The environmental conditions of Vilanova Artigas building, FAUUSP main building in São Paulo: analytical studies

Abstract

The building of the School of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo (FAUUSP), in the city of São Paulo, inaugurated in 1969 and listed in 1982, is a landmark of the São Paulo School of Modern Architecture, expressing a synthesis between structure, space and environment. The 40% translucid roof area raises questions about the impact of incident solar radiation during the warmest period of the year upon internal spaces' thermal and daylight conditions. This paper presents technical work, including thermal and daylighting studies focusing on the studio spaces and classrooms, examining the improvements brought by the refurbishment of the roof in 2014, in which the domos were replaced. The environmental assessment included analytical studies carried out for the refurbishment project. Among the results, it was noted that the glare associated with the original design was eliminated with the new skylight of milky acrylic, creating a homogeneous lighting environment under the big roof. On the other hand, the uncomfortable thermal conditions were ameliorated by reducing peak internal temperatures by 4 °C on a warm day due to higher ventilation rates achieved with the lifted skylights. However, the discomfort was not eliminated since peak temperatures reach 30 °C during the year's warmest days.