Tuhouse: prototipo de vivienda social sostenible de alta densidad para el trópico

This work presents the results of research made within the framework of the Solar Decathlon LAC 2019 international competition, which aimed at designing and building a prototype of a TUHOUSE (Technically Unique House Using Solar Energy) affordable dwelling, at a 1:1 scale, a house that is capable of incorporating sustainable and bioclimatic strategies for the tropical region. The methodology consisted of a design workshop with interdisciplinary work from the different architecture and engineering areas in programs at the Universities of San Buenaventura and Autonoma de Occidente (Cali, Colombia). The main contribution of the methodology was to achieve interdisciplinary work from the initial stages, alongside students and teachers participating in the construction of the prototype, before finally checking its performance using the contest’s tests. Among the results that stand out from of this experience, are an urban proposal with high habitability and density, the testing of passive design strategies focused on a prototype envelope that can be replicated in similar conditions, but also the importance of the question about the validity of the thermal comfort model proposed for tropical regions.