How is it possible to reduce the energy consumption of our homes? What design, material, and/or technological strategies can be developed to achieve interior comfort while also addressing the climate crisis? While achieving energy efficiency depends, among other factors, on the state of the homes, there are various strategies related to the implementation of renewable energies, air conditioning technologies, and more that can be applied, taking into account government policies, laws, regulations, and standards specific to each region.
How to design livable spaces, making the most of the available square meters? Currently, the design of housing in major urban centers is often linked to finding ways to optimize interior spaces, integrate environments for better lighting and ventilation, and establish a connection with the outdoors. According to the needs of its inhabitants, project requirements, and often construction costs, architecture professionals seek to provide flexibility, spaciousness, and adaptability to spaces through renovations, transformations, and more, which provide good living conditions and consider the possible changes that future generations may have to face.
Architecture is a continually evolving form of human expression influenced by cultural and contextual factors. While many of the problems we face today aren't directly linked to architecture, it has the ability to provide or facilitate solutions to these challenges. This has been evident throughout history, as societal issues have played a significant role in shaping our built environments. For instance, during the Victorian era, the infamous "Great Stink" led to the modernization of London's drainage system and urban layout. Similarly, the 2008 recession gave rise to the sharing economy and coworking spaces. Nowadays, the climate crisis is transforming the way we conceive architecture, seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and cities to achieve the Paris Agreement objectives. Given this backdrop, what challenges should we expect in the future?
https://www.archdaily.com/1000810/energetic-retrofitting-a-solution-for-environmental-obsolescence-in-architectureEnrique Tovar
In Spain, the implementation of integrated kitchens in homes has become increasingly common in contemporary architecture. Although there are various configurations and designs that are applied according to the customs and cultures of societies, as we saw in Argentina or Uruguay, the essence of conceiving the kitchen space as a hub of activities and a gathering space among its inhabitants and visitors is a common factor. This has led architects to try to find innovative ways, technologies, or materials that achieve an aesthetic and harmony capable of providing functionality, spaciousness, and flexibility to homes.
How narrow can a space become without losing its habitability? What are the minimum dimensions that a dwelling must have to ensure the comfort of its inhabitants and the correct performance of their daily activities?
We are used to looking at architecture as large objects situated within the urban fabric or natural landscape, establishing new relationships with their surroundings. However, our daily lives also unfold inside these buildings as we enter, occupy, and interact with them. Consequently, we establish relationships with the built environment immediately around us. Architecture must therefore address the macro scale—such as climate and neighborhood context—while simultaneously attending to the micro scale of finishes, textures, and colors.
Numerous details shape the experience of a building's residents and users; when carefully explored, they elevate the quality of the project and stimulate the senses. These details can be structural, aesthetic, or functional.
Functionality, good ventilation, comfortable lighting, and access to views are some of the important required characteristics that make for human comfort in inhabited or occupied spaces. Nonetheless, those elements are becoming harder to achieve within smaller city dwellings. Architects and individuals, therefore, turn towards design solutions to create more agreeable and personalized settings.
An initial solution to upscale and widen spaces is to reduce the amount of standard solid partitions or walls and replace them with alternative means of spatial separation.
