Towards a sustainable aesthetics. Architects constructing energy efficient buildings

237 Pages·2005·7.73 MB·English

by  Ryghaug, Marianne

MD oSC63lo
Marianne Ryghaug
Towards a Sustainable
Aesthetics
Architects Constructing Energy
Efficient Buildings
62 2003
-
Senter for teknologi og samfunn
Institutt for tverrfaglige kulturstudier
NTNU
TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE AESTHETICS
ARCHITECTS CONSTRUCTING
ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS
By
Marianne Ryghaug
Thesis for the Degree of
Doctor Rerum Politicarum
Department of Sociology and Political Science
Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology Management
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU
Trondheim 2002
ISBN 82-471-5205-3
2002 Marianne Ryghaug
For Ulrik and Pal
Acknowledgements1
First of all I want to thank Knut H. Sorensen for being an excellent supervisor
through the whole process of writing this thesis. His constructive comments,
insightful advice, inspiration and commitment have been of invaluable
character for the realisation of this thesis. Moreover, I want to thank my
second supervisor, Marit Reitan, for productive and sharp comments along
the way.
I also want to thank all the persons who found time to be interviewed
for sharing their thoughts and knowledge with me, in spite of their tight
schedule.
The four years that I have been part of the Department of
Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture, Centre for Technology and Society at
NTNU have been very rewarding thanks to my dear colleagues and the
stimulating environment they have been able to produce. Thanks to you,
writing this thesis has been very different from the solitary process I have
heard that it normally is! Especially I want to thank the participants of the
Energy and Environment Group - Margrethe Aune, Thomas Berker, Robert
Bye, Jorund Buen, Heidi Gjoen, Gry Kongsli, Helene Tronstad Moe, Robert
Naess and Joran Solli, who have read and commented on earlier drafts and
parts of the thesis. A special thanks to Gry Kongsli who also joined me on
one of the interview-trips to Oslo, and Thomas Berker and Finn Arne
Jorgensen for technical assistance. I also want to thank Anne Martinussen,
Torill Ryghaug and Even Martinussen for their tremendous efforts in proof­
reading the manuscript. I also want to thank Line Melby for helping me with
my list of references and for all the ‘vague’, but wonderful discussions we
have had.
I also had the pleasure of staying with the Science Studies Department
at the University of California, San Diego, during Summer/Fall 2001 and
Winther 2002. Thanks to Chandra Mukerij for inviting me over, sponsoring
me, and for making my stay a very enjoyable and stimulating one.
I will also thank my parents, Per and Torill Ryghaug and my parents-
in-law Marit and Kjell Martinussen for their support, and for babysitting
Ulrik when there was a need to work long hours or to socialise with friends.
1 The research project was made possible by the Norwegian Research Council’s research program
(SAMRAM).
1
I finally want to thank Ulrik for being a constant reminder of what is
really important in life and for making every day special, and Pal for his
valuable concern and endorsement through the whole period. We stood the
course together - thanks to your support and encouragement I beat you on the
finishing line!
Trondheim, December 2002
Marianne Ryghaug
u
Table of Contents
1. IMPLEMENTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY...........................................................1
1.1 Energy economising measures in Norway...................................................4
1.2 Relevant theories in political science...........................................................9
1.3. Perspectives: The role of sustainable values in architecture.......................19
2. ANALYSING TECHNOLOGY..............................................................................22
2.1 The research problem and the theoretical framework.................................23
2.2 The appropriation of technology................................................................29
2.3 The design problem...................................................................................31
2.4 The communication problem.....................................................................33
2.5 The problem of practice.............................................................................40
2.6 Conclusion................................................................................................44
3. METHODOLOGY AND DATA MATERIAL.......................................................47
3.1 Methodological implications of applying a SST approach..........................47
3.2 Methodology for analysing texts and interviews.........................................48
3.3 Observation..............................................................................................57
3.4 The data material.......................................................................................59
3.5 Conclusion................................................................................................64
4. CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH THE ARCHITECT -
STRATEGIES FOR DOING BOUNDARY WORK
IN RELATION TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY.............................................................65
4.1 Architects and their practise.......................................................................67
4.2 The design process and the problem of energy decisions...........................77
4.3 Interest in sustainable and energy efficient architecture..............................81
4.4 Conclusion................................................................................................88
5. SUSTAINABLE ENERGY AND THE PROBLEM OF
THE ARCHITECT DISCOURSE...............................................................................90
5.1 Sustainable energy in the education............................................................92
5.2. Sustainable energy in Norwegian architect journals.................................106
5.3. The Architect Competitions....................................................................116
5.4. Conclusion..............................................................................................118
6. TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE AESTHETICS? STRATEGIES
AND CONTROVERSIES IN ECOLOGICAL ARCHITECTURE............................121
6.1 Constructing “good architecture”: What is architectonic quality?..............122
6.2 Environmentally conscious architects.......................................................128
6.3 Ecological architecture = controversial architecture..................................136
6.4 Translating energy efficiency and sustainability in line with
aesthetic criteria.............................................................................................138
6.5 Conclusion...............................................................................................142
7. THREE REALISATIONS OF SUSTAINABLE AND
ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS 146
iii
7.1 The Kvemhuset project............................................................................148
7.2 The Pilestredet Park project....................................................................160
7.3 The Telenor Fomebu project....................................................................168
7.4 Favourable conditions for realising sustainable architecture....................179
7.5 Different ways of thought regarding sustainable architecture...................183
8. MAKING ENERGY EFFICIENCY AN AESTHETIC SUBLIME?.....................188
8.1 Policy and implementation in the building sector.....................................190
8.2 The prospect of realising energy efficient buildings..................................199
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................206
APPENDIX..............................................................................................................219
Appendix A...................................................................................................219
Appendix B...................................................................................................222
Appendix C...................................................................................................227
IV
1.
IMPLEMENTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY
California, January 18th, 2001:
“After weeks of threatened power outages, California was hit by rolling
electricity blackouts Wednesday afternoon affecting 500,000 people in San
Francisco, Sacramento and San Jose as well as other sections of Silicon
Valley. Traffic lights, ATMs, classrooms and entire neighborhoods lost power
for 60 to 90 minutes amid warnings electricity supplies would be dangerously
low throughout the afternoon and into the evening. The rotating blackouts,
the first ordered by California authorities since World War II, were expected
to continue throughout the evening, affecting up to 2 million households”.
This may seem like a frightening scenario unlikely to happen in
Norway - an energy nation with vast resources of oil and hydroelectric
power. The scenario is however more pertinent than one likes to think.
According to researchers at SINTEF,2 Norway is likely to be confronting an
energy crisis within three or four years from now. This is due to the
increasing energy gap between production and consumption and the fact that
Norway is gradually getting more dependent on importing energy from other
countries. In spite of large efforts directed towards energy efficiency
measures, the total electricity consumption increases by 1,5 per cent each
year. In 2000 the energy consumption in Norway was 124 TWh. In a dry year
with little rainfall one will be able to produce 90 TWh. Thus, there is a
shortage of 34 TWh. Theoretically, one may import 20 TWh from other
countries’. The problem is what one should do with the remaining 14 TWh.
Chief engineer at the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy
Administration (NVE), Kjell Thorsen, confirms that one is concerned with
the energy situation in a dry year in Norway.3 As Norway all ready has an
energy shortage even in a normal year, he thinks Norway will be extremely
exposed for such a frightening scenario in the years to come.
According to the projections of the Norwegian Energy board4 there
will be a further growth in the energy consumption towards 2020, if no
measures are taken.5 The growing energy consumption is used as an
2 “Energi - i akutt krise?” Gemini 2/2002, by Ase Dragland.
3 “Stramkrise om fi Sr”, Dagbladet, Tuesday 19* of February 2002, by Kristian Sarastuen.
4 NOU (Norges Offentlige Utredninger) [Norwegian Governmental White Papers] (1998): Energi- og
krqftbalansen mot 2020, Oslo: Ministry for Petroleum and Energ, p. 11.
5 St. meld. No 29, Om energipolitikken. 1988-99. Oslo: Ministry for Petroleum and Energy, p.5
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