The research project "Design and Intervention between Form and Function" promotes the preservation of architectural heritage and the improvement of its conditions, particularly in terms of thermal comfort and energy efficiency. It proposes a formal (architectural) and functional (constructive) analysis of interventions applied to practical cases to establish a relationship between heritage protection measures and the implementation of sustainability strategies.

The integrated analysis between intervened and non-intervened examples allows for identifying and characterising actions taken and the definition and development of new strategies. This approach suggests constructing a methodology that seeks to relate Form and Function in built heritage.

Protocols
Domus Social E.M.

Research works in progress
Well-Balanced Energy Housing (WellBEH): Reasoning method towards interventions crossing Heritage, Efficiency, and Comfort (with Rui Fernandes Póvoas)

Publications
Journal articles:
Rocha, Luciana; Póvoas, Rui Fernandes; Restivo, Joana. 2023. “The Right to Comfort in Social Housing: Energy and Thermal Performances as Parameters of a Systemic Analysis”. Buildings 13 (5): 1173. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/buildings13051173

Lameira, Gisela; Rocha, Luciana; Ramos, Rui Jorge Garcia. 2022. "Affordable Futures Past: Rethinking Contemporary Housing Production in Portugal While Revisiting Former Logics". Urban Planning 7 (1). https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v7i1.4770.

Book chapters:
Rocha, Luciana; Póvoas, Rui Fernandes. 2022. Contemporary Challenges of Residential Buildings from Mid-twentieth Century: For a Renewed Consciousness of Heritage Preservation and Energy Sustainability. In: Vayas, I., Mazzolani, F.M. (eds.) Protection of Historical Constructions. PROHITECH 2021. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol 209. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90788-4_103.

Rocha, Luciana; Póvoas, Rui Fernandes. 2021. "The constructive principles behind the materials and techniques used in state-subsidised housing buildings from the mid-twentieth century in Porto". In Mascarenhas-Mateus & Paula Pires (eds.) History of Construction Culture. Volume 2. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN: 978-1-032- 00203-3. doi:10.1201/9781003173434-186.

Conference proceedings:
Rocha, Luciana; Póvoas, Rui Fernandes. 2021. "Reflections on heritage preservation and energy sustainability through the analysis of current interventions on state-subsidised housing from the mid-20th century: The example of the Improvement Plan (Porto)". CEES 2021: Construction, Energy Environment & Sustainability, Coimbra.

Rocha, Luciana; Póvoas, Rui Fernandes. 2020. "Formal and functional analysis of contemporary interventions in multifamily housing buildings from the mid-twentieth century. The case of the Cerco housing complex (Porto)". In Amoêda, R; Lira, S; Pinheiro, C. (eds.) Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development. HERITAGE 2020: Coimbra, Portugal. ISBN: 978-989-8734-44-0. https://hdl.handle.net/10216/132481.

Journal edition:
Rocha, Luciana; Póvoas, Rui Fernandes (eds.). 2023. "Indoor Comfort in Residential Buildings: Research on Energy Efficiency and Thermal Perception". Buildings 12 (7). ISSN: 2075-5309.

Booklets edition:
The publication of a series of booklets - Tectonic Series (TS) - focused on the analysis of practical cases from the Improvement Plan compares the architectural and construction aspects of the original projects and contemporary interventions, with a central focus on enhancing energy efficiency and thermal comfort in buildings. This edition compiles graphic, photographic, and bibliographic material about the case studies in an analysis that aims to raise awareness about the consequences of each action and contribute to breaking down preconceptions associated with interventions geared towards thermal comfort, especially in the social context. In doing so, it also benefits the municipal and industrial sectors.

Rocha, Luciana; Póvoas, Rui Fernandes (org.). “Well-Balanced Energy Housing. Tectonic Series (TS).” Vol.01-03. Porto: Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Arquitectura, WellBEH.

TS01. Cerco do Porto I neighbourhood. ISBN: 978-989-8527-57-8 [digital: https://hdl.handle.net/10216/156158]
TS02. Cerco do Porto II neighbourhood. ISBN: 978-989-8527-58-5 [digital: https://hdl.handle.net/10216/156154]
TS03. Falcão neighbourhood. ISBN: 978-989-8527-59-2 [digital: https://hdl.handle.net/10216/156156]
TS04-TS06 (in progress)

Keynotes
Workshop The Question of Housing in the NEBgS. International Laboratory @FAUP, Blended Intensive Program (BIP, NEB goes South). Invited speaker, presentation entitled: “The Challenges of Thermal Comfort and Energy Efficiency in Social Housing” (2023/07/18)

Scholarship supervision
MSc Azar Mohammadpanah as a research fellow of “Well-Balanced Energy Housing: Reasoning method towards interventions crossing Heritage, Efficiency and Comfort” (WellBEH) (2023/09/05 - 2023/12/05).