Evaluation of the thermal performance of an industrialised housing construction system in a warm-temperate climate: Morelia, Mexico

• The thermal performance of a low-cost concrete house building system is analysed.
• Monitoring and a field survey are used to assess environmental performance.
• Thermal adaptation is easier for subjects in the cool season than the warm season.
• Poor performance is blamed on a ubiquitous design unsuited to the local climate.

This paper examines the performance of a case study of low-income housing situated in a warm-temperate climate (Morelia, Mexico). It represents the first comprehensive evaluation of thermal comfort in a widely used concrete formwork construction system in that country.The study was conducted in two seasons, determined by climatic analysis identifying the months that presented the most extreme conditions during the year. Indoor thermal conditions were monitored and are compared with the adaptive comfort temperature and comfort zone derived from existing standards.A thermal comfort field survey was also conducted, including the distribution of questionnaires in both seasons. The findings are compared with monitored data to assess the overall thermal performance of the housing typology.The results reveal poor thermal performance with houses falling significantly outside the thermal comfort boundaries in both periods due to a number of factors, including the properties of the building envelope, the impact of solar radiation, the number of occupants and their behavior. The results indicate that it is easier for subjects to adapt to cooler rather than warmer conditions. These findings expand existing knowledge of the performance of this concrete formwork system in Mexico as well as other industrialised building systems in similar climates. It demonstrates the urgency of designing viable solutions according to local climate, and questions the use of identical housing prototypes across different climatic regions.