing design. Next, it converts these requirements into a tabular form of “housing elements, variables, and their desired values.” The completed table has turned out compact “sustainable housing design guidelines” for general use. The methods have four significant features: (1) total visualization for promoting sustainable design, (2) user-friendliness, (3) comprehensiveness, (4) flexibility toward optimization.

Urban informality is fast becoming a permanent feature in cities not only in the global South but also in the global North, hence the need to include it in the delivery systems of the city for sustainable urbanity. However informal settlements are left out in the service delivery systems of cities and this has created spatial deprivation in the city. The exclusion of urban informality is not only a denial of their right to the city but also a denial of environmental justice to these people, which also constitute unsustainable housing. Including informal settlements in the urban fabric will result in sustainable housing because the housing delivery is very important in attaining sustainable development goals. All cities therefore need to provide its services to all the city inhabitants for inclusive and sustainable city. Informal settlements demands safe and liveable spaces for their well being and the sustainability of the city. Effective waste management in informal settlements does not only reflect the inclusivity of the city but is also an important pillar for sustainable city. The research used a mixed methods approach to data collection, where both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect data. The research find out that informal settlements in Masvingo city are excluded from the waste collection services and this is imposing an impending danger to their lives because of life threatening environments that surround informal settlements.

The term vernacular architecture is widely accepted by architects and derives from the Latin “VERNACULUS”, which means “domestic, native, indigenous”, local. So vernacular architecture designates the entire culture built from a particular place. In modern housing design, the inheritance and development of traditional architectural culture is reflected in the inheritance of classic architectural forms and craftsmanship and the rational application of traditional building systems. With the progress of social civilization and the improvement of technological level, various innovative building systems emerge in an endless stream and are widely used in modern housing design. In today’s rapid social and economic development, housing changes are coming quickly, sometimes even seeming a bit rough. At present, more attention is paid to the construction of new residential areas. As far as the field of urban architecture is concerned, the human settlement environment can be understood explicitly as people’s living and living environment. Today architects need to design a settlement that balances all social functions between meeting current needs and future development, designing energy and material-saving buildings, so that it is in harmony with the environment, and is conducive to the physical and mental health of the human body. In other words, the planning process requires attention to human behavior, psychology, emotions, and interpersonal relationships.

As a part of the shift towards a more sustainable society, improving the energy efficiency of the current dwelling stock has gained momentum in the past few years. In case of co-ownership of a building (e.g. apartment building), the residents of a home-owner association have to come to a collective agreement when deciding upon the implementation of sustainable energy measures of the dwellings. Stated choice modelling is a well-known technique to measure individuals’ preferences of attributes of choice alternatives. This study introduces an extension of the technique to estimate preferences of residents that takes into account group influences and group dynamics in joint decision-making. The findings of an application based on a national sample of 167 home-owner associations members indicate that owner association members show cooperative behaviour. They are willing to make concessions to their own preferences in order to reach a group decision. When preferences of members differ on outcomes that are considered to be very important, however, the willingness to adapt may be limited. We conclude therefore that compromise alternatives have a higher probability of acceptance than high-gain high-cost alternatives, given the group decision context.

[ES] El objetivo del TFM es el diseño y la implementación del sistema domótico de una vivienda sostenible participante de la competición Solar Decathlon Europe 21/22. El sistema consiste en la sensorización de las instalaciones de la vivienda y el control de actuadores. Para ello, el sistema de control será capaz de tomar decisiones a través del PLC y, además, estará comunicado por protocolo Modbus TCP con un miniPC que le dará acceso a una web que, a través de una interfaz de usuario, permitirá la interacción de manera remota con luces de la casa, sensores y actuadores como, por ejemplo, ventanas. En la competición participa el grupo de alumnos "Azalea" de la UPV, un equipo dentro de Generación Espontánea. El proyecto Escalà consiste en el diseño y la construcción de una vivienda sostenible, enmarcada en un proyecto social, en este caso en El Cabañal. Dicha vivienda será evaluada junto con las de otros equipos universitarios de todo el mundo durante los meses de mayo y junio de 2022 en Wuppertal (Alemania). Con el fin de conseguir la mayor puntuación posible en el Solar Decathlon, el sistema domótico ha de tener en cuenta datos como condiciones ambientales medidas por el propio sistema de sensores, previsión de clima y precio de la energía en cada franja horaria (ofrecidos por la competición). Además, ha de ser capaz de ofrecer el máximo rendimiento y eficiencia en diferentes pruebas como calentamiento de vivienda; demandas de volcar energía a la red y simultaneidad de ciertos electrodomésticos, todo esto forzado por la propia competición en diferentes pruebas., [EN] The aim of this project is the design and implementation of the automated system in a sustainable dwell, that participates in the Solar Decathlon 21/22 competition. The control consists of a group of sensors and actuators in the different supply systems in the building. To do this, the control system has a PLC that makes decisions when needed and, in addition, communicates through Modbus protocol with a miniPC, that gives the system access to a web with a user interface that allows users to interact with the house lightning, the sensors and the actuators like, for instance, the windows. This competition is the one in which a group of UPV students named “Azalea”, a team that belongs to Generación Espontánea. It consists of the design and construction of a sustainable dwelling, framed in a social project, in our case in the neighbourhood of El Cabanyal. This dwelling is assessed with others build by other university teams all around the world during May and June 2022 in Wuppertal, Germany. To get as many points as possible in the Solar Decathlon, the control system has to take in account data like weather conditions, measured by the system itself; weather forecasts and the energy cost at any time (given by the organization). Furthermore, it has to be able to have the best performance and efficiency in several tasks like house warming, feed-in the grid and simultaneously use of several appliances. All this demanded by the competition in several tasks., [CAT L'objectiu d’este projecte és el disseny i la implementació del sistema domòtic d’una vivenda sostenible, participant de la competició Solar Decathlon Europe 21/22. El sistema consistix en la sensorització de les instal·lacions de la vivenda i el control d’actuadors. Per a aconseguir açò, el sistema de control és capaç de prendre decisions a través d’un PLC i, a més, està comunicat per protocol Modbus TCP amb un miniPC que li dona accés a un web i que, mitjançant una interfície d’usuari, permet la interacció de manera remota amb els llums de la casa, els sensors i els actuadors com, per exemple, les finestres. Esta competició és en la que participem un grup d’alumnes de la UPV, “Azalea”, un equip dins de Generación Espontánea. Consistix en el disseny i la construcció d’una vivenda sostenible, emmarcada en un projecte social, en el nostre cas en el barri de El Cabanyal. Esta vivenda és avaluada junt amb les d’altres equips universitaris de tot el mon durant els mesos de maig i juny de 2022 en Wuppertal (Alemanya). Amb la finalitat d’aconseguir la major puntuació possible en el Solar Decathlon, el sistema domòtic ha de tindre en compte dades com condicions ambientals mesurades pel propi sistema de sensors, previsió de clima i preu de l’energia en cada franja horària (oferits per la competició). A més, ha de ser capaç de donar el màxim rendiment i eficiència en diverses proves com escalfament de la vivenda; demandes d’abocar energia a la xarxa i simultaneïtat de certs electrodomèstics. Tot açò forçat per la competició en diverses tasques.