Why Active Buildings? Realising the Potentials of Energy Networked Homes: A Social Scientific Perspective

O’Sullivan, Kate; Shirani, Fiona; Pidgeon, Nick; Henwood, Karen

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-79742-3_2

Cited by 6 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…LWLCH research design comprised three strands of enquiry. The first two strands involved stakeholder interviews and qualitative longitudinal resident interviews, the findings of which have been discussed previously (O'Sullivan et al, 2022(O'Sullivan et al, , 2023; see Shirani et al, 2022a,b,c) and are not reported here. Instead, this paper focuses on the third strand, which involved community focus groups at a case site currently under construction.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identity, place narrative and biophilic urban development: Connecting the past, present and future for sustainable liveable cities

O’Sullivan

Shirani

Hale

et al. 2023

Front. Sustain. Cities

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Urbanisation presents sustainability challenges for the natural environment, resources and ecological systems, whilst high levels of pollution and disconnect from the natural environment can adversely impact the health and wellbeing of urban residents. Rapid urbanisation can also curtail processes of placemaking, including place attachment and place identity, raising questions around the social sustainability and livability of cities into the future. With such concerns in mind, cities are increasingly called upon to develop in ways that are environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. Biophilic urbanism and biophilic design offer an approach to sustainable urban development. Such approaches propose incorporation of nature and green infrastructure within the city in order to positively affect human health and wellbeing, in addition to benefiting environmental, social and economic sustainability. This paper explores findings from community focus groups exploring perceptions of a proposed biophilic urban development in Wales, UK. Our research explored how community members understood and negotiated possible impacts of the development on the social, environmental and economic landscape of the city by drawing on their own emplaced experiences. Through gaining an understanding of community place identity and narrative as well as distinctive and defining place characteristics, connections and synergies are revealed between place-based attachment and principles of biophilia. This in turn can provide a trajectory of place transformation authentic to both community and place identity and which supports the aims of biophilic design. As a consequence, it is possible for biophilic design to not only be sustained by communities, but to become an integral element of place identity and place attachment, contributing to the sustainability of place through time.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identity, place narrative and biophilic urban development: Connecting the past, present and future for sustainable liveable cities

O’Sullivan

Shirani

Hale

et al. 2023

Front. Sustain. Cities

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, Active Homes may be realised in different ways and developed according to different motivations, with decarbonisation not necessarily the primary aim. For example, other motivations include sustainable energy production, creating environments that improve resident health and wellbeing, enhancing connections to nature, alleviating fuel poverty, and sustainable resource use (O'Sullivan et al 2022). Experts were interviewed from a range of specialisms, including architecture and design, project management, technology and engineering, policy, sustainability and resident liaison (e.g.…”

Section: Expert Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(See also O'Sullivan et al (2022) for an in-depth discussion.) Of particular interest to social scientists are Active Homes, which represent a potentially transformational innovation by altering how energy is produced, distributed and consumed, in addition to how homes are designed, constructed and then lived in.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living in an Active Home: household dynamics and unintended consequences

Shirani

O’Sullivan

Henwood

et al. 2022

Buildings and Cities

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To meet UK decarbonisation and climate change targets, significant changes to existing and future housing stock will be required. The development of Active Buildings has the potential to contribute to meeting these targets. Active Homes, as a particular type of Active Building, alter how energy is produced, distributed and consumed, as well as how homes are designed, constructed and then lived in. Before occupation, Active Homes are designed and developed around imaginary users, yet residents do not always live in the homes in ways envisaged by developers. This paper draws on data from a qualitative longitudinal study involving in-depth interviews with Active Home inhabitants and developers across five UK case sites. Interviews elucidate how developers envisage future residents and their assumptions about how people will live. As the household is a particularly gendered sphere of society, three qualitative longitudinal case studies are then presented to explore the way gender interweaves with women's experiences of Active Home residence. Expert visions do not always fully encompass the gendered household dynamics of everyday life. Implications are drawn from how these Active Homes are experienced and lived in: what considerations developers can give to the design, controls and information that are more tailored to residents' needs. 590 Shirani et al. Buildings and Cities

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“…This shift is attributed in large part to the take-up of domestic renewable energy production alongside advancements in information and communication technologies, such as SMART meters [16] or Home Energy Management systems (HEMs) [12]. The integration of variable and complex configurations of low carbon energy technologies along with intelligent digital systems to enable communication with national energy grids, and potentially other Active Buildings [17], implies further transformation of demand side energy management, and the role of end-users.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Beyond decarbonisation, Active Homes have the potential to address a number of pressing social issues and policy priorities; for example, through offering residents a 'tangible economic payback' [9], they could contribute to addressing fuel poverty. In addition to lower energy costs, Active Homes are expected to provide residents with high quality and comfortable living environments [18,19] that enable residents to live healthily and well. Such ambitions are variously embedded within the design of Active Homes and influence both developer and resident expectations of Active Home living.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Active Houses to Active Homes: Understanding Resident Experiences of Transformational Design and Social Innovation

et al. 2022

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Active Buildings can contribute to efforts to address decarbonisation and climate change targets, and have the potential to support social aspirations for technical and infrastructural change. Yet achieving such goals is challenging. Active Homes as a type of Active Building represent a particularly interesting prospect; altering how energy is produced, distributed, and consumed, but also how homes are designed, constructed, and lived in are studied. Active Homes are designed with expectations of how residents will engage with them, but residents do not always live in the homes in ways envisaged by developers. Hence, there is a risk that the homes will not be experienced as comfortable living environments, or otherwise perform as anticipated. Thus, understanding resident perspectives is crucial to the successful wider rollout of Active Homes. We draw on social science research with designers, developers, and residents to explore expectations of life in an Active Home. Our longitudinal research design enables us to contrast early expectations with post-occupancy experiences, elucidating what residents consider to be successful aspects of Active Home developments. Our research reveals instances where expectations remain unfulfilled, or where living in the homes has been experienced as challenging or disruptive. In highlighting such insights, we offer recommendations relevant for future developments.

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Why Active Buildings? Realising the Potentials of Energy Networked Homes: A Social Scientific Perspective

Cited by 6 publications

References 50 publications

Identity, place narrative and biophilic urban development: Connecting the past, present and future for sustainable liveable cities

Identity, place narrative and biophilic urban development: Connecting the past, present and future for sustainable liveable cities

Living in an Active Home: household dynamics and unintended consequences

From Active Houses to Active Homes: Understanding Resident Experiences of Transformational Design and Social Innovation

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