El calentamiento global es un tema que genera mucha preocupación en la población mundial. Siendo el cambio climático una de las consecuencias que se perciben en las diversas partes del mundo. La manifestación de este cambio ha ocasionado que se propongan diversas técnicas o métodos que permitan mitigar o controlar relativamente las temperaturas extremas, entre estos métodos ingenieriles se propone al plástico como componente del concreto para aislar las temperaturas externas. Ese estudio desarrolla una investigación experimental de la influencia del tereftalato de polietileno (PET), al ser incluido en la mezcla de concreto, en el logro del confort térmico que se pudiese llegar a obtener, al combinarlo con una innovadora adaptación del sistema trombe en la construcción de una vivienda. Para ello, se asumirán especificaciones de investigaciones realizadas, con respecto a la elaboración e inclusión del PET, que permiten concluir indirectamente la mejora del aislamiento térmico sin dejar de cumplir las restricciones estructurales. Asimismo, se explicó a detalle, la forma en la que se adoptó e innovo el sistema de muros trombe al construir el techo de un prototipo de la vivienda. Los resultados muestran que la técnica empleada en el presente estudio permitió mejorar considerablemente la eficiencia térmica en el prototipo de la vivienda. / Global warming is a topic of great concern to the world population. Being climate change one of the consequences perceived in various parts of the world. The manifestation of this change has caused various techniques or methods to be proposed to mitigate or relatively control extreme temperatures. Among these engineering methods, plastic is proposed as a component of concrete to isolate external temperatures. This study develops an experimental investigation of the influence of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), when it is included in the concrete mix, in achieving the thermal comfort that could be obtained, when combined with an innovative adaptation of the trombe system in the construction of a house. For this, specifications of investigations carried out, with respect to the preparation and inclusion of PET, will be assumed, which allow indirectly to conclude the improvement of thermal insulation while still complying with structural restrictions. Likewise, the way in which the trombe system was adopted and innovated when building the roof of a prototype of the house was explained in detail. The results show that the technique used in the present study considerably improved the thermal efficiency of the prototype of the house. / Tesis

abstract: This thesis intends to help inform American Indian nations’ decision making related to housing. The study recognizes the urgent need for housing solutions that fit the needs of a community as well as benefit the overall ecosystem. One model that can offer guidance is the Circular Economy (CE) model. A well-thought-out CE process can provide housing solutions that are economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable. It also stimulates the local economy by strategically introducing positive changes. This research identifies the construction potential of available circular materials as compared to more contemporary building materials. It then recommends a closed-loop circular model that utilizes the community’s existing infrastructure to develop affordable housing. The proposed CE model operates within the built environment, stimulating local employment while catering to the needs of the residents. Such an approach can prove to be beneficial for the local community and perhaps scalable to the global economy. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Construction Management 2020

The doctoral thesis focuses on the topic of social housing and its sustainability. It explores its general principles, but also reacts to this fields latest developments in order to find a suitable model to be applicable in the Czech Republic, especially in the city of Brno. The first part of the thesis provides an overview of the current state of the issues on both Czech and European level, followed by detailed exploration of these fields in the cities of Brno and Vienna. Analytical evaluation confirms the relevance and appropriateness of the Viennese case study. The presented research is focused particularly on the sector municipal or subsidized rental housing for both cities. It examines the possibilities of Viennese principles application in Brno so that at least a part of the city's housing fund could be used as social housing accordingly to currently prepared Czech legislation. At the conclusion of this work recommendations for the city of Brno are formulated, useful in the preparation of its new social housing policy. This research, touching currently quite fundamental social issues, can be also beneficial in other areas. In the academic environment of architecture, urban planning, economics or sociology studies, for these fields experts or for the general public to facilitate the orientation on the housing market.

Decades of globalisation and urbanisation are posing intersecting social, economic, and environmental pressures on urban housing markets, that are pushing conventional housing provision to its limits. Accelerated by the covid-19 pandemic, alternative approaches to housing are coming to the fore. Co-housing, a concept combining private individual living spaces, with shared spaces and facilities is (re)-emerging as one alternative, vaunted to have a positive impact on residents' well-being, and promotes sustainable living and housing affordability. To exploit the sustainable potential of co-housing, remaining planning challenges need to be identified and dismantled. In this regard, this study aims to explore the potential and challenges of alternative forms of housing for sustainable housing provision and to analyse the role of municipalities in steering and supporting the development of co-housing. Methodologically, this aim is approached by a systematic literature review and a case study comparing two co-housing projects in Sweden and Germany, using Rose’s (1991) lesson-drawing concept. The findings revealed that neoliberal planning frameworks geared towards conventional housing provision that restrict the development of housing alternatives. Overcoming these constraints is highly dependent on municipal support institutions for co-housing development. In both co-housing projects, the integration of professional developers has provided valuable advantages in breaking down financial barriers and social inequalities, which were identified as the main challenges. However, to promote the sustainable development of co-housing and to break down the conventional political structures for this purpose, municipalities must recognise the potential of co-housing holistically and support and steer it through transparent policies and instruments.

Thesis (MA (Geography and Environmental Studies)--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In 2004, the then Department of Housing’s Breaking New Ground (BNG) policy introduced a compilation of principles that underlie a sustainable human settlement. The principles were aimed at guiding, amongst others, municipal officials in the decisions they take when faced with a housing development project. This thesis will set out to determine how municipal officials have taken up BNG’s principles for sustainable housing settlements as well as the perceptions, methods of implementation and degree of acceptance that housing and town planning managers have of BNG. In the study, the perceived relevance that these managers have of BNG within their non-metropolitan towns is explored using five of the fifteen leader towns of the Western Cape Province. This research has shown that BNG considers the compact urban form, coupled to other development considerations, as the most sustainable for South Africa. In terms of building sustainable human settlements: the low-income housing unit has evolved substantially since its conception, and that the current unit is held in far higher regard (by both municipalities and beneficiaries) than its predecessors. The design of this unit remains standardised due to a lack of funding for a more flexible design, but its structure allows for additions to be made at the cost of the beneficiary. Funding thus remains a major constraint to housing delivery. Municipalities feel that they are able to implement BNG, but that there are certain shortcomings in the document which prevent its full implementation. One of these shortcomings is the lack of an external funding mechanism for housing delivery, proposed in BNG, but never having materialised. Further, BNG focuses more on the metropolitan scenario and is not always relevant to non-metropolitan towns. Almost all of the municipalities have initiated inner city regeneration projects, but fewer have included the provision of social housing as part of their inner city rejuvenation. Subsidy housing is the most implemented housing typology, but these units often experience decay due to the absence of original owners who have (mostly illegally) sold or rented out their units. The one-erf-one-unit nature of subsidy housing is not seen as sustainable owing to space limitation experienced by most of the municipalities interviewed. Contrary to earlier research, in situ upgrading is a common occurrence in municipalities. However, there is a great need for stronger regional (or broader scale) planning regarding housing delivery. Low-income housing is strongly influenced by politics – a fact which municipalities say negatively influences housing delivery. Migration also poses a serious threat to municipal backlogs. Currently, the fight against an escalating demand for low-cost housing is a losing battle as the rate at which government is rolling out housing is vastly ineffectual. Municipalities deem that large-scale projects like the N2 Gateway might be a solution to their housing backlogs which, they concur, are at crisis point. However, municipalities indicated that their implementation of large scale projects will not follow the same path as the N2 Gateway – the planning of which is seen to be substandard. Currently, urban integration takes place on an income basis and not due to racial division. Inclusionary housing is seen as a relevant tool for the promotion of integration, but cannot be enforced to its full potential due to a lack of supporting legislation.