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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Energy-related standards and UK speculative office development
AU - Cass, Noel Flay
PY - 2018/6
Y1 - 2018/6
N2 - Non-domestic buildings have great potential for energy-related emission reductions in response to climate change. However, high specification office buildings in the UK demonstrate that regulation, assessment and certification (‘standards’) have not incentivised the development of lower energy office buildings as expected. Making use of the concepts of ‘qualculation’ and ‘calculative agency’, qualitative case studies of 10 speculatively developed office buildings in London, UK provide new insight into why this is the case. Interview data (n = 57) are used to illustrate how ‘market standards’ substitute for user needs, and ratchet up the provision of building services to competitively maximise marketability. The examples of energy modelling and the market’s (mis)use of British Council for Offices guidelines are used to explain how such standards perversely bolster energy-demanding levels of specification and building services, and militate against lower energy design, in the sector researched. The potentials for alternative, performance-based standards and new industry norms of quality are discussed. It is concluded that at least the London speculative office market by its very constitution and operation, including the reliance on standards, continues to create increasingly energy-demanding buildings.
AB - Non-domestic buildings have great potential for energy-related emission reductions in response to climate change. However, high specification office buildings in the UK demonstrate that regulation, assessment and certification (‘standards’) have not incentivised the development of lower energy office buildings as expected. Making use of the concepts of ‘qualculation’ and ‘calculative agency’, qualitative case studies of 10 speculatively developed office buildings in London, UK provide new insight into why this is the case. Interview data (n = 57) are used to illustrate how ‘market standards’ substitute for user needs, and ratchet up the provision of building services to competitively maximise marketability. The examples of energy modelling and the market’s (mis)use of British Council for Offices guidelines are used to explain how such standards perversely bolster energy-demanding levels of specification and building services, and militate against lower energy design, in the sector researched. The potentials for alternative, performance-based standards and new industry norms of quality are discussed. It is concluded that at least the London speculative office market by its very constitution and operation, including the reliance on standards, continues to create increasingly energy-demanding buildings.
KW - Energy
KW - Design
KW - Low-energy buildings
KW - Markets
KW - Offices
KW - Performance-based specification
KW - Property market
KW - Qualculation
KW - Specification
KW - Standards
U2 - 10.1080/09613218.2017.1333351
DO - 10.1080/09613218.2017.1333351
M3 - Journal article
VL - 46
SP - 615
EP - 635
JO - Building Research & Information
JF - Building Research & Information
SN - 0961-3218
IS - 6
ER -