Engineering Design Methodology and Socio-Technical Assessment of Progressive Temporary Housing with Metabolic Independence and Scaffolding in Vulnerable Areas

Habitat production in informal settlements and vulnerable urban areas faces critical challenges regarding habitability and lack of infrastructure. This article evaluates a prototype for progressive temporary housing based on a modular metal scaffolding structure, conceived as an autonomous housing response unit in the district of Chilca-Huancayo, Peru. Unlike conventional solutions, the proposal integrates metabolic independence systems through photovoltaic generation and rainwater harvesting to guarantee functional autonomy from public utility networks. Adopting a mixed-method, experimental-applied approach, the research articulates technical simulations, full-scale structural load tests, and a social perception assessment. The results demonstrate the technical feasibility of the model: the energy system covers the entirety of basic demand, and the structural component exhibits ductile behavior under seismic demands, guaranteeing stability without brittle failures. Furthermore, the social dimension reveals high acceptability among residents in emergency scenarios. The study concludes that the use of reusable industrial systems enables a resilient and rapidly deployable architecture. It is argued that this model constitutes a viable alternative for risk management and the mitigation of the housing deficit in the context of urban exclusion, highlighting its potential for territorial replicability as a response to the social production of habitat on the periphery.