Architects’ use of tools for low energy building design: Methodological reflections from ethnography and philosophy of technology

Design practitioners face an increased pressure to design low energy buildings because of the need to reduce the carbon emissions of the built environment. As a response, building performance simulation tools (BPS) have been created for designers to facilitate the decision-making and help them to propose low energy buildings. This paper is based on a research that adopted ethnographic research to conduct a case study comparison and explore how BPS tools were deployed by designers during real-time design process. The research adopted a constructivist approach informed by philosophy of technology and human computer interaction theories to reveal what designers were doing during the design process as opposed to what they should be doing according to best practice advice. This paper focuses on the application of ethnographic methods and brings attention to the advantages, challenges and limitations of adopting ethnographic research to investigate the `context of use of tools'. The discussion of the method brings attention to the context of use of tools as the departure point to develop a range of solutions for design support

Occupants’ perceptions of indoor environmental conditions in two BREEAM excellent buildings

This paper presents a qualitative study that investigated occupants’ practices in two BREEAM Excellent buildings. This research investigated the levels of satisfaction of the building occupants with the thermal, lighting and aural environment and the actions taken by occupants to achieve comfort indifferent seasons. Seasonal building user surveys were applied to identify the occupant practices to achieve comfort and their satisfaction with the indoor conditions. Indoor environment conditions were monitored as reference to the occupants’ responses. The participants reported taking a range of actions to enhance their comfort, even in situations where they had limited access to controls to modify their environment; for example, exerting personal adaptation and rearranging spaces to achieve thermal comfort. Like prior research, the study found that occupants’ practices were not motivated by energy efficiency concerns. Occupants tend to adopt practices with the aim to improve their comfort and enable them to carry the everyday activities in the building, even if those actions defeat the energy saving intentions. Energy efficiency strategies that do not consider occupants’ activities and preferences tend to be ignored or bypassed in the daily building operation, even where the control strategies limit the interaction between the occupant and the building technologies. Energy efficiency initiatives could benefit from considering the existing occupant practices to achieve comfort and promote the non-energy benefits of good building performance (i.e. occupants’ health and wellbeing) in order to motivate stakeholders to adopt practices that contribute to energy efficiency

Occupants’ perceptions of indoor environmental conditions in two BREEAM excellent buildings

This paper presents a qualitative study that investigated occupants’ practices in two BREEAM Excellent buildings. This research investigated the levels of satisfaction of the building occupants with the thermal, lighting and aural environment and the actions taken by occupants to achieve comfort indifferent seasons. Seasonal building user surveys were applied to identify the occupant practices to achieve comfort and their satisfaction with the indoor conditions. Indoor environment conditions were monitored as reference to the occupants’ responses. The participants reported taking a range of actions to enhance their comfort, even in situations where they had limited access to controls to modify their environment; for example, exerting personal adaptation and rearranging spaces to achieve thermal comfort. Like prior research, the study found that occupants’ practices were not motivated by energy efficiency concerns. Occupants tend to adopt practices with the aim to improve their comfort and enable them to carry the everyday activities in the building, even if those actions defeat the energy saving intentions. Energy efficiency strategies that do not consider occupants’ activities and preferences tend to be ignored or bypassed in the daily building operation, even where the control strategies limit the interaction between the occupant and the building technologies. Energy efficiency initiatives could benefit from considering the existing occupant practices to achieve comfort and promote the non-energy benefits of good building performance (i.e. occupants’ health and wellbeing) in order to motivate stakeholders to adopt practices that contribute to energy efficiency

Thermal comfort practices in non-domestic buildings within the organisational context

This paper investigates the thermal comfort practices in four non-domestic buildings and explores how the organisational context affects the actions and practices of occupants and facilities managers. The study applied qualitative methods and Post Occupancy Evaluation methodologies to investigate the thermal practices in four case studies. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies were deployed: semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, observation, monitoring studies of building performance. The concept 'distributed agency' was applied to analyse the thermal comfort practices in non-domestic buildings. This concept helped to illustrate everyday actions by occupants and facilities managers in relation to the organisational context. Occupants' actions and building management practices could be affected by the organisation norms and context leading to problems and dissatisfaction with indoor thermal conditions. This study is based on a small number of case studies and it is exploratory. Extensive monitoring data was not available. However, the research identified the thermal conditions and occupants' satisfaction levels as background where actions to achieve thermal comfort and facilities manager's practices took place. The work suggest the need to examine in greater depth how the organisational goals and individual goals could be linked to support specific building performance targets. The work advocates for the application of multidisciplinary approaches to study the occupant dimension of building performance. It suggests the need to develop a nuanced understanding of how occupants pursue comfort as active agents who interact with the built environment. The work has applied social practice theory to consider the influence of the organisation on thermal comfort practices in non-domestic buildings; considering the perspectives of building occupants and facilities managements within the organisational context

Connecting householders with their homes using low-cost technological interventions

Dampness-related problems at home can put householders’ health at risk. Householders often do not know how to use their homes to get the conditions they want. They are unable to understand the complex interplay between humidity, air temperature and ventilation, provoking unhealthy interior environments unintentionally. This paper presents an analysis of problems associated with dampness and householders’ behaviour in low-income houses in South Wales. This project aims to help people to understand better how their homes work, and encourage them to strengthen their connection to the indoor environment of their home by using low-cost feedback devices. The study uses off-the-shelf, real-time feedback technology to help householders visualize how their homes respond to their actions. Semi-structured interviews and a focus group were used to identify ‘good’ and ‘bad’ practices of home operation. Data-logging equipment was used to measure the physical variables of the indoor environment. The results describe householders’ experiences and feedback when using low-cost technological interventions to understand moisture-related problems at home. Some possible triggers for householders’ actions are suggested along with other factors that may inhibit people’s connections with their homes such as lifestyle, technological skills and knowledge

Integrating views on building performance from different stakeholder groups

Purpose: The paper aims to highlight a broader definition of good building performance that goes beyond the traditional emphasis on technical aspects, only adopting the lens of the social construction of technology (SCOT) in the empirical space of the workplace sector. Several building performance evaluation methods focus on technical aspects such as energy consumption, indoor environmental conditions and compliance with building regulations and standards. Technical aspects, albeit important goals, only embed a partial component of what buildings are expected to deliver. There is growing interest in considering the organisational and experiential expectations of building performance, particularly integrating various views of performance as expected by different user groups. Method: The paper adopts an archival research method to analyse the archive of the workplace consultants DEGW, particularly focusing on their work on London’s Broadgate development in 1980-the 90s. Findings: The findings reveal how voices from a pluralistic client organisation can be addressed to articulate a broad definition of building performance that integrates different viewpoints encompassing technical, organisational and experiential expectations. In DEGW’s work, the views on building performance of various stakeholders involved in the everyday use and management of buildings are identified without imposing predetermined agendas or research notions of performance. Particular emphasis is given to understanding clients as not a homogenous entity but consisting of different interest groups, which implies multiple conceptualisations of building performance and the building itself. Originality: The paper offers insights by adopting the theoretical lens of SCOT to explore an integrated approach to building performance that captures the varied needs of building users through the example of London’s Broadgate development. Research and practice implications: The performance expectations of a building vary between organisations and even within any organisation. Moreover, the needs of an organisation will change over time, and the BPE criteria need to be changed to ensure better alignment between organisations and the physical spaces they occupy. A critical reflection on the conceptualisation of 'users' and 'building' in BPE methods is required to create an integrated approach towards building performance

Smart people in stupid homes: the skill in creating preferred thermal environments

A popular strategy in reducing energy consumption in dwellings has been to remove ‘the user’ from the operation of the building and its systems as far as possible. Occupants and their ‘inconvenient’ behaviour are seen as uncertainties to be set outside the loop. Research conducted by the authors suggests this may not be the most effective strategy for two main reasons. First, many people demonstrate a sensitivity to their thermal environments, a clear understanding of what they want from them, and the ability to operate their homes to achieve those conditions. Second, when users are thwarted in their attempts to create desired thermal experiences there is a risk they will bypass controls and constraints – for example, by using portable electric heaters – resulting in significantly greater energy consumption than expected. This paper suggests that some occupants have a deeper understanding of how their homes work thermally than is usually acknowledged in top-down imposed energy interventions that limit the occupants’ control of their home environment. The authors will argue that users’ intuitive understanding often exceeds the capabilities of automated or ‘black box’ heating control systems by embracing control mechanisms, such as windows and doors, that are not normally considered part of the whole environmental control system. The paper draws on the results of a project jointly funded by the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Électricité de France under the People Energy and Buildings initiative: Conditioning Demand: Older People, Diversity and Thermal Experience. This project studied householders’ attitudes to the introduction of low carbon technologies for heating. Their responses show a sophisticated understanding of the thermal environment and suggest there is a need to investigate people’s understanding of how buildings work and the skills they acquire in getting the best from their homes to provide the thermal conditions they want. The paper explores the division of agency between people, building designs and systems in creating desired thermal environments. It positions occupants as the primary intelligence in operating homes and their energy systems and calls for greater recognition of the role of end-users in the efficient and effective operation of thermal systems in the home. The paper argues that by exploiting people’s intuitive understanding of how buildings work will inform effective low carbon strategies to reduce household energy consumption