Building low energy cooling and advanced ventilation in cooperative housing

The Project of Ponte da Pedra came out of an Ideas Competition, which is, by the beginning, a good indicatorof the high quality of the housing architecture of Ponte da Pedra. Between the development of the urban and residential idea (September 1998) and the conclusionof the construction (February 2007), 9 years have passed, in a cruise speed.The construction of the building replaced an old tannery,improving the quality of the local site, since, far beyond the housing promotion, we have promoted an environmental and urban regeneration.The first phase of the Building is composed by 6 Blocks that gather 150 dwellings, an educational and cultural equipment placed in the north of the new street and a sports area in the middle of the housing area.The second phase of the building is composed by two blocks (Block 7 and Block 8 101 dwellings) and also has a child equipment, public park and water mirror, with gardens and sidewalks all over the building.The housing ensemble creates neighborhood spaces, leisure areas, also having an improving and appropriatedconnection with the surrounding area.From the President of the Cooperative Union, the architectresponsible for the project and the Technical Directoruntil the building company, all these agents were very important keys in the development and success of this pilot initiative in Portugal. We also count on the academic support of Prof. Eduardo Maldonado, Facultyof Engineering of the Oportos University, and Prof. Manuela Almeida, Minhos University.This second phase represents the Portuguese participationin the SHE Project (Sustainable Housing in Europe)as a consequence of the application of this Second Phase to this Project.