Social housing in portoviejo. Indoor thermal environment

Abstract

There is growing concern about the quality of social housing, but production still prioritizes costs over habitability. This exploratory and pilot research compares the relative influence of architectural typology, orientation and construction materials on the indoor thermal environments of social housing in the urban outskirts of the city of Portoviejo, Ecuador. Measurements were taken in 92 case studies, in urban complexes where Ecuador's Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MIDUVI) has built more houses. Findings point to the urban heat island effect. The influence of the context and the architectural typology is not significant on the peripheral urban developments studied. While bamboo walls are consistent with the best indoor thermal conditions, concrete slabs are the worst. In addition, pilot research findings match the perceptions by the community.