Sustainable housing with mixedweight strategy—A case study

The aim of this research work is to demonstrate how an innovative mixedweight solution can lead to achieve more sustainable housing constructions, having in mind that functional aspects related with comfort—thermal, acoustical and natural illumination—should be safeguarded. The integrated accomplishment of all these aspects is difficult and not easily predictable. That is why, for this comparative study, two Test Cells were built and monitored. The proposed mixedweight strategy was evaluated on a Test Cell made with a heavyweight central area, theoretically conceived to lodge the resting areas of a house: bedrooms, bathroom and living room. North and South envelope façades, pavement and covering are lightweight and lodge the less protected areas, destined for working (office, dining room and kitchen) and a corridor sunspace, respectively. These compartments also take the role of thermal and acoustical barriers to the resting zone. This mixedweight strategy allowed significantly less environmental cost in comparison to a conventional heavyweight constructive solution using hollow brick and steel-reinforced concrete evaluated on a Reference Test Cell and conceived in a monozone layout. The main aspects and results of this study are presented here.