The effects of vertical growth: Study of the right to solar access in residential areas. The case of Concepción, Chile.

Abstract

In Chile, the neoliberal economic model has intensified the densification process with few restrictions, giving rise to a prolific construction of high-rise multi-family buildings in low-density areas. The study uses a case of a high-rise housing complex that contrasts with local typologies and breaks the human scale in a traditional neighborhood (i.e., one story continues façade). The impact of shadow projections on its neighboring houses is calculated and duration according to the solar sun path. In addition, the effect on daylight availability in the residential units of the towers is analyzed. The results show that the tower's complex projects shade the neighborhood for up to 200m in winter. Also, a tower's daylighting autonomy decreases by 13% in lower floorplans because of the shades of its neighboring towers. It reflects how this form of high-rise housing affects a fundamental right: the right to the sun in its forms of radiation for passive heating in a heating-demanding climate zone and the potential for daylight harvesting for its own residential units.