Housing architecture of social interest in Brazil has been characterized by repetitive and monotonous sets, with little or no integration with urban infrastructure and its services, in addition to using construction methods of low replicability and industrialization, and with high rates of material waste , in addition to low energy efficiency and environmental comfort for its residents.
The answer to this demand undoubtedly goes through the concept of “Sustainable Housing”, considering that the entire life cycle of construction, from the extraction of raw material to execution, passing through the occupation, and the possible displacement, renovation or demolition, are fundamental phases in the responsible use of natural resources, and consequently the quality of the building for the user and for the city while fulfilling its social function.
To overcome this challenge, MODULAR ARCHITECTURE presents itself as the best solution, being an industrializable, replicable and adaptable constructive process. Its manufacturing and transportation characteristics enable the uses of renewable natural resources and configurations for an environmentally sustainable and energy efficient architecture.
Economic viability
Economic sustainability is a fundamental part of any housing program aimed at the low-income population. Modular architecture enables standardization and replicability that allows for reduced construction costs
Constructive technique
Our proposal considers the creation of HU modules by the concept of modular architecture. The structural system adopted provides lightness and resistance, with columns and beams in galvanized steel profiles and slabs in CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) with a mixed concrete structure. The structural modules are assembled at the factory, together with the walls in OSBi panels (EPS core with OSB chipboard closure). The electrical and hydraulic installations are also carried out at the factory, with only the installation of plumbing equipments, floor coverings, walls and countertops being completed at the construction site.
Site Plan
The set was conceived as a single building occupying the edges of the land and making room for the courtyards, where the vertical circulations, squares, sports court and parking are located. The construction in modules allows the building to be staggered and the set easily adapted to any topography. The two courtyard areas define the transition between public and private, with one courtyard being open for public fruition and the other reserved, with controlled access. The public fruition area offers a square that visually integrates with the set and offers stores on the ground floor, so that the south façade, facing the avenue, is an active façade, with the movement of commercial use.
Set organization
The stacked HU modules are arranged always considering the best solar orientation for the rooms, and the brises are mainly composed of horizontal elements on the North and South facades, and vertical elements on the East and West facades. For Site PLan in Bioclimatic Zone 8, latitude 5º South, the horizontal brises of the South façade must be larger than those in Bioclimatic Zone 3, latitude 30º South, as the sun’s trajectory in the summer solstice is lower, requiring greater protection horizontal over the openings.
Accessibility and mobility
The set features two vehicle accesses. Access from the West façade is intended for pedestrians, cyclists and residents’ vehicles, with access to a parking lot with 40 spaces for cars, and an area for minibuses and vans. The spaces for motorcycles and bicycle rack complete the set. The access through the East façade is destined to the dock, for access by garbage trucks and transport in general. Accessibility for people with reduced mobility is guaranteed throughout, with several Housing Units on the ground level, all of which are designed in accordance with Universal Design standards, with 80 centimeters wide doors and areas for turning a wheelchair .
Eco-efficiency and environmental comfort
Natural lighting and ventilation strategies were adopted as fundamental for user comfort. In addition, the reduction of the thermal load is made by efficient systems of panels that provide the necessary thermal inertia and by an efficient roofing system, consisting of a CLT and concrete slab, and a green roof with vegetable substrate and grass. This green roof captures rainwater and directs it to the lower reservoirs, where, together with the collection of gray water, it can be treated and reused in cleaning and irrigation activities in the gardens. Solar collectors heat water and store solid waste using selective collection and recycling processes.
Wood as protagonist
Wood is highlighted in the execution of the modules, with the execution of the slab in CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) with a mixed concrete structure; in the composition of the internal walls, with OSB panels, and on the facades, with OSB closing panels and wooden slats. The leading role of wood in the project is due to the fact that wood is the only structural building material with a fully renewable source, provided that it is part of certification programs, such as the FSC, to verify that the products originate from agricultural areas reforested, thus contributing to the preservation of forests and the environment.