Sustainable Architecture Applied to the Design of the Housing Core

This article presents the results of research focused on the design of core housing as a product, process, and continuous transformation system, achieved through a unified space, as a recurring solution since the origins of humankind and an alternative for small spaces. The proposal for affordable housing in Cuenca for low-income populations is based on an approach that involves not only the housing solution but also the relationship with people's ways of living, bioclimatic criteria, and the study of a sustainable construction system. Qualitative research methodologies and transdisciplinary workshops were used to create spaces for discussion and verification with the participation of various stakeholders. Therefore, the research work integrated people's ways of living, the use of local materials, and indoor comfort conditions. After tabulating the gathered data, the design of the core housing was carried out, enabling the design to accommodate the ways people live, rather than the other way around. Ultimately, enabling appropriation according to specific needs of diverse family compositions, in addition to a sustainable construction system as an ecological and economical solution.