CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2019
| Author | Moles-Grueso, Sergi |
|---|---|
| Title | Re-cognising the role of commercial buildings in the production of a meaning and practice of energy saving: A radical interpretation of EU policies and four exemplars in Barcelona |
| Summary | This dissertation addresses the under-researched role of commercial buildings in co-producing the everyday meaning and practice of energy saving. Manifold governments and corporations represent their commercial buildings as concrete evidence of their engagement with socially accepted values of energy saving, which buildings are thus assumed to contribute to fostering public awareness and the replication of related practices. This would contribute to bridging the gap between the actual adoption of practices and the potential for this, the latter claims based on techno-economic grounds and the widespread acceptance of energy saving values. However, there is limited scholarly and policy reflection about these assumptions. Such appears to be the case with the EU “exemplary” requirements for commercial buildings. My purpose is to contribute to “re-cognising” commercial buildings as co-producing the meaning and practice of energy saving, thereby contributing to bridging the epistemological gap between policies and everyday life. Tackling this requires a radical critique of the knowledge and interests underlying the marginal recognition of buildings as mediating the (re)production of practice. In acknowledging critical reviews of energy saving conceptualisations and practices as decontextualising instruments which have a legitimating function and a de-politicising effect, this study was inspired by Lefebvre’s theory about the production of space. For Lefebvre, commercial buildings rely on positivist epistemologies to represent a practice and contribute to the illusion that an appropriate practice is being produced, ultimately legitimating the status quo. This illusion can be countered through an appraisal of the contradictions between the conceptual, material and social dimensions of practice through a radical critique of everyday (1991). Empirically supporting such a critique requires the use of interpretive methodologies that are able to assess practices as an act of reframing. These are rare in applied policy-making and research. The research design involved four buildings in Barcelona that were selected for empirical analysis based on their energy saving credentials, as publicized by their respective commissioning organisations. Interpretation relied on a review of official narratives; observation; pre-arranged interviews with experts and officials (n= 62), and on-the-spot interviews with users and passers-by (n= 67). My findings reveal a divide between official and everyday framings. The study of official representations shows the prevalence of a framing of innovation and singular exemplars, whereby organisations are veiled from public scrutiny. Everyday meaning-making refers, instead, to the context of the organisation (its values, practices, and social relations) and of public replication. An appraisal of the contradictions in this context of practice counters the credibility of official claims and practices, providing a novel explanation for gaps in applied policy and research. The policy, political, epistemological and methodological contributions of this research are intertwined as they empirically support the claim that producing a practice of energy saving requires acknowledging: a) the difference between “practice” and “reductionist representations”; b) the legitimating function of commercial buildings; c) the limits of positivist knowledge and post-structuralist critique; and, d) the potential for interpretive methodologies and orientations. Re-cognising buildings appears to be an operable mechanism for re-politicising official practice and for reframing the energy saving problem. I have reflected these contributions in a series of policy recommendations for EU policies that should foster the exploration of the potential of commercial buildings to re-contextualise energy saving practice. |
| Supervisor | LaBelle, Michael |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy PhD |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2019/moles-grueso_sergi.pdf |
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