Building Research and Information 

About: Building Research and Information is an academic journal published by Taylor & Francis. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Built environment & Sustainability. It has an ISSN identifier of 0961-3218. Over the lifetime, 1703 publications have been published receiving 66342 citations.

Zephyrs of creative destruction: Understanding the management of innovation in construction

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to propose a comprehensive framework for the management of innovation in construction, addressing the construction innovation problem in two distinctive ways at the institutional and firm levels. First, an institutional perspective derived from research on complex systems industries is developed which provides an alternative to the volume production model for construction innovation research. The roles of the innovation infrastructure, innovation superstructure and systems integrator are all identified and applied to construction. The paper then moves on to the firm level where the two key innovation dynamics - the top-down adoption/implementation dynamic and the bottom up problem solving/learning dynamic are identified. The paper ends by calling for more case studies of the trajectories of construction innovations. L'objet de cet article est de proposer un cadre global ou gerer l'innovation dans le secteur de la construction; l'auteur aborde la question de l'innovation sous deux ...

Barriers and drivers for sustainable building

Abstract: What are the actual barriers and drivers for sustainable building? A literature review, interviews and case studies are presented to address this question. Sustainable building is not hindered by a lack of technologies and assessment methods, but is instead beset with organizational and procedural difficulties entailed by the adoption of new methods. New technologies are resisted because they require process changes entailing risks and unforeseen costs. These hindrances can be reduced by learning what kind of decision-making phases, new tasks, actors, roles and ways of networking are needed. The barriers are outlined as steering mechanisms, economics, a lack of client understanding, process (procurement and tendering, timing, cooperation and networking), and underpinning knowledge (knowledge and common language, the availability of methods and tools, innovation). The most important actions to promote sustainable building are the development of the awareness of clients about the benefits of sustainable bui...

Introducing the prebound effect: the gap between performance and actual energy consumption

Abstract: German regulations for the thermal renovation of existing homes demand high thermal standards, which the government claims are technically and economically feasible. This paper examines existing data on 3400 German homes; their calculated energy performance ratings (EPR) are then plotted against the actual measured consumption. The results indicate that occupants consume, on average, 30% less heating energy than the calculated rating. This phenomenon is identified as the ‘prebound’ effect and increases with the calculated rating. The opposite phenomenon, the rebound effect, tends to occur for low-energy dwellings, where occupants consume more than the rating. A similar phenomenon has been recognized in recent Dutch, Belgian, French and UK studies, suggesting policy implications in two directions. Firstly, using a dwelling's energy rating to predict fuel and CO2 savings through retrofits tends to overestimate savings, underestimate the payback time and possibly discourage cost-effective, incremental improv...

Smart metering: what potential for householder engagement?

Abstract: The argument for the implementation of ‘smart’ metering, which is an elastic term, varies according to circumstance and place. In some countries, the business case for establishing an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) relies in part on improving consumption feedback to customers and assisting in the transition to lower-impact energy systems. There is an expectation that AMI will lead to reductions in both the demand and the cost to serve customers through improved communication, but little evidence exists to show overall demand reduction. To what extent might smart meters improve the prospects for customer engagement? To assess this question, end-user perceptions and practices must be considered along with metering hardware and economics. Using the theory of affordances, qualitative research is examined to understand how householders have used consumption feedback, with and without smart meters. Although AMI offers possibilities for household energy management and customer–utility relations, there is...

Residential heat comfort practices: understanding users

Abstract: The user-centred approach to heat consumption in housing is a highly relevant, but often neglected, aspect of residential energy consumption. The practice–theory approach is presented as a development within the socio-technical approach. A detailed analysis of empirical evidence from different households living in similar buildings in a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark, shows significant variation in energy consumption due to different usage patterns of both the house and its heating system. An analysis using practice–theory finds that technologies, embodied habits, knowledge, and meanings are the main components in the understanding of both what holds this practice together as a collectively shared practice and the different socio-material configurations of each of the individual households. Un aspect hautement pertinent, mais souvent neglige, de la consommation energetique residentielle consiste en une approche de la consommation de chauffage dans les logements axee sur l'utilisateur. L'approche, basee sur...