How uncomfortable and unhealthy can social (low-cost) housing in Brazil become with use?

Though a topic of wide academic debate, studies on “Low-cost” or Social Housing (SH) fail to analyze the real meaning of such habitations when taking into account remodeling and adaptations made with use, which both compromise comfort within the home and reflect on the users’ health. The main objective of this study was to analyze thermal comfort in SH in a hot and humid climate, considering physical interventions (remodeling) that might impact both comfort and health needs. The study sample consisted of 99 units in which evaluations were carried out as field research (city of João Pessoa, state of Paraíba, in the Northeast region of Brazil). The results showed a great degree of discomfort (78.8% of the sample). On average, air temperatures ranged between 29.0 °C and 30.2 °C. The calculations of the Opening (OP) – confirmed the negative impact of the renovations on comfort and health, since the originally delivered housing units underwent great reductions in OP in 47.5% of the sample while 17.2% increased the OP original values. Due to the removal of window openings (45.5%), unplanned expansions often led to confined or unbearably hot environments, and the need for continuous use of fans (87.9%). The worrying post-use scenario indicates that thermal comfort losses are only felt after the physical adaptations have been made. Residents will live in unhealthy and highly uncomfortable environments and will be forced to use adaptive strategies to minimize discomfort, however, with increasing energy consumption. •Social housing remodeling impacts on internal thermal comfort.•Social housing remodeling can affect residents' health.•Negative impact of the remodeling on comfort and health was an unexpected consequence for the residents.•The remodeling increases the need for continuous use of fans.