Concrete is the most commonly construction material used worldwide. In contrast to other countries, Ecuador lacks studies that determine the environmental impact of the production of construction materials. This research presents a quantification of embodied energy and CO₂ emissions associated with the concrete production, using as a case study a ready-mixed concrete plant in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. The study was based on the Life Cycle Assessment methodology established by ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, and the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel of Experts on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. The production of ready-mixed concrete was considered for one year, with a “gate to gate” approach including the “transport of raw material” to the concrete plant and the subsequent “transport of final product” to the construction site. The results revealed that to produce 1 m³ of ready-mixed concrete, its production required 568.69 MJ of energy, accompanied by 42.83 kg CO₂. Indirect transport generates the greatest environmental impact, especially the “transport of raw materials”, which represents approximately 80% of the embodied energy and 79% of CO₂ emission.

Vernacular architecture constitutes a rich source of information and ancestral knowledge and could become a key resource for sustainable development. Its passive design strategies effectively respond to local climatic and weather conditions, using locally sourced materials for the construction of its supporting structures and enveloping elements, as well as spatial organization and the incorporation of a buffer area (courtyard) that optimize the use of renewable resources. This qualitative study analyzes a traditional housing typology with a central courtyard located in the Historic Center of Azogues, Ecuador. In situ monitoring was conducted to evaluate the case study’s interior thermal comfort in different building spaces. Using the open-source software Open Studio and EnergyPlus, a simulation model was built to assess the annual thermal performance of the house. Field records were used to verify the effectiveness of the strategies that responded to the location’s climatic conditions. The analysis of the passive strategies used in the selected house included natural ventilation, solar protection, and thermal insulation, which depended on various aspects of the building, such as its location, the internal space’s arrangement, and the design of openings (doors and windows), among others. The thermal simulations revealed that the traditional house located in the Historic Center of Azogues was well adapted to the local climate, although the interior thermal comfort was not entirely satisfactory.

A key factor for achieving healthy environments in residential buildings is the provision of high indoor environmental quality (IEQ) with respect to the acceptance by its occupants, based on levels of the physical parameters which contribute to IEQ. This research focuses on defining the comfort standards of indoor environments of urban dwellings in the city of Cuenca—Ecuador. It takes into account factors such as temperature, air quality, and natural lightning through a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative measurements. Results determined the following values: a comfort temperature (T_n) of 20.12 °C (with ranges from 16.62 °C to 23.62 °C for an acceptance of 80% and from 17.62 °C to 22.62 °C for an acceptance of 90%), a relative humidity between 40–65%, a maximum CO₂ concentration of 614.25 ppm, a day light factor of ≥5 for the social area and ≥4 for the bedroom, and a minimum illumination level of 300 lux. With these results, it was observed that the comfort levels of temperature, CO₂ concentration, and lighting accepted by local users differ from the standards established in local and international regulations. The determined data constitutes a methodological basis for carrying out similar processes in other localities.

Vernacular architecture constitutes a rich source of information and ancestral knowledge that can become a key resource for sustainable development through its passive design strategies, which effectively respond to local climatic and weather conditions using locally sourced materials for the construction of its supporting structure and enveloping elements, as well as spatial organization and the incorporation of a buffer area (patio) that optimize the use of renewable resources. This qualitative study analyzes a traditional housing typology with a central patio located in the Historic Center of Azogues city, Ecuador, to evaluate its interior thermal comfort through in-situ monitoring in the different building spaces. Using the open-source software Open Studio and EnergyPlus, a simulation model was built to assess the annual thermal performance of the house. Field records were used to verify the effectiveness of the strategies that respond to the climatic conditions of the area. The analysis carried out on the passive strategies used in the selected house with regard to natural ventilation, solar protection, and thermal insulation, which depend on various aspects of the building, such as its location, internal space arrangement, design of openings (doors and windows), among others. The thermal simulations reveal that the traditional house located in the Historic Center of Azogues city is well adapted to the local climate, although interior thermal comfort is not entirely satisfactory.

Housing and its indoor environment influence its inhabitants’ comfort, productivity, and health. For this reason, it is becoming increasingly important to investigate the factors that affect indoor environmental quality. Thus, numerous sustainability assessment systems have been developed to evaluate building performance. This paper presents a model for evaluating the indoor environment of housing located in the Biobio region of Chile, integrating aspects that influence its overall quality. The research methodology proposes a strategy to identify appropriate evaluation criteria and contextualized standards. The application of the model made it possible to identify the level of performance of studio dwellings for each category, namely air quality, thermal comfort, acoustics, and lighting, as well as the overall evaluation of the IEQ. The results reflect that the lowest levels of performance in the three houses were with respect to the acoustic evaluation criteria, while the highest levels of performance were for the air quality evaluation criteria.

The objective of the research presented herein was to determine how far in the residential area of the City of Cuenca the consumption of energy can be reduced, maintaining optimal comfort conditions. In addition, the research focused on the definition of energy efficiency indicators for residential homes. The study involved determination of the energy demand and assessment of the major consumption factors using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Surveys were conducted in 280 households of the residential area of Cuenca. Parallel, light consumption and indoor environmental quality was monitored in 6 houses and reconstructed using simulation models. The results were analysed and compared with national and international standards of efficiency, and used as a basis for defining strategies for reducing energy consumption and the definition of indicators of minimum power consumption. El objetivo de la presente investigación fue determinar en qué medida se puede reducir el consumo de energía en el sector residencial de la ciudad de Cuenca, manteniendo óptimas condiciones de confort. El estudio se centra en la definición de indicadores de eficiencia energética para la vivienda, mediante la determinación de la demanda de energía y la definición de los factores de mayor consumo, usando un enfoque cualitativo y cuantitativo. Se realizaron encuestas en 280 viviendas del sector residencial de la ciudad de Cuenca. Paralelamente se monitorizó el consumo de luz y la calidad del ambiente interior de 6 viviendas y se las analizó mediante simulaciones. Los resultados fueron analizados y comparados con los estándares nacionales e internacionales de eficiencia, y utilizados como base para la definición de las estrategias de reducción de consumo de energía y la definición de indicadores mínimos de consumo de energía eléctrica.