Contemporary vernacular architecture in the Brazilian Tropical Savana: The case-study of the children's village in the Canuana Farm, in Tocantis

Completed in 2017, the building complex Moradias Infantis de Canuanã (Canuanã Children’s Village) is located in the city of Formoso do Araguaia in Tocantins, in Brazil. Its architecture is strongly influenced by the local savanna climate which is characterised by distinct hot-dry and hot-mid seasons. In this study, the authors evaluated the buildings thermal conditions and the potential of natural ventilation using analytical procedures supported by computer simulations. Air movement in the transitional spaces was also simulated with CFD techniques. The findings reveal that during the hottest periods of the year, the key habitable spaces (bedrooms) in the building have temperatures 10 °C below the outdoors. Primarily, this performance is attributed to the influence of thermal mass, combined with natural ventilation and shading. Additionally, a positive impact of natural ventilation on indoor conditions requires a combination of wind driven and buoyancy effects. In the courtyards, the distance between blocks is enough to allow perceivable air-speeds. Overall, this study has shown that the holistic design employed at the Children’s Village building complex in Tocantins works well to maintain the indoor thermal environment at acceptable conditions.