Iluminação natural em habitação multifamiliar: o caso do conjunto residencial videiras, Santa Maria, RS

Daylighting is important both for buildings' energy efficiency and for users' visual comfort and well-being. This article assesses natural lighting availability at Videiras Residential Complex, located in Santa Maria, a multifamily housing in Southern Brazil, part of the Brazilian federal government's Minha Casa Minha Vida Program. The method is based on daylight autonomy (DA) metrics and useful daylight illuminance (UDI) from computer simulation with the APOLUX software. The evaluation was carried out according to recommendations of Brazilian standards NBR15575 and RTQ-R, applied to three environments: (1) main bedroom, (2) living room, (3) kitchen, and laundry. User's opinion was also surveyed through questionnaires. The results obtained by simulation indicate that the illuminance levels recommended in NBR 15575 and RTQ-R are satisfied. However, some rooms did not satisfy the criteria of 120 lux. The majority of users expressed satisfaction with the available indoor natural lighting. Moreover, it was found that users perform household tasks that require higher levels of illuminance than those indicated in the Brazilian standards. Based on the results, guidelines that aim to contribute to multifamily dwellings' better lighting performance are indicated. Therefore, results point to the necessity of reviewing these parameters on standards to adapt them to the social and economic reality of the social and economic context.