ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSING IN TROPICAL AFRICA

Low-income housing in tropical Africa is currently built with modern technologies that often deny local traditions, producing negative environmental impacts and poor thermal comfort. As regards Uganda, there is a gradual shift, both in rural and urban areas, from traditional and environmentally friendly materials (adobe and thatch) towards modern ones, such as cement concrete, burned bricks and iron roofing sheets. These materials generally increase hygiene and durability, but they also entail a relevant amount of greenhouse gas emissions and may generate indoor discomfort. In particular, the handmade manufacture of the local burned bricks has a negative impact in terms of air pollution, deforestation and waste production, while iron sheet roofs increase the risk of overheating, with consequent indoor thermal discomfort. This study aims to identify alternative materials and technical solutions to improve the performance of lowincome houses in terms of durability, environmental sustainability and indoor thermal comfort, while respecting local traditions and limited budgets. To this purpose, six different single-family houses in the Ugandan district of Nakaseke have been parametrically designed and modelled. Dynamic thermal simulations have been conducted on the models to evaluate the effects of different walling and roofing solutions. Results indicate that the proposed solutions significantly improve the indoor thermal comfort.