Study of the Perception of Thermal Comfort, Residential Satisfaction and Management Model, of the Residents of the Conservation and Energy Rehabilitation Area in the Pirineos Street, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain

Abstract

For the rehabilitation of the housing stock in vulnerable areas, it is necessary to implement innovative management models through public-private collaboration.

The management model used in the Conservation and Rehabilitation Area (ACR) on Pirineos Street, in the municipality of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, is a pioneer in Catalonia since it had not achieved a rehabilitation of the private housing stock with resources of the same individuals, in the context of an area with a low income population. The function of the municipal government was to promote and mediate with the neighbors, technical projects and contractors for the execution of the work. Another innovative factor is that the City Council acts as a credit institution, financing the project and offering payment facilities to homeowners, so it assumes the initial payment to contractors, being one of the keys to achieving rehabilitation. Thus, the owners have facilities to return to the City Council the cost of the works, either in two payments, or in installments over five years and even inscribing the debt in the property registry depending on the individual conditions of each owner.

Considering the above, the present investigation intends to know in greater depth the changes perceived by users after rehabilitation in three areas: (I) thermal comfort; (II) residential satisfaction; (III) and the management model used by the City Council of Santa Coloma de Gramenet; for which a closed survey was carried out, applied to the elderly, heads of family and who have been living within the Pyrenees ACR for more than a year, being susceptible to having noticed the possible changes produced by the intervention.

Of the results found, one of the most relevant is the management of the City Council, which in general terms is perceived as good and in particular the payment system. In relation to residential satisfaction, there is still no significant change in the social relations between the residents of the neighborhood and the building; however, there is a perception of improvement in the image of the neighborhood and in the revaluation of their homes. With regard to indoor thermal comfort, the perception of users has improved in homes that were colder before the rehabilitation, but not in all cases they have felt difference in the temperature of their home.

This research has been carried out within the seminar of the master's degree in Management and Urban and Architectural Assessment within the framework of the EnerValor project (MINECO/FEDER BIA2015-63606-R)