This study reports a Post Occupancy Evaluation performed on a social housing complex consisting of 400 apartments, in which symptoms and damage produced by high moisture levels needed investigation. The resulting knowledge is of special interest for other projects designed to be mass-produced such as social housing. Large costs for repairs can be reduced by applying measures to avoid moisture problems in indoor environments. The evaluation was performed over three stages, indicative, investigative and diagnostic. The process was mapped and the data stored using BIM standards so it can be used by stakeholders to take further actions. In the indicative stage, data was collected through questionnaires and surveys, and a quick evaluation was conducted of the affected units. In the investigative stage, an analysis of the entire building complex was conducted through simulation and tested against the building energy standards. In the diagnostic stage, in-situ and laboratory measurements were made and used for calculations. The results show that many factors were involved in the moisture damage, whose main causes were overcrowded spaces, inadequate thermal regulation for the local climate, poor apartment and complex design, and flaws and inconsistencies in the quality of construction.

A., Muñoz, C. (2014). Características relevantes de la simulación energética de viviendas unifamiliares. Informes de la Construcción, 66(533) RESUMENLos sistemas de simulación energética de edificios permiten analizar la calidad y demanda ambiental de las construcciones, pero deben contar con procedimientos fiables y pertinentes. Este artículo identifica condiciones relevantes de la simulación energética de viviendas unifamiliares, basado en el análisis de una docena de programas y distintas experiencias en el centro sur de Chile. Desarrollando una revisión de capacidades de los sistemas, a través de la simulación de una misma vivienda y entrevistas a usuarios expertos. Además de estudiar incidencias de los antecedentes y distintas estrategias de análisis para el mejoramiento ambiental de viviendas. Revelando características significativas para el estudio energético de construcciones habitacionales aisladas. Finalmente sugiere revisar ciertas condiciones de los sistemas para asegurar la efectividad de los análisis ambientales y de las acciones subsecuentes.

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Primary care centers are establishments with elevated social relevance and high operational energy consumption. In Chile, there more than 628 family healthcare centers (CESFAM) have been built in the last two decades and with plans for hundreds more in the next few years. We revised the architecture, construction management and energy performance of five CESFAM centers to determine possible instances of overall improvement. Staff was interviewed, and state documents reviewed, which allowed the conceptualization of the architectonic and energy structure of the centers, as well as the process of implementation. At the same time, energy simulations were done for each one of the centers, controlling for different climates, construction solutions and orientations. Our study revealed that strategies employed by the primary healthcare centers in Chile have aided a progressive implementation of establishments with elevated costs and materialization times, as well as neglect for climatic conditions. These energy evaluations show relevant and consistent impacts of the architectural form and material conditions, especially in southern zones, demonstrating the need to work with shared knowledge resources such as BIM. There is a clear necessity to define technological, morphological and construction strategies specific to each climate zone in order to achieve energetically efficient and intelligent healthcare establishments.

Abstract:Given the high impact that air leaks have on buildings' energy expenses, most developed countries have set out norms which regulate their presence in homes. Chile will soon begin this process; however, the airtightness revision strategy in envelopes has not been resolved as of yet. This article presents a tool to Assess Airtightness in Design, EHeD. The software will allow predicting the performance of homes under the regulations which will be set out, aiding designers, builders or owners to make decisions when making changes to improve airtightness. EHeD has been validated through pressurization tests in diverse homes across the country, with results that are in line with expectations, thus validating its calculation model. The methodology considers three stages: determining the main factors that have an impact on the airtightness in Chilean homes, preparing an airtightness database for each component (wall, windows and doors) and preparing a calculation model that is integrated in an IT interface.