T-AP SI: uVITAL - User-Valued Innovations for Social Housing Upgrading through Trans-Atlantic Living Labs
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Huddersfield
Department Name: School of Arts and Humanities
Abstract
Housing debates concentrate less on upgrading than on new buildings, even though upgrading can have positive social, health and financial outcomes for low-income populations. Upgrading the existing stock of social housing (SH) offers an opportunity to ease effects of inadequate housing through improvements; alleviate housing deficits; and promote sustainability. Upgrading efforts involve sensitive processes, and this research proposal uses Living Labs (LLs) as social innovations to communicate with SH agents like housing associations and local authorities (United Kingdom (UK), Germany (DE)) and residents (Brazil (BR), the Netherlands (NL)) to create and validate solutions for upgrading programmes. Especially residential or user values are important to grasp to solve social and environmental issues. There is an urgent need to enhance communication between SH agents and users, and this proposal emphasizes the potential of new visualization approaches, such as gaming, Virtual Reality (VR), and Building Information Modelling (BIM) as means to bridge boundaries between stakeholders and users. Following Star and Griesemer (1989), these visualizations can be considered as Boundary Objects (BOs), and will be flexible enough to adapt to individual needs of involved stakeholders, yet specific enough to maintain a common meaning across all different stakeholders to support decision-making in participatory procedures. A transatlantic articulated nexus between research institutions in BR, DE, NL and UK orchestrates the LL experiences, and will contribute to idea generation and test decision-making efficiency. Each of these institutions investigates specific contexts and the combined nexus will increase understanding of how SH upgrading processes promote sustainability under different climatological conditions. Since visualisations are expected to act as boundary objects, the locally specific approaches and tools will be compared in comparative case studies to assess social innovation procedures; resolve conflicting understanding of problems and needs; to stimulate value-adding results; explore synergies between stakeholders as positive solutions to a global social problem.
Planned Impact
Social Housing Users will benefits from the approach through the more appropriate consideration of their needs, delivering better wellbeing and comfort levels for users through the implementation of the proposed SH upgrading protocol. They will also benefit from the possibilities of using technology to test ideas and better understand possible outputs from the SH upgrade process.
For housing associations and authorities, benefits will be achieved through the potential reduction of costs of upgrading and retention of users in SH schemes. Housing associations will also benefit from a simple approach that could be applied to improve the upgrading processes and SH users satisfaction including individual values, while focusing on the main objective to define collective and feasible briefs for SH upgrades.
Local authorities have the need to support the upgrade of existing SH, while social dynamics increase the obsolesce of existing housing. Through this project this issue will be tacked through the identification and testing of individual values (including new social dynamics deriving from recent changes e.g. social media), through a simple process supporting the brief definition for SH upgrades.
The government will benefit from a better usage of existing SH which are fit for purpose, and the potential reduction of energy consumption in existing SH, thus helping achieve the government targets for reduction of CO2 emissions.
Architects, urban planners, design managers and other construction stakeholders will benefit from the proposed approach through a better understanding of needs, more appropriate collaboration levels and hence improved design decision making processes in SH upgrades.
Environmental Impacts: There is a need to improve the processes and outputs of SH upgrading across the UK. One of the main challenges is to improve energy efficiency of the existing housing stock, whilst considering changing user needs and providing positive social, health and financial outcomes. Any attempt to improve the conditions of existing housing is beneficial to the environment and contributes to the climate change agenda. This project will arrive at a SH upgrading protocol, which will enable the appropriate identification of user needs (including reduction of energy consumption) and the testing of these solutions. This will impact the sector in relation to encouraging the upgrade of existing SH, which will eliminate waste and support social inclusion. Additional environmental impacts arise from poorly utilised existing SH stock that could be appropriately upgraded, helping to reduce the need for new construction and supporting the environment.
Social impacts: The cost of construction has proven to be prohibiting to many groups of people. This project will impact design thinking behind SH upgrading and has the potential to deliver significant benefits on a scheme-by-scheme basis by better understanding the divergent needs of stakeholders and enabling the virtual testing of solutions. Social costs from inappropriate existing SH are hard to measure; housing quality, affordability and project location are closely related to social challenges such as stress related health risks, isolation, negative social behaviour, urban violence, abandonment etc. Through our innovative approach, improvements in terms of quality of life can be delivered to the most vulnerable in society.
Economic impacts: This project has the potential for significant economic impact through the creation of the protocol to optimise the value added by every pound spend on SH upgrades. Cost reductions will be achieved through SH upgrades which are fit for purpose and hence support users, through appropriate collaboration, reduction or energy consumption and increase the lifecycle of the existing housing stock.
For housing associations and authorities, benefits will be achieved through the potential reduction of costs of upgrading and retention of users in SH schemes. Housing associations will also benefit from a simple approach that could be applied to improve the upgrading processes and SH users satisfaction including individual values, while focusing on the main objective to define collective and feasible briefs for SH upgrades.
Local authorities have the need to support the upgrade of existing SH, while social dynamics increase the obsolesce of existing housing. Through this project this issue will be tacked through the identification and testing of individual values (including new social dynamics deriving from recent changes e.g. social media), through a simple process supporting the brief definition for SH upgrades.
The government will benefit from a better usage of existing SH which are fit for purpose, and the potential reduction of energy consumption in existing SH, thus helping achieve the government targets for reduction of CO2 emissions.
Architects, urban planners, design managers and other construction stakeholders will benefit from the proposed approach through a better understanding of needs, more appropriate collaboration levels and hence improved design decision making processes in SH upgrades.
Environmental Impacts: There is a need to improve the processes and outputs of SH upgrading across the UK. One of the main challenges is to improve energy efficiency of the existing housing stock, whilst considering changing user needs and providing positive social, health and financial outcomes. Any attempt to improve the conditions of existing housing is beneficial to the environment and contributes to the climate change agenda. This project will arrive at a SH upgrading protocol, which will enable the appropriate identification of user needs (including reduction of energy consumption) and the testing of these solutions. This will impact the sector in relation to encouraging the upgrade of existing SH, which will eliminate waste and support social inclusion. Additional environmental impacts arise from poorly utilised existing SH stock that could be appropriately upgraded, helping to reduce the need for new construction and supporting the environment.
Social impacts: The cost of construction has proven to be prohibiting to many groups of people. This project will impact design thinking behind SH upgrading and has the potential to deliver significant benefits on a scheme-by-scheme basis by better understanding the divergent needs of stakeholders and enabling the virtual testing of solutions. Social costs from inappropriate existing SH are hard to measure; housing quality, affordability and project location are closely related to social challenges such as stress related health risks, isolation, negative social behaviour, urban violence, abandonment etc. Through our innovative approach, improvements in terms of quality of life can be delivered to the most vulnerable in society.
Economic impacts: This project has the potential for significant economic impact through the creation of the protocol to optimise the value added by every pound spend on SH upgrades. Cost reductions will be achieved through SH upgrades which are fit for purpose and hence support users, through appropriate collaboration, reduction or energy consumption and increase the lifecycle of the existing housing stock.
Organisations
- University of Huddersfield (Lead Research Organisation)
- Antiform (Collaboration)
- Purdue University (Collaboration)
- KIRKLEES COUNCIL (Collaboration)
- Wilmott Dixon (Collaboration)
- West Yorkshire Combined Authorities (Collaboration)
- University of Cape Town (Collaboration)
- Western Sydney University (Collaboration)
- St Basils Centre (Project Partner)
Publications
Muianga E
(2023)
Evaluation of social cost of low-income housing
AYO-ADEJUYIGBE, M
(2022)
EVALUATION OF TOOLS FOR IDENTIFYING USER VALUES IN SOCIAL HOUSING UPGRADING
Kabisch, S.; Pößneck, J.
(2021)
Grünau 2020: Ergebnisse der Bewohnerbefragung im Rahmen der Intervallstudie "Wohnen und Leben in Leipzig-Grünau"
Kabisch S
(2021)
Handbuch Wohnsoziologie
Muianga E
(2022)
Housing transformations and their impacts on the well-being of dwellers Transformações habitacionais e seus impactos no bem-estar dos residentes
in Ambiente Construído
Kowaltowski D
(2024)
Living labs for user empowerment and value delivery in social housing upgrading processes
in Habitat International
Soliman-Junior J
(2021)
Living Labs in a Lean Perspective
Bridi M
(2022)
Living Labs in Social Housing Upgrades: Process, Challenges and Recommendations
in Sustainability
SILVA Vanessa Gomes Da
(2020)
LONG-TERM HOUSING STUDIES TO ESTABLISH USER VALUES
Description | Upgrading the existing stock of social housing (SH) offers an opportunity to ease the effects of inadequate housing through improvements, reduce social costs, alleviate housing deficits, and promote sustainability. Shifting from individual to more collective engagement, through innovative mediation, should bridge boundaries between stakeholders. This research premise is that by applying and refining Living Labs (LLs) in the SH context, user-valued innovations can be identified. Boundary Objects (BOs) with advanced communication tools (games, Virtual Reality-VR, sketches, Building Information Modelling-BIM) are investigated to support decision-making, contribute to idea generation, and mediation. A transatlantic articulated nexus between research institutions in Brazil (BR), Germany (DE), the Netherlands (NL) and the United Kingdom (UK) address social challenges through SH upgrading protocols. The preliminary results following the first year of the project are both scientific and operational. The group's general meetings challenge the group to focus on the investigations' questions and solve issues. How different stakeholders interact in different cultures and what outcomes can be expected were recurrent topics of our discussions. Preliminary results are in the form of background material and detailed definition of shared research methods. Literature reviews were developed on the topics of SH systems, Housing Studies, Social Costs, User Values, Upgrading Procedures, energy efficiency in SH, Participatory Design, Living Labs (LLs), and Boundary Objects (BOs). This material was compiled into a Glossary for the project. A significant issue in our research is the understanding of each actor's role and behaviour in participatory settings. The questions that arise are: Under what conditions is housing upgrading decided? With financial restrictions, as an overriding issue impacting decisions, which parameters can be altered for minimum positive change in SH conditions? The research method has been refined, and specific activities to be conducted by each participating country were established, including shared data collection protocols to enable the comparison of results across different contexts. In the UK specifically, a new partnership with a city council engaged in SH retrofit has been established to enable the LL to take place. A pilot retrofit project of 8 SH will be investigated, and results used to inform a future larger scale retrofit by the council. Descriptions of the different cultural perspectives for LLs that recognise the interactions between people and technology in housing were developed. Technology in such participatory actions is not a controlling factor but should support quality housing upgrading decisions for all involved. The LL are the roadmaps towards understanding and developing action plans that include social and physical or technological innovations. Actual upgrading (refurbishment/retrofit) projects are used as the LLs. Upgrading to increase energy efficiency of the existing housing stock is a target. Such retrofit concentrates on external wall insulation but also on internal areas like kitchens and bathrooms. To conduct a smooth upgrading project, users need to understand gains and possible disruptions in their daily lives. Boundary Objects are essential to engage users and get the right messages across. These messages do not only come from the design proposals themselves but come from all stakeholders involved. This is a 3 year project, and this reports on the activities of the first year only. |
Exploitation Route | There is a need to support the upgrade of existing SH, while social dynamics increase the obsolesce of existing housing. This issue is tacked in the research through the identification and testing of values (including new social dynamics deriving from recent changes e.g. working from home), through a process which enables collaboration and supports SH upgrades. Social Housing Users will benefit from the more appropriate consideration of their needs, increased wellbeing and comfort levels through the implementation of the proposed SH upgrading protocol. They can also benefit from the use of technology to test ideas, engage and better understand possible outcomes from the SH upgrade process, and reduced conflicts or misunderstandings due to their active participation in the process. Housing associations and local authorities will benefit from a simple approach to improve the upgrading processes and SH users' engagement and satisfaction, while focusing on defining collective and feasible briefs for SH upgrades. These organisations can benefit also through improved upgrading processes and improved satisfaction and retention of users in SH schemes. Design and construction stakeholders will benefit from the approach through a better understanding of user needs, more appropriate collaboration levels and hence improved design decision making. Society at large can benefit from a better usage of fit for purpose SH, and the potential reduction of energy consumption in existing SH, thus helping achieve the government targets for reduction of CO2 emissions. In academic terms, the research outputs will contribute through the understanding of how social innovation that can be achieved through LLs in the context of SH upgrades. The research will highlight the benefits and drawbacks of LLs as an approach to enable social innovations in SH upgrading, and of the cross-country comparisons will enable the identification of contextual issues in SH upgrading, and how these influence upgrading project's outcomes. It is also expected that a better understanding of social cost accrued from inappropriate SH will be achieved. The benefits of using technology (e.g. BM, AR) and other tools (e.g. laddering) to support users engagement and identification of users values in SH upgrading will be evaluated. The research results will help improve energy efficiency of the existing housing stock, whilst considering changing user needs and providing positive social, health and financial outcomes. |
Sectors | Construction Environment |
URL | https://research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/idl/currentresearchprojects/uvital/ |
Description | Environmental Impacts: There is a need to improve the processes and outputs of social housing (SH) upgrading across the UK. Improving the conditions of existing housing is beneficial to the environment and contributes to the climate change agenda. This project delivered a SH upgrading protocol, which enables the appropriate identification of user needs (including reduction of energy consumption) and the testing of these solutions through simulation and modelling. This will impact through more effective processes for the upgrade of existing SH, which will eliminate waste and support social innovation and inclusion. Additional environmental impacts arise from poorly utilised existing SH stock that could be appropriately upgraded, helping to reduce the need for new construction and supporting the environment. The proposed SH protocol can increase the effectiveness of public services (provision of social housing by housing associations and local authorities) through improved upgrading/retrofitting processes, improved engagement with final users, and improved users satisfaction with the retrofitted houses. Social impacts: This project impacts design thinking behind SH upgrading and has the potential to deliver significant benefits on a scheme-by-scheme basis by better understanding the divergent needs of stakeholders and enabling the virtual testing of solutions. Social costs from inappropriate existing SH are hard to measure; housing quality, affordability and project location are closely related to social challenges such as stress related health risks, isolation, negative social behaviour, urban violence, abandonment etc. Through our innovative approach, improvements in terms of quality of life can be delivered to the most vulnerable in society. Economic impacts: This project has the potential for significant economic impact through the creation of the protocol to optimise the value added by every pound spend on SH upgrades. Cost reductions will be achieved through SH upgrades which are fit for purpose and hence support users, through appropriate collaboration, reduction or energy consumption and increase the lifecycle of the existing housing stock. |
First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) |
Impact Types | Societal Economic |
Description | Influence on West Yorkshire Combined Authority - work on retrofit for social housing |
Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
Description | Support for PGR students |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Impact | MOUHAND TO INCLUDE |
Description | UPGRADING SOCIAL HOUSING THROUGH A LIVING LAB APPROACH- PhD research - Marcelle Engler Bridi |
Geographic Reach | South America |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Impact | the PhD research hs contribute to the research aims to explore challenges and opportunities of applying the Living Lab (LL) approach for upgrade processes in existing Social Housing (SH) in Brazil. The exploratory research was based on a literature review and a case study. The main contributions of the research include the dissemination of the LL approach as an alternative to engaging with SH residents to promote upgrade initiatives, the promotion of adequate tools and activities, and general guidelines for carrying out LLs in the SH context, seeking for better effectiveness of the SH upgrade process. |
Description | User requirement capture in social housing retrofit- Samira Awwal |
Geographic Reach | Europe |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Impact | Brief Description: There is a need for detailed understanding among the stakeholders to solve these problems by addressing their perception of problems. The research aims to generate a BIM protocol to provide a better structure in the social housing upgrading process, incorporating end-users participation in the initial and design phase of upgrading within a living lab (LL) setting. The objectives of the research are : (i) to understand the living lab concept and its ability to appropriately enable the definition of stakeholders' values, therefore supporting effective decision-making in social housing upgrading; (ii) develop the artefact (BIM protocol) that will support value generation in the upgrading process; (iii)to evaluate the BIM Protocol in the living lab setting to improve understanding among stakeholders, resolve conflicting needs and gain project collaboration. |
Description | Arts and Humanities Impact Acceleration Account |
Amount | £497,299 (GBP) |
Funding ID | AH/X003434/1 |
Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2022 |
End | 03/2025 |
Description | PhD Scholarship- awarded to Samira Awwal |
Amount | £48,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of Huddersfield |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2020 |
End | 09/2023 |
Description | Transforming Systems through Partnership |
Amount | £79,760 (GBP) |
Funding ID | TSP2021\100339 |
Organisation | Royal Academy of Engineering |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2021 |
End | 02/2024 |
Title | BIM Models and Real-time rendering |
Description | BIM models of the houses as existing, and the newly designed solution were developed and displayed in the workshops . Examples of alternative solutions (e.g., colours of windows, fencing materials etc, scaffolding construction) were explored. |
Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
Year Produced | 2023 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | The tools developed assisted in eliciting user requirements. The tools can, in the future, be used to support generating design options and evaluation through visualisation. |
URL | https://iglcstorage.blob.core.windows.net/papers/attachment-a43750a6-a5d9-4515-beb3-486f700dd501.pdf |
Title | Laddering |
Description | Laddering techniques was applied as a part of the interview protocol in this research. There were three parts in the application of this tool, In the first part the concrete attributes are elicited from the users. In the second section, a laddering interview was conducted which includes an in depth one-to-one in depth interview providing qualitative information. In the thirds part the results were analysed using LadderUX software, where the concrete attributes were connected to the terminal value and generates a hierarchical value map. |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2024 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | The tool helps eliciting user value through the hierarchical value map, which directly connects with the product attributes. For instance, the tool helped identifying users anxiety due to a defective product in the house, and this information can be transformed into direct requirements that is then taken into design consideration for retrofit design. |
Title | Value Cards |
Description | Value cards aiming to better understand how social housing residents expressed and prioritised their needs. In this context, the cards can be understood as a tool for recognising values through users' perceptions and improving project decision-making. Kowaltowski & Granja (2011) show that using value cards provided a shift from satisfaction levels to the introduction of the concept of desired values, which can be seen as an important tool to assess building performance and improve the design and construction process in social housing retrofit (Kowaltowski & Granja, 2011). The use of this tool can also be linked to lean research, as it is easy to use and there is an opportunity to capture requirements and values (Soliman-Junior et al, 2021). |
Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Value cards have been used in the workshop session as a tool to capture participants' preferences of attributes and values related to different categories of social housing retrofit. These consist of: layout and remodelling, thermal comfort, accessibility, maintenance, security, privacy, sustainability, and environmental quality. The cards have been developed based on information emerging from the other sources of evidence that are part of the project. A set of 45 cards was developed in the UK, illustrating design requirements and values. In the first round, participants were asked to order cards from the same category, according to their priority. In the second round, participants were asked to prioritise based on the first chosen cards from each category, ranking the most important cards overall. |
Title | Virtual Reality (VR) |
Description | Virtual Reality (VR) supports visual management in the design and construction of building projects (Orihuela et al., 2019); it entails visualising environments through immersion for effective interaction with end-users (Sherman & Craig, 2018). VR is identified as a tool that can be used together with other ICT to enhance decision making, improve communication, coordinate clients' requirements in the design process and promote collaboration among stakeholders (Orihuela et al., 2019; Woksepp et al., 2005). Another efficient output of VR includes error forecast, reduction of negative iterations, and avoiding delays resulting from inadequate project understanding (Orihuela et al., 2019). These VR attributes are associated with the various interventions of lean tools and lean principles for achieving integrated and collaborative design, early engagement of stakeholders, budgeting, information and communication using visual management and BIM (Ladhad & Parrish, 2013; Vrijhoef & Dijkhuizen, 2020). |
Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | the VR immersive cave and the real-time rendering software were used to provide different types of immersive visualisations of BIM models. The BIM models, in that context, were used as a source of information to the VR tools in place and represented both the existing and designed scenarios. From a living lab process perspective, the use of VR tools can be introduced at different stages. In the reported case, they supported the 'definition' and 'ideation' phases, in which the existing model of dwellings was used to aid requirements' elicitation; as well as to assist design optioneering and evaluation in 'co-creation' and 'evaluation' phases, through rapid design modifications and what-if explorations. |
Title | interviews |
Description | A series of interviews are developed with the aim of better defining users' and stakeholders' requirements and values that support further stages of the LL (Living Lab). This process which consists of a detailed representation of this specific step, highlighting the role of the interviews in the LL case. Key factors that contributed to increasing residents' motivation at early stages are mostly related to the potential of achieving a great improvement on the dwellings' appearance (aesthetics), the opportunity to address sustainable and more cost-efficient systems and solutions (function), as well as the feeling of being privileged and acknowledgement on taking part of the project. |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | This initial qualitative analysis was developed to acknowledge key topics observed during the interviews, which can help draw 'preliminary connections' from a methodological perspective (Saldaña 2011), The method's impact has been reflected by addressing end-users needs and improving the communication platform among all stakeholders. |
Title | Identifying upgrade opportunities for social housing in the first stage of a Living Lab during the Covid-19 Pandemic |
Description | Abstract Social housing (SH) generally meets neither users' needs nor comfort requirements. That leads to dissatisfaction and the need for renovations and improvements. Interventions in this type of housing require collaboration among different stakeholders, who have diverse perspectives and goals. This type of initiative should seek a shared understanding among the parties in the development of solutions and in the decision-making process. The Living Lab (LL) approach was adopted as a strategy to develop upgrades in existing housing in an integrated and collaborative way. This paper presents the results of an empirical study that aimed to identify opportunities to improve social housing with the direct involvement of users, researchers and public agents, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The results show that the reflexive interview technique, with the support of complementary activities, was an appropriate tool not only to identify upgrading opportunities, but also to create a bond and trust among participants in the first phase of the LL effort. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | this is a paper describing a method to identify user values in social housing retrofit projects |
URL | https://scielo.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Identifying_upgrade_opportunities_for_social_housing_in... |
Title | Identifying upgrade opportunities for social housing in the first stage of a Living Lab during the Covid-19 Pandemic |
Description | Abstract Social housing (SH) generally meets neither users' needs nor comfort requirements. That leads to dissatisfaction and the need for renovations and improvements. Interventions in this type of housing require collaboration among different stakeholders, who have diverse perspectives and goals. This type of initiative should seek a shared understanding among the parties in the development of solutions and in the decision-making process. The Living Lab (LL) approach was adopted as a strategy to develop upgrades in existing housing in an integrated and collaborative way. This paper presents the results of an empirical study that aimed to identify opportunities to improve social housing with the direct involvement of users, researchers and public agents, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The results show that the reflexive interview technique, with the support of complementary activities, was an appropriate tool not only to identify upgrading opportunities, but also to create a bond and trust among participants in the first phase of the LL effort. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | This is a paper describing a model to support capturing user requirements in social housing retrofit projects |
URL | https://scielo.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Identifying_upgrade_opportunities_for_social_housing_in... |
Title | Replication data for: user-valued innovations for social housing upgrading through Trans-Atlantic living labs |
Description | Housing debates generally focus on new buildings, and there is scarce research on upgrading of existing housing. Upgrading can have positive social, health and financial outcomes for low-income populations. Upgrading the existing stock of social housing (SH) offers an opportunity to ease the effects of inadequate housing through improvements, reduce social costs, alleviate housing deficits and promote sustainability. Targeted upgrading efforts need impact sensitive processes, which involve stakeholders. These are primarily end-users, but also housing and construction companies, design professionals, etc who have specific, at times, conflicting needs and interests. Shifting from individual to more collective engagements, through innovative mediation, should bridge boundaries between stakeholders. This research premise is that by applying and refining Living Labs (LLs) in the SH context, user-valued innovations can be identified. Boundary Objects (BOs) with advanced communication tools (games, Augmented-AR, Virtual Reality-VR, sketches, Building Information Modelling-BIM) are investigated to support decision-making, contribute to idea generation and mediation. A transatlantic articulated nexus between research institutions in Brazil (BR), Germany (DE), the Netherlands (NL) and the United Kingdom (UK) will address social challenges through SH upgrading protocols. A shared research concept and design will be applied to ensure appropriate acknowledgement of cultural differences and to avoid 'getting lost in translation'. Specifically orchestrated LLs are key, where each institution uses case studies to apply diverse tools to enable the visualisation of design alternatives and meaningful stakeholder engagement. Local and multinational transatlantic stakeholders will participate of the LLs. The continuous mutual exchange of experiences during the research facilitates learning and provides a comprehensive understanding of SH upgrading challenges and opportunities. A bridging strategy to support upgrading processes in different contexts, i.e. a protocol, will be the main outcome of the research. Outcomes include updated knowledge documentation on user-oriented SH upgrading and communication tools to intensify stakeholder collaboration. Research results will be continuously exchanged to enable up-scaling to wider contexts and to strengthen the proposed social innovation that promotes understanding of contextual aspects of stakeholder needs and values. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Research data made widely available |
URL | https://redu.unicamp.br/citation?persistentId=doi:10.25824/redu/6SWNCM |
Description | Collaboration with Kirklees Council |
Organisation | Kirklees Council |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | The research team is providing Kirklees with support on the development of a small housing retrofit/upgrade project (of 8 houses). this is a pilot scheme, and learnings from the scheme will be used to inform a bigger retrofit project in the near future. Support is being provided re engaging with users in the retrofit design process; help in identifying issues which did and did not work very well in the project (as lessons learned); the development of Building Information models of the houses as existing and as retrofitted. Research project results are also likely to be used by Kirklees Council in helping demonstrate the user centred approach being adopted in the process of retrofitting social houses. |
Collaborator Contribution | Kirklees is providing the tam with the main case study for the research project. Furthermore Kirklees are supporting disseminate project activities and results. |
Impact | case study for the research project (ongoing) |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Collaboration with Purdue University, USA |
Organisation | Purdue University |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | This new partnership enabled the development of a research bid around social housing, which was submitted to the T_AP call, in December 2023. |
Collaborator Contribution | There was a joint research proposal submitted, awaiting results. |
Impact | n/a |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | Collaboration with Western Sydney University |
Organisation | Western Sydney University |
Country | Australia |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Contributions are through joint publications and the joint organisation of an international workshop - when social sciences meets lean and BIM: Towards industry 5.0 to be delivered in May 2023 Prof Tzortzopoulos was also invited to become a visiting professor at western Sydney University in 2022. |
Collaborator Contribution | Inputs to the project Development, joint publications |
Impact | Benefits Realization: Novel Conceptual Model for Front End-Design Decision-Making Using Dempster-Shafer Theory and Quality Function Deployment Serugga, J., Kagioglou, M. & Tzortzopoulos, P., 1 Jul 2021, In: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. 147, 7, 15 p., 04021062. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Collaboration with the University of Cape Town, South Africa |
Organisation | University of Cape Town |
Country | South Africa |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | This collaboration, on the theme of social housing (focus of the u-vital project) led to the development of a successful joint bid, and research project, financed by the Royal Academy of Engineering. |
Collaborator Contribution | The partnership enabled the development of a new research project (supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering) as well as a bid to the T-AP, submitted in December 2023. |
Impact | Mitchell, K., Moghayedi, A., Tzortzopoulos, P., & Okundaye, B. (2022). Systematic review of critical success factors for developing an Afro-centric neighbourhood sustainability assessment framework. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1101(2), [022012]. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1101/2/022012 |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | collaboration with Actiform company - Design Accelerators:The value of design for sustainable housing - towards a smart place demonstrator |
Organisation | Antiform |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | The team and approach Making use of the diverse experience of understanding sustainable housing at the University of Huddersfield, a team of academic and non-academic collaborators has been assembled. The project takes a two-pronged approach: - firstly by inspiring new design approaches and understanding, and secondly by focusing on how design can be used to improve the performance of existing social housing. The project combines the expertise of green behaviour research experts integrating elements of behavioural science, environmental psychology and social psychology, to improve quality of life and sustainability. Contemporary research on the green transition will supportive behavioural change in nudging pro-environmental behaviour for community stakeholders. |
Collaborator Contribution | Actiform is a privately-owned off-site construction company. The company is focusing on working on zero carbon buildings, and its making investments in the area. |
Impact | Environmental Impacts • Improved and higher quality design of dwellings, supporting the achievement of net zero targets and improved comfort for dwelling occupiers • A process to support smart energy efficient (social) housing Economic Impacts • Reduced costs in SH upgrades through better engagement of stakeholders, the consideration of design alternatives, and co-design • Support people with health-related issues to live in their own homes longer through co-design and engagement of users in the selection of technologies to be added to their home Societal impacts • Behavioural changes towards smart green design • Better value delivered to communities through engagement in 'smart places' • Enabling shared understanding on latest developments in health & wellbeing in the home, community cohesion, environmental challenges and energy efficiency Impacts will be achieved through the direct involvement of communities, designers, and construction companies, in the identification of sustainable opportunities and the adoption of these in home designs. Emphasis will be given in enabling the engaged community to better understand the possibilities and potential outcomes of better design in enabling smart housing, in adopting smart technologies in homes, and as such supporting smart communities. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | collaboration with West Yorkshire Combined Authority |
Organisation | West Yorkshire Combined Authorities |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | The team and approach Making use of the diverse experience of understanding sustainable housing at the University of Huddersfield, a team of academic and non-academic collaborators has been assembled. The project takes a two-pronged approach: - firstly by inspiring new design approaches and understanding, and secondly by focusing on how design can be used to improve the performance of existing social housing. The project combines the expertise of green behaviour research experts integrating elements of behavioural science, environmental psychology and social psychology, to improve quality of life and sustainability. Contemporary research on the green transition will supportive behavioural change in nudging pro-environmental behaviour for community stakeholders. |
Collaborator Contribution | West Yorkshire combined authority - will support engagement with local authorities in the region - these will engage in/experience the social housing (SH) Upgrading Living Labs, with a view of future uptake in SH upgrading programmes. Better Homes Hub - has been created to help residents across Yorkshire pay less for energy and live in healthier, warmer homes. It provides links to homeowners, private tenants and landlords in the Leeds City Region. Participating councils include: Leeds, Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale, Wakefield, York, Craven, Harrogate and Selby. |
Impact | Environmental Impacts • Improved and higher quality design of dwellings, supporting the achievement of net zero targets and improved comfort for dwelling occupiers • A process to support smart energy efficient (social) housing Economic Impacts • Reduced costs in SH upgrades through better engagement of stakeholders, the consideration of design alternatives, and co-design • Support people with health-related issues to live in their own homes longer through co-design and engagement of users in the selection of technologies to be added to their home Societal impacts • Behavioural changes towards smart green design • Better value delivered to communities through engagement in 'smart places' • Enabling shared understanding on latest developments in health & wellbeing in the home, community cohesion, environmental challenges and energy efficiency Impacts will be achieved through the direct involvement of communities, designers, and construction companies, in the identification of sustainable opportunities and the adoption of these in home designs. Emphasis will be given in enabling the engaged community to better understand the possibilities and potential outcomes of better design in enabling smart housing, in adopting smart technologies in homes, and as such supporting smart communities. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | collaboration with Willmott Dixon company - Design Accelerators:The value of design for sustainable housing - towards a smart place demonstrator |
Organisation | Wilmott Dixon |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | The team and approach Making use of the diverse experience of understanding sustainable housing at the University of Huddersfield, a team of academic and non-academic collaborators has been assembled. The project takes a two-pronged approach: - firstly by inspiring new design approaches and understanding, and secondly by focusing on how design can be used to improve the performance of existing social housing. The project combines the expertise of green behaviour research experts integrating elements of behavioural science, environmental psychology and social psychology, to improve quality of life and sustainability. Contemporary research on the green transition will supportive behavioural change in nudging pro-environmental behaviour for community stakeholders. |
Collaborator Contribution | Willmott Dixon is a privately-owned construction and interior fit-out group aiming to provide long-term societal gain that improves life opportunities and leaves a lasting and sustainable legacy for customers. They are active in creating the built environment, but also work with local communities more broadly. They were the first large contractor to commit to be Net Zero in operation by 2030. |
Impact | Environmental Impacts • Improved and higher quality design of dwellings, supporting the achievement of net zero targets and improved comfort for dwelling occupiers • A process to support smart energy efficient (social) housing Economic Impacts • Reduced costs in SH upgrades through better engagement of stakeholders, the consideration of design alternatives, and co-design • Support people with health-related issues to live in their own homes longer through co-design and engagement of users in the selection of technologies to be added to their home Societal impacts • Behavioural changes towards smart green design • Better value delivered to communities through engagement in 'smart places' • Enabling shared understanding on latest developments in health & wellbeing in the home, community cohesion, environmental challenges and energy efficiency Impacts will be achieved through the direct involvement of communities, designers, and construction companies, in the identification of sustainable opportunities and the adoption of these in home designs. Emphasis will be given in enabling the engaged community to better understand the possibilities and potential outcomes of better design in enabling smart housing, in adopting smart technologies in homes, and as such supporting smart communities. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | CIB World Building Congress 2022, Conference, 27 Jun 2022, Melbourne |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Patricia Tzortzopoulos, Jury member during the pitch and award ceremony of Smart Building Smart Construction Innovation World Cup at CIB World Building Congress 2022 in Melbourne |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Delivery of guest lecture entitled 'Uso de Living Labs em Retrofit de Habitação Social: o caso do projeto uVITAL no Reino Unido' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | The activity consisted of a guest lecture delivered in the Architecture and Urban Design School at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The invitation was made by prof. Luciana Miron. This activity occured on 28/06/2023 and was delivered by Joao Soliman-Junior. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Evaluation of tools for identifying user values in social housing upgrading |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation of the paper by Ms. Morolake Ayo-Adejuyigbe in the event 9th International Workshop When Social Science meets Lean and BIM: Towards Industry 5.0, which occured in Western Sydney University, Parramatta, Australia, New South Wales on 20 Jun 2022. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Evaluation of tools for identifying user values in social housing upgrading |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 9th International Workshop When Social Science meets Lean and BIM: Towards Industry 5.0 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Exploring BIM in social housing upgrading within a living lab setting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation of the paper by Ms. Samira Awwal in the event 9th International Workshop When Social Science meets Lean and BIM: Towards Industry 5.0, which occured in Western Sydney University, Parramatta, Australia, New South Wales on 20 Jun 2022. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Exploring BIM in social housing upgrading within a living lab setting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 9th International Workshop When Social Science meets Lean and BIM: Towards Industry 5.0 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Living Lab Workshop with Social Housing residents |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | The first Living Lab workshop was developed in collaboration with social housing residents (i.e. end-users). It was hosted at the University of Huddersfield and involved the exploration and evaluation of different tools to capture requirements and values in social housing retrofit projects (i.e., Virtual Reality and Value Cards). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Living Labs in a Lean Perspective |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation of the paper by Dr. Joao Soliman-Junior in the 29th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction, which was hosted at Berkeley University, California, USA (but delivered virtually due to the pandemic). This event occured on 15 Jul 2021. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Living Labs in a Lean Perspective, Conference, 15 Jul 2021, |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 29th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Living labs in social housing upgrades: The case of a pilot energy retrofit project in the United Kingdom |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | This presentation was part of the symposium entitled "Social housing upgrading considering residents' needs: How to cope with global challenges at the local level in four different cultural context. 27th IAPS Conference: Global challenges, local impacts: Rethinking governance, sustainability and consumption in light of climate change. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Managing User Requirements in Social Housing Upgrading |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Presentation of a conference paper within scientific community by Ms. Samira Awwal at the International Group of Lean Construction Conference in Lille, France |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Samira-Awwal/publication/372300805_Managing_User_Requirements_i... |
Description | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar - Research workshop with academic /institute partners. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The living lab workshop was developed in collaboration with uVital project partners/ Institutes and end-user participants. It was host in Brazil in coordination with the project partner (Unicamp University). The living lab workshop has included on-site observation for case studies and evaluation of different tools to capture requirements and values in social housing retrofit projects (i.e., Value Cards). On the university campus, the living lab workshop included presentations and discussions with various stakeholders. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Participation on the webinar 'Tackling the retrofit challenge through Smart Construction' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Prof. Patricia Tzortzopoulos was invited to give a talk on the event Tackling the retrofit challenge through Smart Construction. The event was organised by Supply Chain Sustainability School and was delivered virtually (June 2021). During her talk, Prof. Tzortzopoulos had the opportunity to present the uVITAL research project and some of the preliminary findings. The event was recorded and an email with further information on the different research projects that were presented during that afternoon was circulated with all attendees, which helped improving the project external visibility further. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.buildoffsite.com/events/tackling-the-retrofit-challenge-through-smart-construction/ |
Description | Pilot Living Lab Workshop with Local Authority representatives |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | The pilot Living Lab workshop was developed in collaboration with representatives from a local authority. It was hosted at the University of Huddersfield and involved the exploration of different tools to capture requirements and values in social housing retrofit projects (i.e., Virtual Reality and Value Cards). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Presentation of the paper: Eliciting Requirements in Social Housing Retrofit Projects: Tools and Processes within a Living Lab Setting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation of the paper "Eliciting Requirements in Social Housing Retrofit Projects: Tools and Processes within a Living Lab Setting" in the 30th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction in Edmonton, Canada (July 2022). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Research workshop with industrial partners |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | 4th March 2020 Between creativity and Innovation: Innovative Design Lab (IDL) selected projects (University of Huddersfield, Barbara Hepworth Building) This seminar involved a series of presentations of research projects from IDL members to the university academic community and practitioners. Prof. Tzortzopulos presented the project entitled U-Vital: User-Valued Innovations for Social Housing Upgrading through Trans-Atlantic Living Labs. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Social Housing Retrofit-Living Lab: A methodological approach |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Presentation of a conference paper by Ms. Samira Awwal and panel discussion in living lab and multi agency approach |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/1101/5/052020/meta |
Description | U-VITAL research project website |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | This is the research project website, which is intended to inform the wider audience about the project aims and objectives, as well as help disseminate research project results. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
URL | https://research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/idl/currentresearchprojects/uvital/ |
Description | User-valued innovations for social housing upgrading through trans-atlantic living labs (u-VITAL): Research Development in the United Kingdom |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation of the paper by Dr. Joao Soliman-Junior in the event 9th International Workshop When Social Science meets Lean and BIM: Towards Industry 5.0, which occured in Western Sydney University, Parramatta, Australia, New South Wales on 20 Jun 2022. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | User-valued innovations for social housing upgrading through trans-atlantic living labs (u-VITAL): Research Development in the United Kingdom |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | 9th International Workshop When Social Science meets Lean and BIM: Towards Industry 5.0 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | living lab workshop and seminar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The primary objective of the living lab workshop and seminar was to enhance communication between different stakeholders and the community by provide a platform for open discussions on housing-related subjects, structured as a round table discussion. engage with cutting-edge technology, such as the immersive Virtual Reality 3-sided CAVE and virtual environment, explore a diverse range of 3D housing models, and value design card experience. This activity encouraged community members and stakeholders to share their views and priorities regarding social housing and retrofit. This workshop was thoughtfully integrated into a two-day university seminar concentrated around housing retrofit. By incorporating it into the seminar, the living lab workshop not only increased community engagement but also allowed community members to attend presentations on relevant topics. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | living lab workshops and smart house visits |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Two Workshops and a Smart House Visit. These workshops were strategically organized to attract a larger number of participants. New activities were introduced in the two workshops to further enrich the engagement experience. In addition to the VR cave, BIM models, value cards and smart house tour, the workshops also included activities around an online application. Various online applications developed by project team and presented during the workshops aimed to use the online application for better community and stakeholder engagement in the context of housing retrofit. In addition, an online game on housing retrofit topics was developed and introduced during the workshops to provide an engaging and educational experience for the participants. In addition to the Living Lab workshops, two smart home visits were organized for students, professionals and the public. The main objective of these smart house visits is to improve the public's understanding of smart homes and healthy living strategies and to explore the latest technologies integrated into smart house. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |