Complex Built Environment Systems (CBES) Platform Grant Renewal Bid: Built Environment Systems Thinking

Completed

Energy Efficiency(Residential and commercial)

Basic and strategic applied research

SOCIAL SCIENCES (Economics and Econometrics)
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Town and Country Planning)
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Politics and International Studies)
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Sociology)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Architecture and the Built Environment)
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES (Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences)

Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Consumer attitudes and behaviour)
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Policy and regulation)
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Technology acceptance)
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Other sociological economical and environmental impact of energy)

Dr M Davies
The Bartlett School of Graduate Studies
University College London

Standard

EPSRC

01 May 2017

30 April 2023

72 months

£1,564,041

Civil eng. & built environment

London

NC : Engineering

Dr M Davies, The Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, University College London

Professor R Bleischwitz, Bartlett Sch of Env, Energy & Resources, University College London
Professor M Cassar, The Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, University College London
Professor P Ekins, UCL Energy Institute, University College London
Professor RJ Lowe, UCL Energy Institute, University College London
Dr D Mumovic, The Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, University College London
Professor T Oreszczyn, Bartlett Sch of Env, Energy & Resources, University College London
Professor N Strachan, UCL Energy Institute, University College London
Dr M Strlic, The Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, University College London
Dr N Zimmermann, Bartlett Sch of Env, Energy & Resources, University College London

Project Contact, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM)
Project Contact, Public Health England
Project Contact, Buro Happold Ltd
Project Contact, The Library of Congress, USA
Project Contact, Greater London Authority
Project Contact, Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG)
Project Contact, NHBC National House-Building Council
Project Contact, Department for Culture, Media & Sport
Project Contact, AHR Architects
Project Contact, Fielden Clegg Bradley
Project Contact, UKCIP
Project Contact, United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA)
Project Contact, Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC)
Project Contact, Smithsonian Institution, USA
Project Contact, CIBSE

The first Complex Built Environment Systems (CBES) Platform Grant consolidated a truly interdisciplinary, world-leading research group which focussed on the complexity of the context of our research activities and seeded a new Institute (UCL Energy). The second Platform Grant underpinned the development of a strategic programme of fundamental research aimed at understanding the unintended consequences of decarbonising the built environment, enabled CBES to become a world leader in this area and seeded three new UCL Institutes (Environmental Design & Engineering, Sustainable Heritage and Sustainable Resources). Supported by a third Platform Grant, our vision for CBES is now to transform scientific understanding of the systemic nature of a sustainable built environment.In a recent award-winning paper, resulting from our work under the current Platform Grant, we identified over 100 unintended consequences of energy efficiency interventions in homes. Taking moisture as just one example, we can demonstrate why a systems thinking approach is now so vital. By 2030, it will be government policy that every home in the UK will benefit from measures to improve energy efficiency. This is approximately 25 million homes - all our homes will be affected in some way. The total cost will be ~ 10 billion a year. The UK only has the chance once to do this correctly. Unfortunately, it is now clear that we are not dealing with these complex issues correctly. For example, a recent low energy refurbishment of ~400 dwellings in the north of England has had a 100% failure rate due to disastrous moisture issues which will cost millions to rectify. This has huge implications for the entire decarbonisation plan, for the health of the building occupants, for the communities involved and for the economic value of these properties. For the issue of moisture therefore, we have taken the decisive step to set up the new 'UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings' to link building engineering physics,health, building use, quality and process in a coherent way. Our thesis therefore, more widely, is that the built environment is a complex system that can only be successfully tackled via a new interdisciplinary systems thinking approach - performance emerges from the interplay of fundamental engineering and physical factors with process and structure. Such a systems thinking process was piloted in our project 'Housing, Energy and Wellbeing' (HEW) in the current Platform Grant and has led to close collaboration with a very large body of stakeholders from government, industry, NGOs and community groups who provide an invaluable resource for future research.Enabling this new, systemically integrated approach to built environment research will require a major change in the way we undertake our research - this will be a fundamental departure from business as usual. The development of such a novel methodological framework and the associated re-structuring and development of an interdisciplinary research group will involve a strategic, long-term perspective as well as some risk. The flexible Platform funding will be vital here in that it will enable approaches not possible with responsive mode funding. There are also likely to be some key policy changes in this specific area over the next 5 years - Platform funding will enable us to react to research opportunities in a timely manner and dynamically maintain research leadership in the field. The careers of CBES team members will be managed and developed through strategic action. Career development activities specifically enabled by Platform funding will include: (i) a new series of regular 'systems thinking' workshops to develop personal research agendas within our broader system of research; (ii) new industrial/policy mentoring via secondments; (iii) new skills training for staff through external training courses; (iv) enhanced stakeholder engagement via our unique series of regular workshops

18/08/17