Wasted expertise: Why doesn’t retrofit include residents?

Abstract

Retrofitting social housing is key to reaching urgent climate goals. Integrating residents as a stakeholder in retrofit processes can transform social housing into sustainable homes. Residents are experts in the way they live and reliance on techno-optimist approaches to deep energy retrofit fail to utilise their situated knowledge. This research provides new insights into effective retrofit decision-making processes that prioritise social equity alongside environmental goals. Fifteen semi-structured interviews with Housing Association, Architect, and Architect-led cooperative stakeholders in various European locations, were investigated using a thematic analysis, to answer the following research question: “How do stakeholders (not)utilise residents' situated knowledge and expertise in retrofit design?”. Five themes were identified in the data, ascending from the least inclusive to most inclusive of resident stakeholders: external factors influence decision-making; building design is the priority; integrated communication between high-level stakeholders and resident stakeholders; importance of social value; and residents have choice. The results identified three key components to sustainable retrofit: (1) architects and passive design-thinking, (2) retrofit technologies should complement passive design, and (3) resident expertise can balance building needs, energy needs, and social needs. Hybrid decision-making processes should prioritise resident stakeholders to address actual needs, avoid tokenism, and ensure residents' central role in internal governance. Results can guide high-level retrofit stakeholders and policy-makers in shaping hybrid retrofit processes and empower social housing residents to engage with retrofitting projects.