Beyond Efficency
This is a project on design for a socially inclusive energy-efficiency in the sustainable city. The main focus was to develop design experiments that explored alternative ways to build sustainably, with a larger focus on sustainable everyday practices rather than technical efficiency.
In the project Beyond Efficiency, we investigated how the concept of energy efficiency could be further developed in relation to the everyday habits encouraged by the design of the built environment. How has energy efficiency been expressed in past sustainability efforts, and could these aspirations be better implemented in future environments so that sustainable habits are made possible in relation to the technical progress? We analysed several areas which differed in character in terms of for example degree of "completion" and residents' socio-economic status.
The project's interdisciplinary research team produced hands-on design proposals on objects and environments with a focus on the physical form that examines how people to a higher extent could be encouraged to live sustainably with a focus on how we produce, use and relate to energy in everyday life. The outcome was used for a series of workshops and seminars with stakeholders.
The project was financed by the Swedish Energy Agency and ended April 2020.
