It took more than 14 months to produce “El Barrio Solar. Reflections and Applications to Twelve Ibero-American Cities,” took more than 14 months to complete. Published by Luz Alicia Cárdenas in collaboration with Ester Higueras, the book brings solar energy into the fields of architecture and urban planning. Published by Mairea in Madrid, it examines solar radiation conditions in these cities and analyzes, both theoretically and empirically, the sustainability of 12 neighborhoods in an equal number of Ibero-American cities.

It is also aimed at three different audiences, as explained by Dr. Cárdenas, a faculty member at the UCH School of Architecture and Urbanism and a researcher with Line 3 of SERC Chile. First, it seeks to guide real estate developers, who could incorporate energy-environmental considerations into their projects—rather than relying solely on the occupancy coefficient permitted by current regulations. Second, the public sector, which, through planning tools, could ensure the use of solar energy across all socioeconomic segments. The third audience targeted by this work is communities concerned with maintaining the thermal quality of their neighborhoods, which is currently threatened by high-rise buildings.

The idea arose from the project “Study of Solar Potential in Urban Areas,” sponsored by Cyted Spain and Concyt, Chile. This solar network included several researchers in the 12 countries studied, who explored projects, instruments, and experiences related to solar radiation in each of those cities.

Professor Cárdenas explains that the book provides a detailed analysis of solar radiation on facades and roofs, which serves as a preliminary step for a calculation applied to different neighborhood configurations: blocks with continuous facades; those with front yards; and those with gardens and patios. These three types of housing configurations are found in all Ibero-American cities, including, of course, specific neighborhoods in the cities studied: Santiago; Easter Island; Madrid; Lisbon; Veracruz; Arequipa; Asunción; Bogotá; Caracas; Punta Arenas; Quito; and Mexicali.

The second part of the book, which deals with climate and thermal comfort conditions, includes simulations and bioclimatic designs for the 12 neighborhoods studied.

Dr. Luz Alicia Cárdenas, a faculty member in the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Chile, is a researcher in Research Line 3.