Industrialization,Efficiency and Social Housing:Sustainable Prefabrication for the Colombian Social and Cultural Context

This research aims to generate processes of industrialization and qualification of social housing in Colombia through prefabrication,low energy consumption and high environmental quality to reduce the current deficit and improve the quality of life in communities with fewer economic resources.Modular coordination and the use of materials with thermal behaviors,appropriate to the country’s climatic characteristics,reduce production costs,avoid waste and improve the architectural and environmental quality of social housing.Passive cooling strategies,such as controlling solar incursion and generating natural cross ventilation eliminate energy consumption and allow reaching desired standards of comfort.In a context in which traditional construction systems have still not resolved the social housing deficit in Colombia and which generate high costs for energy consumption in the search for thermal comfort,industrialized and efficient construction with high environmental quality provides solutions according to the economic,geographic,social and cultural context in Colombia.

Relieving a Tropical Vernacular Habitat Typology as a Source for Contemporary Social Housing Designs

This work presents an analysis for the rural vernacular dwelling （Culata Yovai）, sited in the South America Guarani region, basin of Paraguay and Paraná rivers. Outdoor climate has conducted man to build along the time a habitat climatic responsive. Nowadays, studies in progress try to show how this vernacular typology can support new low-income house designs. The intent is to guarantee for new projects the socio-cultural image that people, coming from countryside to live in city outskirts, are accostumed. Also, to provide material improvements and functional adequation for a quality and healthiness. Natural ventilation is the main bioclimatic strategy during summer for thermal comfort, which influences the house characteristics. This is proven by calculation, and simulation with the CFX-ANSYS software. Thus, the analysis performed shows the real possibity to reconcile bioclimatism with the symbolic-cultural value represented by this vernacular architecture form. It is hopped that this study can be considered as a methodological contributition for new sustainable projects （materials, technics and services） of low-incoming houses in this Latin American region.

Spatial Quality of Social Housing for Seniors： Village of the Elderly in S^o Paulo （Brazil）

This paper presents the quality assessment of the built environment in the social housing for seniors ＂Village of the Elderly＂, located in the central area of Silo Paulo （Brazil） and it is the case study analyzed here. This multi-method study aimed to evaluate the quality of the built environment through the following indicators： community public facilities in the neighborhood, accessibility, safety and quality of housing. The results showed that ＂Village of the Elderly＂ was designed to house residents with income of up to three minimum wages, however, for lack of specific technical knowledge on human aging, some problems related to accessibility and safety of residents were neglected. The research contributes to studies on the quality of the ambience of constructed space and the results can support public policies, programs and projects of social housing for the elderly.

Green Affordable Social Housing: A Survey-Based Passive Cooling Design, with Focus on Jakande Housing Estate in Lagos, Nigeria

With rising health risks escalating from temperatures in the Global South, the shortage of essential indoor cooling is frequently seen as a dimension of energy poverty and human wellbeing. As a result, this study assessed ventilation and passive cooling in Jakande, Lagos Housing estate to design social housing that integrates proper cross ventilation and cooling. A total of 1215 housing units in the estate were used for the sampling frame. Based on the survey, the authors proposed an analytical housing design equipped with urban greenery that allows for free air movement with minimal thermal discomfort. The design methodology aids continuous cooling within the housing envelope and also improves aesthetics and landscaping within the environment.

A typology of clustered housing for older adults towards opportunities for social interaction:A case study of Dutch social housing

Dutch housing associations are dealing with a growing number of tenants who are ageing in place.Meanwhile,there is a lack of suitable housing that meets the(social)needs of this target group.Clustered housing,which offers a socio-spatial context that facilitates encounters between residents,is considered a promising housing concept to(partly)fill this gap.However,clustered housing is a broad concept consisting of a variety of housing types that differ from each other in the extent to which people“live together”.Still little is known about which types of clustered housing can be distinguished in relation to the potential for social interaction.Therefore,in this article we distinguish between types of clustered housing based on social,organizational,and spatial building characteristics.We have mapped these characteristics by combining real estate data of housing association Woonzorg Nederland with survey data collected among their building managers.Based on this dataset,an explorative cluster analysis was performed,resulting in four types of clustered housing.Finally,further exploration of the data shows that,from the perspective of building managers,residents of certain types of clustered housing interact more often and feel more connected with each other than residents of non-clustered housing types.

Architecture as a Means of Developing Social Exchange:Learning from a Danish Case Study of Refurbishment and Urban Transformation in a Disadvantaged Housing Area

Disadvantaged housing areas from the postwar period typically consist of relatively monotonous and monofunctional multi-storey blocks and have a separate traffic system rendering the areas isolated enclaves in the urban fabric.It is argued that this spatial isolation contributes to social isolation,and current refurbishments are therefore aimed at linking the housing areas with the surrounding neighbourhoods to enable social exchange between the residents and people from the surrounding areas.Based on a case study in a Danish social housing area,this paper discusses to what extent architectural development and urban strategic transformations can contribute to enabling social exchange in disadvantaged housing areas.Do neighbours enter the disadvantaged housing area as intended?If so,how does this influence their perception of the housing area?The analysis shows that architectural development and urban transformations are interdependent in establishing a social mix in disadvantaged housing areas.It is argued that refurbishments can reduce the stigma surrounding the housing area and its residents.However,the applicability of such strategies is highly dependent on the local context of the housing area.

For a Still “Social” Housing： The Fluent Governance

Network governance, widely used as theoretical model in investigations on social housing, is not free from critiques, first of all, for the fact that it has a uni-directionality of bottom-up processes, when oriented to public deliberation, or top-down when decision-makers are technical experts at the political level. Given the new complexity of the social housing issue and the considered limits of the network governance, this work aims at looking for a possible different theoretical framework able to give different tools to simplify decision making processes without any alteration of any basic decisional element. The contribution given by this work is the proposition of what has been called ＂fluent governance＂ as a framework of decision making able to represent the whole spectrum of interventions in the process, also taking into account aspects not captured by standard models. The paper reports an experimentation of the proposed model conducted in Italy in the field of renovating social housing policy.

Evaluation of Thermal Comfort Level in Social Interest Housing with Earth Tubes for the Brazilian Bioclimatic Zones 1, 2 and 7

The expansion of social housing in Brazil is solving the great demand among low-income populations, ltowever, these projects are not considering climatic factors and thermal comfort strategies. There is a standardization of architectural projects, which leads to the user discomfort. Bioclimatic solutions that improve the thermal performance of buildings should be valued in the projects of buildings. This paper presents a comparative study noticing the thermal comfort provided by a earth tube ventilation system with a natural ventilation system based in the opening of the windows. In this study, three Brazilian bioclimatic zones defined by NBR （Brazilian Standard） 15220 （2005）, Zone 1 （Curitiba）, 2 （Camaqu~,） and 7 （Cuiabfi）, were considered. To make this comparison, computer simulation was used to observe the thermal confort conditions in RTQ-R （Quality Technical Standard for Energy Efficiency Level in Residential Buildings） （2010）, with the help of Energy Plus software and Schektch Up with the plug in Open Studio for modeling the residence. After the energy modeling, the results were analyzed with the Analisys Bio software in order to obtain the percentage of hours of comfort for the year （8,760 h）. The conclusion is drawn that the natural ventilation strategy with the opening and closing of the windows is more efficient in Bioclimatic Zone 1. For the Bioclimatic Zone 2, the earth tubes should be used only in the summer and, in Bioclimatic Zone 7, earth tubes are efficient throughout the year because of the high temperatures in the exterior environment.

Impact of indoor air volume on thermal performance in social housing with mixed mode ventilation in three different climates

There are prototypes of social housing massively built in contrasting climatic conditions,generating thermal comfort needs that are difficult to satisfy by the users themselves.Variation of indoor air volume in living spaces where the use of air conditioning and natural ventilation strategies provides elements to improve thermal comfort conditions.This research shows the thermal performance located in a representative social housing according to Mexico’s National Housing Commission.Operative temperature results from a benchmark case were compared to six Virtual Evaluation Models,using the Dynamic Thermal Simulation tool Design Builder®from the perspective of probability.The main objective was to determine the minimum use of active systems with different indoor air volumes and improve comfort conditions to promote sustainable living in social housing.The analysis was conducted under an adaptive comfort range according to three different climate conditions in Mexico adopting a Numerical Theoretical Method.The main findings can be divided into two parts:a)the impact of the indoor air volume on thermal performance was evidenced in a proportion of time in three representative climates of the central region of Mexico,and b)no relationship was found between indoor air volume and thermal comfort in sub-humid cold climate;in sub-humid temperate climate,the same number of comfort hours was found in two different models,and in sub-humid warm climate,an inversely proportional relationship was found between indoor air volume and the comfort hours.This findings implies a greater knowledge relative to what we know about sub-humid cold,temperate and warm climates.

Rainwater Harvesting in Multifamily Social Interest Housing

This study evaluated the reduction of water consumption in a SIH （social interest housing） complex from the simulation of implanting a rainwater harvesting system. The methodology consisted of characterization of the case study, survey data of water consumption and data of precipitation in the area, on-site visits to define the average consumption and monthly water distribution, and sizing of a rainwater harvesting tank following the Netuno Program. It was obtained 22.500 L as the ideal volume for the tank, supplying the demand for drinkingwater in 32%, although the reduction in the drinking water bills would be minor, since the object of the case study is considered SIH, and residents pay a fixed fee for consuming up to 10 m3 per month. Therefore, it becomes necessary to analyze this situation from a sustainable and environmental perspective, and the benefits are no longer only economic, but rather they take on a more comprehensive social dimension.

Energy Efficiency in Social Interest Housing:NZEB Building Analysis for Southern Brazil

This article aims to investigate the potential for energy savings and impact on greenhouse gas(GHG)generation of social housing in southern Brazil.Thermal and energy analysis of two architectural projects was carried out,one of them being a social interest housing unit and an optimized version of this unit characterized as Nearly Zero Energy Building(NZEB).At the end of the study,a cost analysis was carried out taking into account the building construction and local electricity generation through the installation of a photovoltaic(PV)system.Regarding the methods,software SketchUp Make and EnergyPlus was used for computer simulation,after which the PV power generation system for both buildings was dimensioned using the PvSol software.Subsequently,the percentage of adaptive comfort of ASHRAE 55 was calculated,as well as financial analysis for the building construction and PV modules installation.It is concluded that it is possible to reduce energy consumption of this social interest housing by 52%and the heating consumption by 72%with passive strategies and envelope insulation.Investing in an efficient building results in a 29%increase in building costs and promotes savings of 39.5 tCO_(2)over the life of the building.The study demonstrates the importance of making NZEB buildings economically viable.

Life Cycle Assessment:Embedded and Maintenance Environmental Impacts of Social Interest Housing Construction Systems

Characterized by high consumption of natural resources and great generation of environmental impacts,civil construction becomes an important ally to the development of strategies for a more sustainable built environment.In this context,this article aims to evaluate construction systems of social interest housing and point out their participation in relation to total impacts,in addition to indicating the environmental impacts embedded in the construction materials present in these systems.To this end,a case study was selected to apply Life Cycle Assessment(LCA)methodology and assess impacts of the building materials used in a house of a social housing complex.LCA was applied to masonry,roof,coatings and floor systems.The scope adopted assesses impacts incorporated in construction materials,analyzing the stages of raw material extraction,materials production,transport to construction site,maintenance and materials replacement.Concerning life cycle inventory,Ecoinvent 3.6 database was used and environmental impacts were calculated using CML method with the aid of OpenLCA 1.9 software.In general,results showed that the maintenance phase has the greatest environmental impact participation related to analyzed systems.Furthermore,it was possible to conclude that coatings and masonry systems were the ones that most added to total environmental impacts.

The Architecture of Value Thinking and Pneuma in Housing Associations

Housing associations make too small a contribution to society, the government has to step in too frequently because of maladministration, and the associations＇ executives are often unaware of the far-reaching impact of their decisions. These are the conclusions of new academic research conducted by Jan Veuger of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University （RSM）. In the author＇s dissertation, he asserts that in numerous cases, there is no correlation between social and financial objectives. The Dutch House of Representatives debated the results of the report Ver van huis from the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry on Housing Associations in early December, 2014. The research that is being carried out at the moment is constructed in a manner that if we understand something about value thinking and what underlying motivation is, an approach can be deducted that will allow us to control them. After the introduction, an explanation of the theme of the research will be given and the choice for a four-phase model with a deepening as to what value（s） is （and are）. From the perspective of the four-phase model, the emphasis will be put on the socialization and thinking capacities, and parallels will be drawn between the values within the four-phase model, the examined values, and in specific, public housing corporations.

Housing Policies in Turkey： Evolution of TOKI （Governmental Mass Housing Administration） as an Urban Design Tool

With the mission of absorption of the capital through urban renovation, AKP （the Justice and Welfare Party） took over the metropolitan municipality administrations in big cities in 1995, and the Government of the Republic of Turkey in 2002. Together with the 2003 Mass Housing Act, 14 legal regulations were enacted between 2002 and 2008 to expand the field of activity and increase the funds of TOKI （Governmental Mass Housing Administration） which was already established during ANAP （the Motherland Party） Government in 1980s. As a result of those regulations, TOKI, as the ＂latest goddess of the construction myth＂, became the only authorized organization in the field of housing and land production in AKP＇s cities. It acquired new duties from generating profit-oriented projects to protecting historical texture, and it was authorized to make and approve zoning plans for the lands and plots handed over to TOKI of the last government （the Justice and Welfare Party） created as an investor-entrepreneur-contractor-performer group. This paper＇s aim is to indicate the transformation of TOKI foundation during the last twenty years, and also to prove that TOKI, as a governmental profit-oriented design tool, has demolished the unique DNA/morphological textures of the contemporary Turkish big cities by producing low profiled similar architecture and urbanity in the recent past.

Techniques and Methods for Urban Regeneration and Quality Improvement for Suburbia

The paper is based on the results of two research experiences： an European research titled ＂Improving the Quality of Suburban Building Stock＂ （COST Action TU0701 ） and an Italian National Research project called ＂Renovation, Regeneration and Valorization of Social Housing Settlements Built in the Suburban Areas in the Second Half of Last Century＂ （PRIN 2010-2012）. The paper summarizes the researches outputs whose main aim was to illustrate the potentialities of different strategies for the improvement of suburbs. In order to implement different strategies for the refurbishment of suburban areas, researches were aimed firstly at the identification of several case studies that are representatives of the European panorama because of their typology, construction and state of physical and social deterioration. The final result was a collection of examples for the urban regeneration, gathered from case studies but offering a wide-scale of applications on public housing complexes. The paper highlights different approaches and strategies taken by different countries towards the methodologies of assessing, refurbishing and adding new value to the suburban areas, in view of increasing not only the quality of buildings but also the quality of public spaces and services, for a better quality of life of the citizens.

The Social Welfare Housing Project and Its Effects in China

It was planned to build 36 million units of social welfare housing during the twelve-five2011-2015 in China.This paper introduces the estimation of owner occupied dwelling sector and develops a dynamic computable general equilibrium model for China's real estate and macro-economy,to simulate the policy effects.The simulation results show that this policy can meet the increased requirements of housing demand due to fast urbanization and improvement of living conditions,therefore it will effectively cool down the price boom of housing market.Meanwhile,although the investment on social welfare housing will reduce the investment on other sectors,it will still stimulate GDP growth.

From the backyard to collective gardens in the “blue-courtyard”: Reversing the process of upgrading historic timber-framed courtyard buildings in Madrid

This paper presents an analytical framework for evaluating the impact of the two main processes identified in Madrid timber-framed courtyard buildings reinforcing the courtyard's crucial role in architectural heritage sustainability:their development caused dwellings to darken(1737–1950),and the existing challenge is to open new patios according to the listed buildings'protection policy.Critical findings in archival research and existing building assessments led to completed data collection and analysis.When exploring construction expansion,from the house towards the collective prototype around a gradually reduced patio and dwelling darkening(1737–1786),buildings resulted in open,semiopen,underlighted and closed designs.Study area on-site assessment uncovered the transition from the older low-rise type(1–3)floors to the modern closed model of up to(4–6)storeys.Construction enlargements,consequently reducing original green areas and courtyards,call for reversing that process or formulating a new strategy.It debates the partial demolition of listed buildings in upgrades and its agreement with the needed“blue courtyard”strategy(PGOUM),resulting from joining new rear individual patios to create a communal building block courtyard.The uncovered“in-between”type(1864),which integrates two open-air collective spaces,an inner courtyard and a back garden,appears challenging to explore.

Interactions of sex and early life social experiences at two developmental stages shape nonapeptide receptor profiles

Early life social experiences are critical to behavioral and cognitive development,and can have a tremendous influence on developing social phenotypes.Most work has focused on outcomes of experiences at a single stage of development(e.g.perinatal or post-weaning).Few studies have assessed the impact of social experience at multiple developmental stages and across sex.Oxytocin and vasopressin are profoundly important for modulating social behavior and these nonapeptide systems are highly sensitive to developmental social experience,particularly in brain areas important for social behavior.We investigated whether oxytocin receptor(OTR)and vasopressin receptor(V1aR)distributions of prairie voles(Microtus ochrogaster)change as a function of parental composition within the natal nest or social composition after weaning.We raised pups either in the presence or absence of their fathers.At weaning,offspring were housed either individually or with a same-sex sibling.We also examined whether changes in receptor distributions are sexually dimorphic because the impact of the developmental environment on the nonapeptide system could be sex-dependent.We found that differences in nonapeptide receptor expression were region-specific,sex-specific and rearing condition-specific,indicating a high level of complexity in the ways that early life experiences shape the social brain.We found many more differences in V1aR density compared to OTR density,indicating that nonapeptide receptors demonstrate differential levels of neural plasticity and sensitivity to environmental and biological variables.Our data highlight that critical factors including biological sex and multiple experiences across the developmental continuum interact in complex ways to shape the social brain.

Contested incrementalism: Elemental’s Quinta Monroy settlement fifteen years on

Quinta Monroy is an award-winning co-designed settlement for 93 families on half a hectare of land at Iquique in northern Chile.Neighbors,complaints about the disorderly settlement peaked after the landowner^death and provoked untenured residents to seek government subsidies to redevelop the settlement.From 2003,a government social housing project was coordinated by the,,Elementar,architecture firm with US$10,000 per household.With the residenfs temporary relocation,93 modular and interlinked apartments were built around a series of courtyards.These apartments,which were designed as,fhalf-houses,M were subsequently co-opted by residents adding rooms in locations planned in advance by Elemental.Many households have since doubled the size of their apartment and reformed the settlement in ways not anticipated by Elemental.This paper details a spatial and ethnographic study of the Quinta Monroy settlement since redevelopment to identify opportunities and risks that accompany this type of social housing model.The study reveals evidence that residents,capacities to enlarge apartments commonly exceeds the architects expectations and that unregulated expansions often compromise the settlements livability.This research anticipates further opportunities for expansion in this semi-regulated settlement and investigates possibilities that another contested slum settlement may emerge.