Pathways to Low Carbon Building: Reflection on the Special Issue

In 2014, this journal invited me to edit a special issue on low carbon building. We put out a call for papers that offered new perspectives, crossing boundaries between technical and social research approaches. The six papers selected and published have emanated from university departments and research centres of Engineering, Architecture, Energy, Design, Urban Planning, Environment, and Sustainable Building. Together they represent a unique and highly readable snapshot of the multiple approaches to this crucial issue—but they also do more; read as a whole they allow the reader to draw new conclusions about the way forward. This editorial draws together and reflects on the six papers, concluding with recommendations for urgent and vital actions for policy makers, professionals and academics.

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[2]  M. M. Sunikka,et al.  Policies for improving energy efficiency in the European housing stock , 2006 .

[3]  Alice Moncaster,et al.  A method and tool for ‘cradle to grave’ embodied carbon and energy impacts of UK buildings in compliance with the new TC350 standards , 2013 .

[4]  Ronald Rovers,et al.  Zero-Energy and Beyond: A Paradigm Shift in Assessment , 2014 .

[5]  Jan Fischer,et al.  Re-interpreting Regulations: Architects as Intermediaries for Low-carbon Buildings , 2009 .

[6]  Robert Cohen,et al.  Mandating transparency about building energy performance in use , 2015 .

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[11]  Rachael Luck.  Learning How to Use Buildings: An Exploration of the Potential of Design Interactions to Support Transition to Low-Impact Community Living , 2014 .

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[16]  Philip J. Davies,et al.  Challenges for capturing and assessing initial embodied energy: a contractor’s perspective , 2014 .

[17]  Adolf Acquaye,et al.  Operational vs. embodied emissions in buildings—A review of current trends , 2013 .

[18]  Kristel de Myttenaere,et al.  Towards a comprehensive life cycle energy analysis framework for residential buildings , 2012 .

[19]  Gavin Killip,et al.  Reducing Carbon from the “Middle-Out”: The Role of Builders in Domestic Refurbishment , 2014 .

[20]  Ian Cooper,et al.  Closing the policy gaps , 2015 .

[21]  Cristina Becchio,et al.  The Influence of Energy Targets and Economic Concerns in Design Strategies for a Residential Nearly-Zero Energy Building , 2014 .

[22]  Anne Grete Hestnes,et al.  Energy use in the life cycle of conventional and low-energy buildings: A review article , 2007 .

[23]  Abbas Elmualim,et al.  Barriers and commitment of facilities management profession to the sustainability agenda , 2010 .

[24]  Ravi Prakash,et al.  Life cycle energy analysis of buildings: An overview , 2010 .

[25]  Heather Lovell,et al.  The Role of Individuals in Policy Change: The Case of UK Low-Energy Housing , 2009 .