Three researchers have done a thorough analysis of renovations to social housing that is owned by the Portuguese city of Porto.
The research is significant because the housing forms an important part of Porto’s housing inventory. The homes were originally developed in 25 clusters and are spread across the city. Most were built in the 1950s and 60s.
It helps to know that the researchers are based at the School of Architecture at the University of Porto. One of the reasons for the research was to investigate the architectural significance of the homes and assess the merits of a heritage designation. A further aspect was to study the renovations and repairs that have been carried out.
The majority of the renovations have given priority to keeping the buildings watertight, for example by replacing roofs, repairing outside walls and replacing windows. At some sites, rooftop solar panels have been installed, which help reduce the cost of heating hot water.
Upgrades to individual units are currently scheduled when a sitting tenant moves out. This process doesn’t address the buildings’ heating and plumbing systems, which are original and need to be replaced.
The research also evaluated aspects of the renovations with respect to climate change. The authors note that some renovations have considered energy reduction targets. These projects are also more complex and more costly.
To date, renovation processes have not engaged tenants. Without input, these questions are hard to answer:
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- Are the buildings warm enough in the winter?
- Are the buildings adequately ventilated?
- Is there mould?
- Are energy costs manageable?
The report reviews renovation projects in other countries, which could be particularly helpful for thinking through future renovation projects in Porto’s public housing, such as:
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- increasing the size of the Porto homes, which are below the minimum sizes in the Portugal’s building code
- replacing building systems (heat and water) and
- consulting tenants about design changes and post renovation comfort.
Going forward, the authors recommend that the program to refurbish the housing clusters in Porto be revised to include climate change and tenant comfort.
For much more, including a description of the renovations in each cluster, the article is published in Buildings: The Right to Comfort in Social Housing: Energy and Thermal Performances as Parameters of a Systemic Analysis
