Abstract
The COVID-19 lockdown period has highlighted the ability of housing to accommodate a comprehensive programme typical of the city and its public space. Housing units of under 60 m2 and in blocks of flats are the more vulnerable, as they have a higher percentage of non-community open spaces. That problem was analysed using a methodology based on psychological, urban planning and architectural indicators applied to two coastal cities in the Mediterranean area of southern Spain. The results highlight three aspects in this type of dwelling: the need to consider the orientation of the housing to improve the quality of indoor and outdoor space; the need in public housing policies for a greater number of rooms to facilitate remote working; and finally, the importance of functional terraces overlooking green areas.
Highlights
In Spain, the stay-at-home lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the difficulty of combining remote working and family life
The results of this study (Table 3) coincide with current papers considering the problem of lockdown during the pandemic
As regards the built housing stock, the orientation of a housing unit is a variable that cannot be modified, which makes this indicator a negative factor to be considered in the resilience of the housing during lockdown periods, to avoid such a type of housing
Summary
In Spain, the stay-at-home lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the difficulty of combining remote working and family life. Keeping houses clean, locating them in airy and sunny places, going outdoors and breathing pure mountain air in a suitable climate was recommended. These were the tenets of the hygienism advocated by Le Corbusier and the Modern Movement, which influenced the design of hospitals where those four principles were applied, such as the Paimio Sanatorium, designed by Alvar Aalto in Finland between 1929 and 1933. With respect to the indoor quality indicators, natural lighting and thermal and acoustic insulation (Cuerdo-Vilches et al, 2020) are included, along with using windows to ensure well-aired homes (Porrit & Campbell, 2020)
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