Testing habitability for sustainable building design

This paper studied the concept of the habitability of buildings as a sustainability factor in the living envi­ronment, particularly in the city of Bogotá. The habitability factor stems from the relationship between human beings, the cultural dimension and the environment. Thus, we can say that the habitability factor is an important element in the building design process. Currently in Bogotá there are buildings that do not meet the requirements of the population. In Bogotá only 40% of buildings are of a good quality and a great number of newly produced buildings have made for lower quality living spaces. Consequently, it is important to give an adequate response to these kinds of demands. For thase reasons, this study created a model to evaluate the habitability factor of buildings. This model gives some guidelines for designing sustainable buildings and implementing stategies to design a better urban habitat. Finally, the Habitability model was tested as a pilot in the Primero de Mayo neighbourhood, which is located in the fourth district of Bogotá. The neighbourhood was classified as a cultural heritage site by city hall.