Recent Living Well in Low Carbon Homes Posts

Developers’ expectations for residents can have implications for design decisions. This in turn can influence how residents experience and live within the homes, in this piece, we look at this in a bit more detail.

In 2015 the United Nations announced its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development within which 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) are identified. This agenda, agreed by all member states, reflects an overarching ambition for “peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future”. The agenda highlights that across the globe, while our specific contexts may differ, we all share the same foundational needs and that we are interconnected in multiple ways.

The buildings in which we live must play a critical role in UK decarbonisation, but they are also homes. This means they different meanings and value to different people which can evolve over time. Our Living Well in Low Carbon Homes team is unearthing new insights and evidence to support the transformation of the UK building stock as we progress towards net zero.

The Living Well in Low Carbon Homes research team have been exploring the views and experiences of people due to move to Parc Eirin, an innovative low carbon housing estate in South Wales. Speaking to people in the weeks before they move in, our interview discussions have covered current living situations and expectations for their future lives at Parc Eirin.

Our socio-economic research requires developing and maintaining relationships with diverse stakeholder groups; a challenge we have embraced during a time of social distancing. By pivoting our research methods, we have maintained regular communication with our stakeholders, sharing concerns, exasperations and jovialities while touching base and keeping the project moving in the right direction.