Methodology, beneficiaries and conditions of the habitat

Подпись: Figure 1: Cushamen Family Figure 2: El Maiten Family Figure 3: Tecka Family

Participative Research-Action is used, not only to know the reality but to modify it, strengthen the leadership of the actors involved and rescue the value of popular knowledge and skills as means of change. The experience is supported by the strong intervention of the users in order: a) to develop a house which responds to the real necessities and/or environmental, technological or functional conditioning factors; b) to achieve a sustained process of settling and revaluation of their medium. The work integrates the Farming and Husbandry Social Program for contact and actions with the peasant families (Figures 1, 2, 3). Some belong to the Tehuelche race; they raise yard animals — sheep — and live on subsistence agriculture. Their houses were of adobe and bahareque (panel made of cane and mud) masonry and earth roofs covered by zinc sheet metal; they were characterized by their antiquity, their high degree of decay, precariousness and collapse possibilities.

• Construction modality: it was done by assisted self-construction and mutual aid.

• Walls, Roof and Floor: Materials and manual labour from the site and some industrialized ones were used. Local constructive techniques were reformulated. a) Wall: Solid brick masonry of soil-cement: exterior of 0,30 m of interior thickness of 0,15 m; b) Ceiling: Matched wood ceiling with water repellent insulation — nylon 200 microns — and thermal-volcanic sand and earth of 0,12 m of thickness; Cover of zinc sheet metal on wood structure and thermal insulation — glass wool-; c) Floor: Flagstone on sub-floor of poor H° 0,12 m thickness.

• Energetic and Environmental Conditioning Systems:

A) Solar systems for (Figure 6):

— Passive heating: Solar gain is direct by means of: — Double-glazed windows;-greenhouse; —

Accumulator-collector walls (Modified Trombre-Michel Type) to the North; — accumulator — collector on the roof.

— Storing: Most heat accumulation is done in the exterior and interior walls of the soil-cement.

The great thermal inertia of the facade and its high energetic conservation softens the daily variations of temperature in order to keep heat. It is also done by means of Modified Trombe-Michel Type accumulator-collector walls and roof accumulator-collector.

— Cooking: a solar oven which opens and closes from the interior; — a solar mobile kitchen out of

the house with parabolic concentrator and system with manual solar orientation have been installed.

— Drying of: — clothes; — fruits and vegetables drying

— Hot water: the system possesses a commercial collector of 4 m2, with water accumulator in an

isolated tank which supplies the bathroom, kitchen and laundry artifacts.

— Greenhouse: it is north and west oriented and allows the production of fruits and vegetables

and possesses a polycarbonate cover and double-glazed windows (Figure 7).

— Cooling: It is achieved by means of a “chimney” effect in bedrooms, kitchen-sitting room,

gallery, bathroom and greenhouse.

B) Electric Power: it is obtained by means of a wind-powered generator of 600 w.

C) Heating and Warming of Conventional Water: a high performance Russian-type heater was installed which also complements the system of solar heating of water.

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Figure 5: Context-Solar architectural prototype. Figure 6: Walls, roof, chimney. Figure 7: Greenhouse. 4.2. House 2: Buenos Aires Chico, El Maiten.

• Geographic location: Latitude: 42°03’.157, Longitude: 71°10’.112, Height: 734,30m above sea level.

• Technical Data Card: — Project date: 1st of November of 2005; — Construction State: Concluded Work, December 2006.

• Architectural Response: The prototype corresponds to a two-bedroomed unifamiliar house. Its covered surface is 88 m2 plus 8 m2 of greenhouse (total = 96 m2). The architectural parti is synthesized on one floor with the bedrooms and the greenhouse to the North — to achieve greater reception and collection of solar radiation — and with the service premises to the South as “stopper” spaces (Figure 8).

• Construction modality: it was done by assisted self-construction and mutual aid.

• Walls, Roof and Floor: Materials and manual labour from the site and some industrialized ones were used. Local constructive techniques were reformulated. a) Wall: Solid brick masonry of soil-cement: exterior of 0,30 m thickness, interior of 0,15 m; b) Ceiling: Matched wood ceiling with thermal and water repellent insulation (glass wool) and thermal-volcanic sand and earth of 0,12 m of thickness; Cover of zinc sheet metal on wood structure; c) Floor: Flagstone on sub­floor of poor H° 0,12 m thickness..

• Energetic and Environmental Conditioning Systems:

A) Solar systems for (Figure 9):

— Passive heating: Solar gain is direct by means of: —

— Heat-sealed double-glazed windows and greenhouse;

— Accumulator-collector walls (Modified Trombre-Michel Type) to the North.

— Storing: Most heat accumulation is done in the exterior and interior walls of the soil — cement. The great thermal inertia of the faqade and its high energetic conservation softens the daily variations of temperature in order to keep heat. It is also done by means of Modified Trombre-Michel Type accumulator collector walls.

— Cooking: a mobile solar kitchen has been incorporated outside the house with a parabolic concentrator and a system with manual solar orientation.

— Hot water: the system of sanitary water system possesses a commercial collector of 4 m2, with a water accumulator in an isolated tank which supplies the bathroom, kitchen and laundry artifacts.

— Greenhouse: it is north and west oriented and allows the production of fruits and vegetables; it possesses a polycarbonate cover and double-glazed windows (Figure 10).

— Cooling: it is achieved by means of a “chimney” effect in the accumulator-collector walls and the greenhouse.

B) Electric Power: the connection is to a local electric system.

C) Conventional Heating and Cooking: a high performance sheet metal oven was installed — “Nuque Oven”- for cooking, heating of water — which supports the solar warming system of water — and heating — with hot air distribution system.

D) Conventional heating of water: the system counts on a highly efficient tank-type water heater which complements the system of solar heating of water.

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Figure 8: Context-Solar architectural prototype. Figure 9: Solar systems. Figure 10: Greenhouse.