Supporting, tinkering, adjusting and resisting : a typology of user translations of the built environment
(2021) In Open House International 46(2). p.266-280- Abstract
- Purpose
Architectural theorists have a long tradition of acknowledging the centrality of building users to architectural production. This article contributes to the discourse on architecture, actor–network theory (ANT), and users by proposing a typology of user translations ranging from supporting to tinkering to adjusting to resisting.
Design/methodology/approach
The research utilises an ANT-inspired ethnography of sustainable lighting scripts at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST). It comprises semi-structured interviews with MIST designers and students, and site visits and participant observation to understand how the users interpret the scripts and how they interact and change them on a daily... (More) - Purpose
Architectural theorists have a long tradition of acknowledging the centrality of building users to architectural production. This article contributes to the discourse on architecture, actor–network theory (ANT), and users by proposing a typology of user translations ranging from supporting to tinkering to adjusting to resisting.
Design/methodology/approach
The research utilises an ANT-inspired ethnography of sustainable lighting scripts at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST). It comprises semi-structured interviews with MIST designers and students, and site visits and participant observation to understand how the users interpret the scripts and how they interact and change them on a daily basis.
Findings
There is a shared understanding that users do not simply receive architectural designs but interpret and change them to suit their preferences. The findings reveal the multiple ways that users interpret and respond to the assumptions of designers and in the process, recast the relations between themselves and their material surroundings.
Originality/value
The research contributes to acknowledging the centrality of users to architectural design processes and the interpretation of design scripts, addressing the limitation in current literature in demonstrating the diversity of ways that users react to such scripts. The research suggests that user actions have significant implications on long-term building performance. It accordingly points to the need for devising multiple means of user involvement in the design process and allowing greater flexibility in design scripts to improve the alignment with user preferences. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/67b265e5-2584-42a7-ab3a-e071d299f8b1
- author
- Karvonen, Andrew LU and Sharif, Ahlam Ammar
- publishing date
- 2021
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Open House International
- volume
- 46
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 15 pages
- publisher
- Emerald Group Publishing Limited
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85110714329
- ISSN
- 0168-2601
- DOI
- 10.1108/OHI-10-2020-0151
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- 67b265e5-2584-42a7-ab3a-e071d299f8b1
- date added to LUP
- 2021-10-01 13:45:14
- date last changed
- 2022-04-27 04:21:18
@article{67b265e5-2584-42a7-ab3a-e071d299f8b1,
abstract = {{Purpose<br/>Architectural theorists have a long tradition of acknowledging the centrality of building users to architectural production. This article contributes to the discourse on architecture, actor–network theory (ANT), and users by proposing a typology of user translations ranging from supporting to tinkering to adjusting to resisting.<br/><br/>Design/methodology/approach<br/>The research utilises an ANT-inspired ethnography of sustainable lighting scripts at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST). It comprises semi-structured interviews with MIST designers and students, and site visits and participant observation to understand how the users interpret the scripts and how they interact and change them on a daily basis.<br/><br/>Findings<br/>There is a shared understanding that users do not simply receive architectural designs but interpret and change them to suit their preferences. The findings reveal the multiple ways that users interpret and respond to the assumptions of designers and in the process, recast the relations between themselves and their material surroundings.<br/><br/>Originality/value<br/>The research contributes to acknowledging the centrality of users to architectural design processes and the interpretation of design scripts, addressing the limitation in current literature in demonstrating the diversity of ways that users react to such scripts. The research suggests that user actions have significant implications on long-term building performance. It accordingly points to the need for devising multiple means of user involvement in the design process and allowing greater flexibility in design scripts to improve the alignment with user preferences.}},
author = {{Karvonen, Andrew and Sharif, Ahlam Ammar}},
issn = {{0168-2601}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{266--280}},
publisher = {{Emerald Group Publishing Limited}},
series = {{Open House International}},
title = {{Supporting, tinkering, adjusting and resisting : a typology of user translations of the built environment}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/OHI-10-2020-0151}},
doi = {{10.1108/OHI-10-2020-0151}},
volume = {{46}},
year = {{2021}},
}