THIS ARTICLE PROPOSES A MODEL FOR INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY INTO ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION THAT DERIVES FROM THE ANALYSIS OF SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN IN PRACTICE. THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY IS BASED ON NINE CASE STUDIES OF ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICES THAT ARE PIONEERS IN ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE DESIGN. THE DESIGN PROCESS OF A BUILDING FROM EACH PRACTICE WAS MAPPED USING INFORMATION GATHERED BY INTERVIEWS WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE DESIGN TEAM, PLANS, DIAGRAMS AND SKETCHES. THE CASE STUDIES HIGHLIGHT THE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE THAT THE ARCHITECT NEEDS TO ACQUIRE TO INTEGRATE SUSTAINABILITY INTO THE DESIGN PROCESS. THIS REVEALS THAT ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION MIGHT FOCUS ON DEVELOPING ATTITUDES, EXPLICIT KNOWLEDGE, TACIT KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS THAT INTERWEAVE INTUITIVE, ANALYTICAL AND SOCIAL DIMENSIONS IN A HOLISTIC MANNER.

CHILDREN SPEND MOST OF THEIR LIVES IN SCHOOL CLASSROOMS, SO THE QUALITY OF THE INDOOR ENVIRONMENT IS VERY SIGNIFICANT FOR THEIR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND GENERAL WELL-BEING. THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS THE RESULTS OF A RESEARCH PROJECT THAT LOOKED AT THERMAL PERFORMANCE AND PASSIVE DESIGN STRATEGIES IN SCHOOL CLASSROOMS LOCATED IN THREE DIFFERENT CLIMATES OF CHILE. IT IS ORGANIZED INTO TWO PARTS: FIRSTLY, IT PRESENTS AN ASSESSMENT OF THE THERMAL CONDITIONS INSIDE PRIMARY SCHOOL CLASSROOMS BASED ON MEASUREMENTS THAT WERE TAKEN IN BOTH WINTER AND SUMMER. THESE SHOWED THAT CHILDREN ARE GENERALLY EXPOSED TO VERY LOW TEMPERATURES IN WINTER, AS MOST CLASSROOMS ARE NEITHER HEATED NOR COOLED BY ACTIVE MEANS. SECONDLY, IT PROVIDES A PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS OF A BASIC SCHOOL CLASSROOM TYPOLOGY AT THE SAME LOCATIONS. THIS INVOLVED DETERMINING THE IMPACT OF A LARGE NUMBER OF COMBINATIONS OF SIMPLE PASSIVE STRATEGIES ON OVERALL ENERGY PERFORMANCE AND IDENTIFYING THE BEST CASE FOR EACH LOCATION.

PERSONAL COMFORT SYSTEMS (PCS) ARE EQUIPMENTS THAT HEAT AND/OR COOL OCCUPANTS WITHOUT AFFECTING SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENTS, RANGING FROM COMMONLY USED DEVICES TO INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES, AND THAT TEND TO BE CONTROLLED BY PEOPLE. THESE SYSTEMS AIM TO ADDRESS ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND OCCUPANT SATISFACTION ISSUES RELATED TO CENTRALISED AIR-CONDITIONING. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SYSTEMATIC STUDIES ON THESE SYSTEMS, THERE IS A LACK OF DOCUMENTATION REGARDING MEDIATION CHARACTERISTICS BETWEEN PEOPLE AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT. THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF PCS USING A SEARCH OF ACADEMIC LITERATURE AND PATENTS, CLASSIFYING PCS BASED ON THERMAL CATEGORIES AND DEVICE TYPOLOGIES WHILE INTRODUCING POST-PHENOMENOLOGICAL MEDIATION CATEGORIES. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT MOST PCS FALL INTO THE THERMAL CATEGORIES OF

SHARED OFFICE SPACES REPRESENT A CHALLENGE REGARDING THERMAL COMFORT. THEY HAVE A DIVERSITY OF OCCUPANTS AND EXPECTATIONS, AND THEY REQUIRE SOCIAL INTERACTION, WHICH COULD IMPLY RESTRICTION IN ADAPTIVE ACTIONS, CONTRARY TO INDIVIDUAL AREAS THAT USUALLY ALLOW TOTAL CONTROL. HENCE, THIS PAPER AIMS TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENCES IN THERMAL COMFORT CRITERIA AMONG INDIVIDUAL AND SHARED OFFICES SPACES BY COMPARING ADAPTIVE OPPORTUNITIES AND ACTIONS PERFORMED AS WELL AS THERMAL PERCEPTION. FIELDWORK WAS CARRIED OUT IN CHILE IN 18 OFFICE BUILDINGS, 9 IN CONCEPCION (36°S), AND 9 IN SANTIAGO (33°S). THERMAL COMFORT SURVEYS WITH SIMULTANEOUS MEASUREMENTS OF INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS WERE PERFORMED IN EACH OF THESE BUILDINGS DURING A SINGLE DAY IN WINTER, SPRING AND SUMMER. THE FINDINGS SHOW VARIATIONS IN THE CRITERIA STUDIED, WHICH INDICATE THAT THERMAL REQUIREMENTS DIFFER BY SPATIAL LAYOUT. MOREOVER, THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT OCCUPANTS OF SHARED SPACES HAVE A WIDER COMFORT RANGE; THEREFORE, SOME KIND OF ?ADAPTATION BY COEXISTENCE? MIGHT BE HAPPENING.

THIS PAPER DISCUSSES THE APPLICATION OF INTEGRATED DESIGN PROCESS FOR THE DESIGN OF LOW-COST HOUSING IN CHILE. IT AIMS TO QUESTION COMMON PRACTICE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF HOUSING BASED ON PRESCRIPTIVE REGULATIONS AND NON-INTERDISCIPLINARY WORK, WHICH HAS RESULTED IN POOR QUALITY BUILDING REQUIREMENTS. THE FIRST STAGE CONSISTED IN DEFINING PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR ASPECTS SUCH AS ENERGY DEMAND, U VALUE, AIR TIGHTNESS AND INDOOR AIR QUALITY FOR A SPECIFIC CASE OF LOW-COST HOUSES LOCATED IN THE CITY OF TEMUCO. AN INTEGRATED DESIGN PROCESS WAS CARRIED OUT BY AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS SPECIALIZED IN EACH OF THE PERFORMANCE ASPECTS THAT WERE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. THE CONSTRUCTION AND POST-OCCUPANCY STAGES WERE CHARACTERIZED BY VERIFYING THE PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS, WHICH RESULTED IN A LOW-COST HOUSE PROTOTYPE THAT INCLUDED STRATEGIES FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND A HEALTHY INDOOR ENVIRONMENT.

CURRENTLY, ENERGY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR BUILDINGS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRIMARY ENERGY SOURCE CONSUMPTION, CO2 EMISSIONS OR NET ENERGY DISTRIBUTION, WHICH TOGETHER SET THE BUILDING?S ENERGY EFFICIENCY. THE EVALUATION IS FREQUENTLY BASED ON SETPOINT TEMPERATURES AND HOURS OF OPERATION. HOWEVER, THESE FIXED PARAMETERS ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR SOCIAL HOUSING SIMULATION AS THEIR PERFORMANCE TENDS TO BE IN FREE RUNNING, EXCLUDING EXTREMELY COLD OR WARM CONDITIONS. THEREFORE, A MORE SUCCESSFUL ASSESSMENT FOR THE EFFICIENCY OF THESE BUILDINGS IS THE USERS? CAPABILITY TO LIVE WITHIN ADAPTIVE COMFORT RANGES WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS. THE AIM OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO ANALYZE NEW CHILEAN STANDARDS FOR SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL HOUSING IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE USING THE ADAPTIVE COMFORT APPROACH ADDRESSED IN EN 15251:2007. USING ENERGYPLUS SIMULATION SOFTWARE, 16 PARAMETRIC SERIES ARE ANALYZED FOR CURRENT CONDITIONS AND VALIDATED AGAINST ON-SITE MEASUREMENTS. MEANWHILE, A PREDICTION FOR THE CLIMATE IN 2050 HAS ALSO BEEN TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. THE CASE STUDY IS THE MOST WIDESPREAD LOW COST DWELLING MODEL. THE STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT THE PERIOD OF TIME WITHIN THERMAL COMFORT CONDITIONS VARIES SUBSTANTIALLY IF ANALYSIS IS DONE USING THE ADAPTIVE COMFORT STANDARD OR THE SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION CODE (CCS) FOR CHILEAN HOUSING. CONSIDERING CLIMATE CHANGE, THE PERCENTAGE OF TIME FLUCTUATES FROM ?19.00% TO 24.30%. CONCLUDING THAT THE ADAPTIVE COMFORT MODEL HAS A GREATER CAPACITY TO POSITIVELY ASSESS INDOOR TEMPERATURES FOR SOCIAL HOUSING IN CENTRAL-SOUTHERN CHILE. THIS RESEARCH ALSO ESTABLISHES THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE HOMES WHERE STANDARDS ARE IMPROVED WITHIN COMFORT CONDITIONS WITHOUT USING ARTIFICIAL MEANS, 99.67% OF THE TIME CURRENTLY AND 88.89% IN THE FUTURE.

THIS CHAPTER ADDRESSES THE REGULATORY BARRIERS AND ACOUSTIC DESIGN CHALLENGES FOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH, WITHIN NEW FLEXIBLE LEARNING SPACES. NOWADAYS, THE DIVERSITY OF TEACHING METHODOLOGIES AND APPROACHES HAS MADE THE AMBIENT SOUND MORE COMPLEX DUE TO THE NOISE CAUSED BY GROUP LEARNING ACTIVITIES. THEREFORE, THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS ARTICLE WAS TO MAKE AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF ACOUSTIC DESIGN REGULATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FLEXIBLE LEARNING SPACES. CURRENTLY, THE LIMITED ACOUSTIC DESIGN CRITERIA FOR THESE NEW SPACES DIFFER FROM ONE ANOTHER, EVIDENCING IMPRESSIONS WHEN DEFINING WHICH PARAMETERS WOULD BE OPTIMAL TO CHARACTERIZE THEIR ACOUSTICS. UNDERSTANDING THE OPERATIONALIZATION OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN AND PEDAGOGICAL USE WILL BE ESSENTIAL TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE VERBAL COMMUNICATION USING VARIABLE ACOUSTICS, WHICH INVOLVES THE USE OF ACOUSTIC CONTROL ELEMENTS AND DEVICES TO COVER THE CURRENT GAPS IN EXISTING STANDARDS.

THIS RESEARCH FOCUSES ON A NEW WORKFLOW BETWEEN THE FIELDS OF SPACE LAYOUT PLANNING (SLP) AND BUILDING PERFORMANCE SIMULATION (BPS) FOR THE EARLY STAGES OF BUILDING DESIGN WITH THE AIM OF REDUCING THE ENERGY NEEDS OF A BUILDING AND IMPROVING INDOOR ENVIRONMENT QUALITY. PARAMETERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS, SUCH AS TEMPERATURE, VIEW, ACOUSTICS, AND SO FORTH, WERE SELECTED FROM DIFFERENT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS. THE INTENTION IS TO LINK THESE PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS TO A GRAPH THAT SUPPORTS SCHEMATIC DESIGN TASKS DURING THE CREATION OF ARCHITECTURAL FLOOR PLANS. PROGRAMMING TESTS WERE RUN TO ADD THE INFORMATION TO THE GRAPH. A PROTOTYPE FOR THE EARLY STAGES OF THE DESIGN IS PRESENTED IN WHICH DESIGNERS CAN VISUALIZE PERFORMANCE INFORMATION DURING THE SCHEMATIC DESIGN OF FLOOR PLANS FOR A BUILDING. THE COMPLETE FRAMEWORK FOR A BIM (BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING) APPLICATION IS DESCRIBED AND A CASE STUDY IS PRESENTED TO DEMONSTRATE THE USABILITY OF THE CONCEPT.KEYWORDS: BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING, SPACE LAYOUT PLANNING, FLOOR PLAN DESIGN, BUILDING PERFORMANCE SIMULATION, BUILDING ENERGY PERFORMANCE, ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN.

INTEGRATED DESIGN IS A STRATEGY TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS INCORPORATING MULTIDISCIPLINARY WORK AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS, WHICH HAS PROVIDED SIGNIFICANT ADVANCEMENT TO PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. THIS PAPER PRESENTS A REVIEW OF SOME ASPECTS OF INTEGRATED DESIGN FOR THE PLANNING AND CONSTRUCTION OF ENERGY EFFICIENT HOUSING IN THE SOUTH OF CHILE, AS PART OF THE RECONSTRUCTION PROCESS FOLLOWING THE EARTHQUAKE ON 27TH FEBRUARY 2010. FIRSTLY, A SYNTHESIS IS MADE OF THE CHARACTERISTICS, IMPLICIT CONDITIONS, PARTICIPANTS, STEPS, RESOURCES AND EXPECTED RESULTS OF AN INTEGRATED DESIGN APPROACH ACCORDING TO EXISTING REFERENCES. THIS IS THEN CONTRASTED WITH NORMAL HOUSING DESIGN PRACTICE IN CHILE ACCORDING TO CURRENT BUILDING REGULATIONS AND INTERVIEWS WITH PROFESSIONALS IN THE FIELD. THE DESIGN PROCESSES OF EXPERIMENTAL HOUSES AND HOUSING PROJECTS THAT PLACE SPECIFIC FOCUS ON ENERGY PERFORMANCE ARE THEN ANALYSED, WITH FOLLOW-UPS AND INTERVIEWS TO REVIEW SIGNIFICANT ASPECTS. AFTER EXAMINING THOSE EXPERIENCES, THE AUTHORS IDENTIFY SOME PARTICULAR FEATURES AND RESOURCES OF INTEGRATED DESIGN THAT PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS.

ADAPTIVE COMFORT PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN DEFINING COMFORT STANDARDS WHEN CONSIDERING COMFORT IN BUILDINGS IN FREE-RUNNING MODE, INCLUDING ADAPTATION TO EXTERNAL TEMPERATURES, OPENING WINDOWS AND CHANGING CLOTHING. IN THIS REGARD, TWO INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS PROVIDE THE FUNDAMENTAL BASIS TO MODEL THE NECESSARY EQUATIONS: EN 16798 (FORMERLY 15251) AND ASHRAE 55?2017. THIS RESEARCH INTENDS ON ASSESSING THE FEASIBILITY OF APPLYING THESE STANDARDS TO THE CHILEAN CONTEXT, WHERE A LEGAL FRAMEWORK HAS BEGUN TO BE IMPLEMENTED TO REGULATE THE OCCUPANT?S COMFORT IN SOCIAL HOUSING. EXTENSIVE MONITORING OF INHABITANTS IN EXISTING UNITS UNDER FREE-RUNNING MODE HAS BEEN UNDERTAKEN IN SEVERAL SOCIAL HOUSING PROJECTS IN THE CITY OF CONCEPCIÓN (CHILE) AND THE COLLECTED DATA HAS BEEN CONTRASTED AGAINST THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS. RESULTS SHOW THAT USERS IN THESE HOUSES SHOW MORE TOLERANCE TO COLD TEMPERATURES, THUS, DESPITE BEING ALLOCATED BELOW THE STANDARDS? LOWER LIMITS, THEY ARE CONSIDERED TO BE IN THERMAL COMFORT. AS A RESULT, THE OUTCOMES OF THIS RESEARCH CAN SHED LIGHT ON THE FEASIBILITY OF APPLYING INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS TO SOCIAL HOUSING AND LOW-INCOME FAMILIES IN CHILE. THE STUDY PRESENTS A PROPOSAL FOR A NOVEL ADAPTIVE COMFORT MODEL FOR CHILE. THE NEW MODEL PROPOSES ADAPTING THE THERMAL COMFORT THRESHOLD?S LOWER LIMIT IN ORDER TO DEVELOP A NATIONAL STANDARD THAT BETTER REFLECTS THE INHABITANTS? NEEDS AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CULTURE. THE STUDY DEMONSTRATES HOW THE PROPOSED MODEL BEST FITS THE THERMAL COMFORT CONDITIONS IN SOCIAL HOUSING IN CHILE.

FUEL POVERTY IS COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH FUEL PRICE, ENERGY CONSUMPTION, INCOME AND BUILDING FEATURES TO MAINTAIN COMFORTABLE CONDITIONS. MOST STUDIES ARE BASED ON EXISTING CONDITIONS WITH FUTURE MACRO LEVEL PREDICTIONS. THEREFORE, THERE ARE A LACK OF MICRO SCALE POLICIES AND FURTHER IN-DEPTH RESEARCH IS NEEDED BASED ON THE MULTIVARIABLE COMPLEXITY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE. IN THIS CONTEXT, PUBLIC HOUSING POLICIES HAVE A CHALLENGE IN ORDER TO MEET NOT ONLY THE RIGHT TO HOUSING BUT ALSO AN AFFORDABLE AND COMFORTABLE USE. THE INTENTION OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO DEVELOP AN INDEX TO HELP THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS IN THE EARLY STAGES OF SOCIAL HOUSING ALLOCATION. THE ANALYSES WERE BASED ON THE APPLICABILITY OF ADAPTIVE COMFORT, URBAN CONTEXT AND BUILDING FEATURES, CONSIDERING ENERGY USE AND THE ABILITY TO PAY UTILITY BILLS. BY MEANS OF THESE FACTORS, THE FP POTENTIAL RISK WAS SET AS CRUCIAL IN PUBLIC BUILDING SECTOR DECISION-MAKING AND HOUSING ALLOCATION. METHODOLOGIES BASED ON DYNAMIC SIMULATIONS AND CURRENT ADAPTIVE COMFORT STANDARDS WERE APPLIED TO SOCIAL HOUSING IN THE CENTRAL-SOUTH OF CHILE. RESULTS REVEAL THAT WITHIN THE URBAN CONTEXT, ENERGY CONSUMPTION DIFFERS SIGNIFICANTLY DUE TO BOUNDARY CONDITIONS, WITH FUEL POVERTY POTENTIAL RISK INDEX BEING AN EFFECTIVE INDEX TO ALLOCATE APPROPRIATE HOUSING FOR THE MOST DISADVANTAGED AND VULNERABLE SEGMENTS OF SOCIETY.

INTEGRATED DESIGN IS A STRATEGY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE, INCORPORATING INTERDISCIPLINARY WORK AND PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT WITHIN THE DESIGN PROCESS, WHICH HAS BECOME A RELEVANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES. THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS A REVIEW OF ASPECTS RELATED TO INTEGRATED DESIGN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENERGY EFFICIENT HOUSING IN THE SOUTHERN AREA OF CHILE, ORIENTED TO THE RECONSTRUCTION PROCESS AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE OF THE 27TH OF FEBRUARY, 2010. FIRSTLY, IT SYNTHESIZES THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INTEGRATED DESIGN PROCESS, ITS IMPLICIT CONDITIONS, PARTICIPANTS, STAGES, RESOURCES AND EXPECTED RESULTS, ACCORDING TO INTERNATIONAL REFERENCES. IT ALSO COMPARES THIS WITH THE COMMON PRACTICE OF THE DESIGN OF HOUSES IN CHILE UNDER THE CURRENT REGULATIONS AND THROUGH INTERVIEWS TO PROFESSIONALS. THEN, IT ANALYSES THE DESIGN PROCESS OF EXPERIMENTAL HOUSES AND HOUSING PROJECTS SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON ENERGY PERFORMANCE, CARRYING OUT INTERVIEWS TO REVISE SIGNIFICANT ASPECTS, IDENTIFYING RELEVANT RESOURCES APPLIED TO THE DESIGN OF HOUSES THAT PERMITTED THE ACHIEVEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS.

BETWEEN THE AGES OF 6 AND 18, CHILDREN SPEND BETWEEN 30 AND 42 H A WEEK AT SCHOOL, MOSTLY INDOORS, WHERE INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY IS USUALLY DEFICIENT AND DOES NOT FAVOR LEARNING. THE DIFFICULTY OF DELIVERING INDOOR AIR QUALITY (IAQ) IN LEARNING FACILITIES IS RELATED TO HIGH OCCUPANCY RATES AND LOW INTERACTION LEVELS WITH WINDOWS. IN NON-INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES, AS IN THE CASES PRESENTED, MOST CLASSROOMS HAVE NO MECHANICAL VENTILATION, DUE TO ENERGY POVERTY AND LACK OF NORMATIVE REQUIREMENTS. THIS FACT HEAVILY IMPACTS THE INDOOR AIR QUALITY AND STUDENTS? LEARNING OUTCOMES. THE AIM OF THE PAPER IS TO IDENTIFY THE FACTORS THAT DETERMINE ACCEPTABLE CO2 CONCENTRATIONS. THEREFORE, IT STUDIES AIR QUALITY IN FREE-RUNNING AND NATURALLY VENTILATED PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN CHILE, AIMING TO IDENTIFY THE IMPACT OF CONTEXTUAL, OCCUPANT, AND BUILDING DESIGN FACTORS, USING CO2 CONCENTRATION AS A PROXY FOR IAQ. THE MONITORING OF CO2, TEMPERATURE, AND HUMIDITY REVEALED THAT INDOOR AIR CO2 CONCENTRATION IS ABOVE 1400 PPM MOST OF THE TIME, WITH PEAKS OF 5000 PPM DURING THE DAY, ESPECIALLY IN WINTER. THE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS INDICATES THAT CO2 IS DEPENDENT ON CLIMATE, SEASONALITY, AND INDOOR TEMPERATURE, WHILE IT IS INDEPENDENT OF OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IN HEATED CLASSROOMS. THE ODDS OF HAVING ACCEPTABLE CONCENTRATIONS OF CO2 ARE BIGGER WHEN INDOOR TEMPERATURES ARE HIGH, AND THERE IS A NEED TO VENTILATE FOR COOLING.

HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN THE CENTRAL-SOUTH AREA OF CHILE (REGIONS VII, VIII AND IX) GIVES RESPONSE TO THE NEEDS FOR HOUSING WITH LOW DENSITY DETACHED DWELLINGS OF SIMILAR TYPOLOGIES AND CONSTRUCTIVE SYSTEMS. THE CHALLENGES OF THE RECONSTRUCTION PROCESS AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE OF THE 27TH OF FEBRUARY 2010 ARE BEEN FACED WITH SIMILAR BUILDINGS, APPLYING A THERMAL REGULATION THAT IS INNOVATIVE IN LATIN AMERICA, BUT NOT RIGOROUS ENOUGH WHEN COMPARED WITH INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS THAT ACHIEVE MORE IMPORTANT REDUCTIONS IN ENERGY DEMAND. IN ADDITION, THE CLIMATIC CONDITIONS OF THE AREA WOULD ALLOW A CONSIDERABLE IMPROVEMENT OF THE THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF BUILDINGS IF SOME TYPOLOGICAL STRATEGIES RELATED TO GROUP LAYOUT, SOLAR INCIDENCE, THERMAL MASS AND THERMAL ENVELOPE ARE CONSIDERED. THIS ARTICLE REVIEWS SOME ENVIRONMENTAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS IN THE AREA, PROPOSING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PHASE THAT COULD BE APPLIED IN ORDER TO PROMOTE MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT HOUSING. KEY WORDS: DWELLINGS, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE, CHILE.

THIS CHAPTER REVIEWS CURRENT POLICY INSTRUMENTS THAT ARE RELEVANT IN TERMS OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMFORT IN BUILDINGS. BASED ON AN OVERVIEW OF ENERGY INDICATORS WORLDWIDE, IT COMPRISES DETAILED INFORMATION ON TEN LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES: ARGENTINA, BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, ECUADOR, MEXICO, PERU, AND URUGUAY. FOR EACH COUNTRY, THE REVIEW COVERS INFORMATION ON BUILDING ENERGY CODES, ENERGY LABELING, AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMFORT CODES, AMONG OTHER ASPECTS. THE CONCLUSIONS SHOW THAT THERE ARE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COUNTRIES, WHERE MOST OF THEM HAVE DEVELOPED INITIATIVES ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN BUILDINGS THAT WOULD INDIRECTLY IMPROVE COMFORT, BUT VERY FEW HAVE DEVELOPED POLICIES AND STANDARDS SPECIFICALLY ON ENVIRONMENTAL COMFORT.

TODAY, IDENTIFYING ENERGY POVERTY IS ONE OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITYS CHALLENGES. IN THIS SENSE, USING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) ASSUMES GETTING TO KNOW WHICH AREAS ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE. THIS STUDY CONSIDERS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW TERRITORY ENERGY POVERTY EVALUATION INDICATOR, CALLED POVERTY ADAPTIVE DEGREE HOURLY INDEX (PADHI). THE NOVELTY OF THIS INDICATOR IS THAT IT COMBINES THE NUMBER OF INHABITANTS IN POVERTY WITH THE HOURLY HEATING AND COOLING DEGREES OF EACH CLIMATE, DETERMINED USING ADAPTIVE THERMAL COMFORT LIMITS BASED ON ASHRAE 55-2017. THE AREA STUDIED FOCUSES ON CHILE AND ITS 346 MUNICIPALITIES. THE APPLICATION OF THE ADAPTIVE COMFORT MODEL CAN EXCEED 90% IN THE NORTH OF THE COUNTRY AND BE BELOW 20% IN THE MOST MERIDIONAL AREAS. THE RESULTS ALSO OUTLINED THAT THE MUNICIPALITIES DEFINED AS PADHIS 10TH DECILE ARE THOSE WHICH HAVE A HIGHER RISK OF ENERGY POVERTY IN THEIR POPULATION, A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF INCOME POVERTY AND CLIMATIC SEVERITY. A CLUSTER ANALYSIS WAS ALSO RUN FOR THIS DECILE, IDENTIFYING TWO RISK GROUPS WITH THE AIM OF IDENTIFYING THE CRITICAL AREAS. THIS METHODOLOGY APPLIED TO CHILE, BUT INTERNATIONAL IN NATURE, ALLOWS IDENTIFYING PRIORITY AREAS ON WHICH THE MEASURES NEEDED TO REDUCE ENERGY POVERTY CAN BE FOCUSED.

AS PART OF A THERMAL RETROFITTING PROCESS OF EXISTING HOUSING, ENERGY AND THERMAL PERFORMANCE IS NORMALLY PREDICTED BY DYNAMIC SIMULATION THAT SUPPOSES STANDARDIZED PATTERNS OF BUILDING USE, WITHOUT CONSIDERING THE KEY ROLE OF THE USERS IN BUILDINGS ENERGY CONSUMPTION. THIS REPRESENTS A WEAKNESS IN HOW THE EVALUATION AND DESIGN OF RETROFITTING PROJECTS IS STRUCTURED, AS INTEGRALLY DETERMINING FACTORS IN THERMAL AND ENERGY PERFORMANCE ARE NOT CONSIDERED. INTEGRATED EVALUATIONS OF THE HOMES BEING IMPROVED WILL HELP TO CHOOSE EFFECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE GUIDELINES. THIS WORK PROPOSES A MORE OBJECTIVE AND HOLISTIC EVALUATION THAT USES VARIED AND COMPARED TECHNIQUES, INVOLVING THE USER IN POST-OCCUPANCY EVALUATION SO THAT THEY PROVIDE FEEDBACK FOR THE IMPROVEMENTS DESIGN. THE INTEGRATED DIAGNOSIS COMPRISES NUMERICAL CALCULATIONS, ONSITE MEASUREMENTS, ENERGY SIMULATIONS AND AN ESTIMATION OF THE USERS PERCEPTION, WITH THE GOAL OF SHOWING THE DIFFERENT RESULTS OBTAINED THROUGH THE DIFFERENT METHODS. THE STUDY SHOWS GREAT DIFFERENCES IN WHAT USERS PERCEIVE AND EXPECT WITH THE SUGGESTIONS FOR THERMAL IMPROVEMENT OBTAINED FROM THE SIMULATION. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT, TO ATTAIN A HIGHER USER SATISFACTION AND A BETTER ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF THE BUILDING, THERMAL IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES MUST BE DEFINED NOT SOLELY BASED ON STANDARDS OR PREVIOUS CASES BUT MUST CONSIDER THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE INHABITANTS AND INCLUDING EXPERIMENTALLY MEASURED VALUES OF CERTAIN PHYSICAL-CONSTRUCTION PROPERTIES TO CALIBRATE THE DYNAMIC SIMULATIONS.

THIS MANUSCRIPT IS PART OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT INTEGRATED DESIGN FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT HOUSING RECONSTRUCTION. IT EXPOSES THE DIAGNOSIS OF ENERGY AND CONSTRUCTION CONDITIONS OF DWELLINGS OF 3 REGIONS IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL AREA OF CHILE, WHICH WAS THE MOST AFFECTED BY THE EARTHQUAKE OF FEBRUARY 27TH, 2010. WITH THIS AIM, IT REVIEWS PREDOMINANT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BUILDING ENVELOPES IN 22 CITIES. IT ANALYZES ENERGY PERFORMANCE AND IT RECOMMENDS THERMAL IMPROVEMENTS FOR DWELLINGS EITHER UNDER CONSTRUCTION STAGE OR DURING OCCUPANCY STAGE, WHICH ARE CRITICAL FOR ENERGY SAVINGS AND EFFICIENCY. IT PROPOSES STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY THROUGH VERTICAL ENVELOPES, WITH A BASE CASE AND TWO COMPARATIVE SCENARIOS. IT PROPOSES ECONOMIC, CONSTRUCTIVE AND ARCHITECTURAL PLANNING STRATEGIES, WITH THE POSSIBILITIES OF SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL IMPLEMENTATION, WHICH COULD HELP SUBSTANTIALLY TO ACHIEVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY.

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.