Publications

Facing a Brazilian scenario of housing deficit and failed social politics created for providing housings in a quantitative way and guaranteeing quality, the needs for mass customization are clear.  A  method  for  designing  this  type  of  housing  is  proposed  based  on  the  use  of  shape grammar and the insertion of bioclimatic strategies for improving thermal comfort for Fortaleza: shading  and  ventilation.  The  goal  of  this  research  was  to  modify  the  rules  of  an  informal settlement shape grammar in order to improve natural ventilation and minimize solar radiation incidence on the houses.  Satisfying results were achieved for the customization and for the adopted thermal comfort criteria. A potential for generation of new houses and refurbishment was  confirmed.  Furthermore,  this  design  process  method  can  be  replicated  to  other communities with the adoption of different shape grammars and strategies, as the context and local climate are considered.