Architectural Practice Supporting Sustainability Transitions in the Built Environment

Abstract

Transitions towards sustainability are urgently needed to address the environmental and societal challenges on a global scale. This article applies concepts used in sustainability transition studies – niches and transition experiments – to architectural practice. A tentative evaluative scheme developed by Luederitz et al [1] is used in this article to analyse how transition experiments in architectural practice can be designed and performed to support sustainability transitions in the built environment. Three practice-led transition experiments addressing resource efficiency and frugality, reuse of materials, user involvement in design, self-building, etc. are analysed. The article concludes by discussing implications of using a transition experiment approach in architectural practice.