Avaliação da iluminação natural de habitação multifamiliar de interesse social: Conjunto Residencial Videiras, Santa Maria, RS

Abstract

In the last few years, Brazil has experienced a considerable increase in the number of buildings destined for the low-income population due to credit programs for housing construction, in an attempt to reduce the large housing deficit in the country. Natural lighting is an important requisite for the improvement of these constructions, since it contributes to their energy efficiency and interferes with users' visual and thermal comfort. The objective of the research was to evaluate the availability of natural light in the Videiras Residential Complex (CRV), a social multi-family housing project, located in Santa Maria, RS, built through the Governmental Program Minha Casa, Minha Vida. The method used in the study involves post-occupation assessment tools, as evaluation of satisfaction levels through the application of questionnaires to the CRV residents, verification of the adequacy to the current norms and regulations related to natural lighting and evaluation of the light dynamic variables through the APOLUX computer simulation program. The most part of CRV users consider themselves satisfied with the natural lighting of their housing units (UH), as well as from each room analyzed. The satisfaction tends to increase among the residents of the fourth floor and of the rooms where light colors were adopted in the furniture, revealing the influences of the surroundings on the other floors and the reflection indices of the internal surfaces. The UH of the CRV does not comply with the RTQ-R and the Código de Obras e Edificações de Santa Maria with regard to minimum lighting spans. The Código de Obras does not make it clear that it must consider just the unobstructed area of the frames and NBR 15575 does not even mention minimum spans for natural light. The results of the simulations showed that the rooms complied the parameters present in the RTQ-R simulation method and the minimum illuminances present in the NBR 15575. However, when considering parameters of 120 lux, most rooms did not have a satisfactory result, showing, on average, intermediate lighting performance. Also, it was observed the development of tasks that require higher levels of illuminance than those normally performed in residential environments. The norms should comply the specific needs of each building, and fail in not consider the possibility of unusual activities in certain residential environments. In general, the study contributed with information about the evaluation process of natural light performance of HIS, allowing to identify errors and rights that were determinant to the quality and luminous comfort inside the UH. The results obtained served as support for proposing project guidelines and suggestions for the legislation used, in order to qualify the production process and use of social housing project and to provide a better quality of life for users.