Valor invisível: a ideia de conforto no processo de projeto na era das redes sociais digitais

Abstract

The consolidation of social media platforms as one of the human’s communication primary forms in contemporary times is a process whose future consequences remains a mystery. In architecture’s field, the hyper valuation of images and the rapid dissemination of information enabled by these media should be investigated because might reveal and reinforce an imbalance in the design process, by prioritizing aesthetic and visual aspects over other 'invisible' attributes of architecture—such as technical and qualitative issues, including environmental comfort. Thus, this dissertation aims to investigate how dissemination of the social media platform Instagram contents influences environmental comfort as a value attribute in residential architecture design. The research focuses on residential buildings due to their primary function of providing inhabitants shelter and comfort. Methodologically, that’s presented as an applied research study, with an exploratory and mixed approach. The main data collection tools used were: literature review, documentary analysis of 200 posts published on Instagram (2020-2023), and online questionnaires involved collecting responses from a total sample of 109 respondents, including both design students and architects in activity currently. The results indicated a very low mention frequency of terms related to comfort concept in the posts, which diverges from the design values reported by the professional respondents. These respondents were categorical in admitting social networks influence on their design practices, particularly the younger respondents (Generation Z). In addition, it was possible to trace indications of how digital social networks have been integrated into the design process and how their format may prioritize aesthetic and visual attributes over other architectural values, especially those related to comfort, because their sensory and material nature, which cannot be well represented by virtual environments.