Multi-objective optimization of the geometry of single-family housing to improve thermal performance

Abstract

Brazil's current housing deficit exceeds 6 million homes and a demand of 10 million homes for low-income families is expected by 2040. On the other hand, during the last 10 years, approximately 850,000 social housing units have been delivered through the "My House, My Life" Program - (Programa Minha Casa, Minha Vida – PMCMV). Despite these numbers, several studies suggest some problems related to the low quality of the houses. This article aims to investigate the design parameter related to the geometry of social housing in Chapecó/SC, Brazil, which contributes to the achievement of the best thermal performance. Parametric methods and multi-objective optimizations were utilized, two objective-functions were optimized regarding the degree-hours for cooling and heating. The results showed significant improvements, reaching up to 98% during the hot period and 49% during the cold period. Guidelines were defined to assist architects in the early-phases of the social housing design based on the climate of the target region. However, the best design solutions for thermal comfort throughout the year can only be indicated with computational methods.