Transdisciplinarity in energy retrofit. A Conceptual Framework

Abstract

This study explores the role of Energy Retrofit (ER) in Low Carbon Transition (LCT). The literature recognises the need to move towards a transdisciplinary approach in ER, which encompasses multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity. However, the fragmentation between different disciplines remains a significant problem, mainly due to challenges associated with knowledge exchange across the allied disciplines that play a role in ER. The authors posit that ER projects has been conceptualised and implemented using a Systems perspective so that an integrated approach that is akin to transdisciplinarity could become commonplace. Against this background, the aim of this paper is to establish to what extent ER has been conceptualised as a System in the literature so that complexities can effectively be managed through a transdisciplinary approach. This work is based on a literature review of 136 peer-reviewed journal papers. The content analysis demonstrates that current research on transdisciplinarity in ER can be conceptualised in five categories and 15 lines of research. They are presented as a Conceptual Framework, which is this paper's main contribution to existing knowledge. It reveals the direction of innovation in ER for LCT, and is illustrated as a cognitive map. This map exposes the current fragmentation implicit in the literature, and proposes critical connections that need to be established for a transdisciplinary approach. It also shows that the discourse on LCT changed by moving beyond the building scale; and recognising the need to embrace disruptive and local technologies, and integrating the social and technical aspects of ER. Innovative technical solutions and robust information modelling approaches emerge as key vehicles towards making decisions that pay regard to the economic, social and technical factors and that empower the prosumers to play an active role in LCT.

Exploring transformative pedagogies for built environment disciplines: the case of interdisciplinarity in low carbon transition

“…The method that was used to develop the cognitive structure was described elsewhere (Sibilla and Kurul, 2020;Sibilla and Kurul, 2019) and is out of the scope of this paper. Primary data for testing the pedagogical approach was collected through workshops, which were conducted over a five-month period.…”

Decarbonising Existing Homes in Wales: A Participatory Behavioural Systems Mapping Approach

“…For example, whilst the Green Deal, introduced in 2013, used a market-led approach to stimulate the private sector to design and deliver retrofit options , it failed to attract private investors or households in large numbers (Bergman & Foxon, 2020;Mallaburn & Eyre, 2014;Rosenow & Eyre, 2016). Analyses of the failures of previous initiatives suggest the following factors need to be considered in future policy approaches: first, greater integration of expertise from multiple sectors and disciplines is needed (Rosenow & Eyre, 2016;Sibilla & Kurul, 2020); second, the behaviours and motivations of a wide range of actors need to be better understood and addressed (Bobrova et al, 2021;Gram-Hanssen, 2014;Murtagh et al, 2020); and third, there are likely to be unintended consequences of policies intended to improve energy efficiency of the housing stock (Davies & Oreszczyn, 2012;Shrubsole et al, 2014), including the possibility of creating or widening social injustices (Sovacool, Lipson, et al, 2019;Sovacool, Martiskainen, et al, 2019).…”

“…Meeting the challenge of retrofitting owner-occupied and privately rented homes at scale in Wales will therefore require understanding how the behaviours of multiple actors within this complex system influence homeowners to install energy saving measures and use them properly. This means that knowledge exchange between different disciplines and sectors will be essential (Sibilla & Kurul, 2020). In line with this need, the independent Welsh residential decarbonisation advisory group ('the Advisory Group') was created in 2018 to make policy recommendations for a long-term programme of decarbonising housing.…”

Introductory Chapter: Disciplinarity Aspects in Green Supply Chain Design and Operation

“…Renn describes the importance of transdisciplinary approach, shows the merits, problems and shortcomings of these approaches of research problems and introduces a new curiosity-driven, goal-oriented and catalytic transdisciplinary research concept [14]. In the literature we can find research articles, which are focusing on the importance of the different approaches of disciplinarities [15]. Another aspects of integrations of disciplinarities are shown by Bixler et al [16] focusing on the use of social network analysis to evaluate scientific integration and transdisciplinarity in research networks.…”