Morphology and photovoltaic architectural integration: students’ explorations on the ‘fifth façade’ in Lima’s multi-family projects

The aesthetic integration of solar systems with multi-family buildings remains rare in Latin American countries. This article considers sixty-five projects by architecture students in Lima (Peru) to establish compositional criteria using typological classifications of the solar system layout on the roofs, volumetric composition, and their relationship with façades and lower spaces. The results show a wide range of variables that must be resolved. However, there are limitations to understanding this integration when dealing with the inclination of roofs as well as the coherence and geometric arrangement in irregular configurations. More emphasis is required on understanding the interior organisation and its implications for solar systems when designing multi-family houses. Previous research on the quantification of solar incidence has already been published; however, more research for further aesthetic assessments in medium-density multi-family dwellings could be carried out in the future.