Investigating the performance of everyday domestic practices using building monitoring

Abstract

The monitoring of buildings can enhance the understanding of everyday life, yet it has sparsely been used in social practices research. Monitoring usually provides context (e.g. differences in performing practices) for more prominent qualitative enquiry. The potential of building monitoring is investigated for studying the performance of domestic practices. A Passivhaus development is examined for its applicability. Monitoring data include temperature, humidity, CO2 and electricity sub-metering. These data provide a good basis for investigating how technologies relate to the other elements (influences) of practice in shaping everyday life. The benefits and limitations of integrating monitoring with qualitative data are considered (e.g. residents’ enthusiasm for co-investigating monitoring data; monitoring data having insufficient richness without accompanying qualitative data). Monitoring and qualitative data are shown to be complementary, and capable of producing insights beyond those of non-integrated approaches. Building monitoring can be further utilized in researching practices, particularly when considering the everyday implications of technological changes

Socio-technical case study method in building performance evaluation

“…Bourdieu, 1992;Giddens, 1984). Guy and Shove (2000), Shove, Pantzar, and Watson (2012); Wilhite (2009), Gram-Hanssen (2010 and Foulds, Powell, and Seyfang (2013), among others, have applied SPT to the study of the influence of human factors on energy use in buildings. While all appear to derive their brand of SPT from Schatzki (1996), the respective accounts differ significantly.…”

“…James' (1978, p. 32) notion that 'theories become thus instruments, not answers to enigmas, in which we can rest' can serve as a reminder to an interdisciplinary research team that the purpose of their study is to produce practical knowledge to improve building performance rather than to build abstract theoretical knowledge (e.g. Foulds et al, 2013). The convergence of SPT and the philosophy of pragmatism (Bourdieu & Wacquant, 1992, p. 122) can support the cultivation of 'a quality of mind' that will help both physical and social researchers to loosen their respective, in part, imagined scientific straitjackets and come together to investigate a problem with the aim of resolving it through new investigative logics and greater flexibility in methods.…”

A longitudinal building fabric and energy performance analysis of two homes built to different energy principles

“…The analysis of energy consumption and carbon emissions from buildings has been well 2 documented, particularly domestic properties subject to reduced performance levels [1][2][3][4][5][6]. 3…”

A socio-technical approach to post-occupancy evaluation: interactive adaptability in domestic retrofit

“…Recent sociotechnical research in the built environment and retrofit has begun to draw attention to this issue (e.g. Cole et al, 2008;Foulds et al, 2013;Gram-Hanssen, 2010;Haines & Mitchell, 2014;Ingle, Moezzi, Lutzenhiser, & Diamond, 2014;Judson & Maller, 2014;Karvonen, 2013;Tweed, 2013;Shove et al, 2008;Vlasova & Gram-Hanssen, 2014). This movement and the limitations of current POE have precipitated the authors' explicit adoption of the socio-technical approach for the FLASH project.…”

“…Hutcheon & Handegord, 1983;Guy & Shove, 2000;Shove, Chappells, Lutzenhiser, & Hackett, 2008) and, within this, a body of empirical research (e.g. Foulds, Powell, & Seyfang, 2013;Gram-Hanssen, 2010;Karvonen, 2013;Tweed, 2013) representing an alternative approach to investigating issues related to buildings and energy.…”