Modular Construction for Emergency Situation: A Design Methodology for the Building Envelope

According to the data of major international organizations and studies in the building sector, we actually live in a housing emergency. Each year millions of people migrate all over the world (258 millions in the 2017). About one billion people now live in slums. Looking to prediction for the future, these numbers are expected to increase. It is therefore evident that the theme of housing and of the city is really important for the near future. The research presented in this paper aims to develop a modular and modifiable building system, to answer to the aforementioned questions, ensuring at the same time flexibility and speed required by modern living: modular houses fast to be built, easy to change, and to dismiss. A pre-design matrix is under development, as a driver tool for designers and planners that can theoretically combine the best (ideal) choices for a given place/environment based on specific social and environmental needs/availability. The matrix combines the main parameters that influence the final energy consumption and indoor human comfort of a building, with particular attention to the building envelope. The performances of the envelope in severe environments (cold and hot) are considered, while changing materials and technological elements. The main result obtained is the list of requirements that an envelope must have to satisfy the comfort target in a given climate. This paper illustrates the results of these changes in the composition of the envelope.