A novel method to characterise multi-family buildings in relation to the position of wet rooms and their flow grids

Abstract

The innovation of this work is the development of a novel methodology which contributes to systemize and rationalize the position of the wet rooms in multi-family buildings typology. The intention of which is to set the predominant vertical position of ducts, pipes, and wires of this kind of buildings and the repercussion of these in the facilities design. The main achievement of this study is the development of a template which allows the establishment of a specific ‘label’ for each dwelling and, henceforth, claims that a predominant pattern of dwellings exists in the unlimited design of residential buildings in Catalonia. The ‘label’ determines two critical parameters about the relationship between: a) wet rooms in and between the dwellings, to determine the predominant location of flows in the building, and b) wet rooms and the public and private spaces of the building, to determine the type of accessibility of the layouts of these flows. The main conclusion is that in the case study evaluated, there is a residential typological pattern which opens the way to the elaboration of a new catalogue for the vertical flows in public residential buildings of Catalonia which will allow the reduction of CO2 embed emissions, reduce the energy consumption and reduce the user inconveniences.