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May 30, 2026Open Access

Passive Resilience and Climate Adaptation in Indigenous Housing: Bioclimatic and Thermal Performance Assessment of Shuar Vernacular Architecture in Amazonian Ecuador

Key Points

This study aims to assess the climate-adaptive performance of Shuar vernacular housing in Amazonian Ecuador.
Mixed-method framework combining territorial and typological analysis, bioclimatic evaluation matrix, and thermal sensitivity analysis.
Three housing typologies compared: one vernacular (V1) and two introduced (M2, M3).
Dynamic energy simulation used to explore thermal conditions of the vernacular dwelling V1.
V1 achieved 66.7% bioclimatic compliance, outperforming M2 and M3 at 62.5%.
V1 maintains passive thermal autonomy within comfort range (18-26 °C) for most of the year without mechanical cooling.
Five transferable passive strategies for climate adaptation are identified for broader application.

Abstract

Climate change is increasing thermal vulnerability in hot–humid tropical regions, especially among low-income indigenous communities with limited access to mechanical cooling. Yet peer-reviewed evidence on the climate-adaptive performance of Shuar vernacular housing remains scarce. This study addresses that gap by assessing indigenous housing in the Shuar community of Kupiamais, Ecuador (NEC Climate Zone 2, Humid–Hot), through a three-phase mixed-method framework combining territorial and typological analysis, a twelve-criterion bioclimatic evaluation matrix, and an exploratory thermal sensitivity analysis based on dynamic energy simulation. Three typologies were compared: one vernacular dwelling (V1, Shuar jii nee) and two introduced typologies (M2, M3). V1 achieved 66.7% bioclimatic compliance, compared with 62.5% for both introduced typologies, with its advantage concentrated in envelope air permeability, shading of vertical surfaces, and organic roofing. The thermal sensitivity analysis further indicates that the jii nee maintains indicative passive thermal autonomy for most of the simulated annual period without mechanical conditioning, with indoor operative temperatures estimated to remain within the NEC Zone 2 comfort range (18–26 °C); these results derive from an exploratory, uncalibrated dynamic energy simulation of V1 alone and should be interpreted as indicative tendencies rather than validated predictions of absolute indoor conditions. These findings provide empirical evidence of the climate-adaptive value of Shuar vernacular architecture, identify five transferable passive strategies, and propose a low-resource, replicable framework for evaluating indigenous housing in the Global South. The study also clarifies how typological change can erode passive cooling capacity, cultural continuity, and low-resource climate adaptation in settlements.

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