Sustainable Housing Construction Scenarios for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation, Huancayo 2024

The focus on energy is becoming a central focus of sustainability of the built environment, where the latest concerns focus on limiting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. From this perspective, the urban areas are the largest consumers of energy and face the difficult challenge of reducing emissions. In this context, the potential of building envelopes to reduce energy demand is highlighted, as it can incorporate both bioclimatic and energy efficiency (EE) strategies. This work focuses on a design-based research methodology for the design of existing homes and those to be built, applying new energy efficiency standards. This methodology allows for the evaluation of applied construction designs and systems, as well as the assessment of architectural envelope solutions that achieve GHG reduction targets in the construction sector. The research focuses specifically on the potential of bioclimatic housing design with an EE approach. The research methodology is structured in two interactive phases: Phase I: Analysis of residential buildings and Phase II: Prospective scenarios for sustainable construction and GHG emission estimates. The results of the prospective scenarios will allow for the quantification of emissions reductions based on the efficiency of residential buildings in the city of Huancayo-Peru. This is a medium-sized city located in the Andes, at 3,249 meters above sea level, 380 km east of the capital, Lima. The initial results estimate the standard consumption of the residential sector and its equivalent in CO₂ emissions at 150 kWh/m²/year and 15.05 kg/m²/year, respectively. These are used to estimate prospective results for the 2050, 2060, and 2070 horizons.