My research focuses on the intersection of climate change knowledge and household behaviours. It investigates why increasing awareness and knowledge of the impact of climate change has not significantly altered domestic household practices especially in the light of modes of personal mobility. I explore the connections between identity, mobility, place and sustainable practices by attending to the embodied dimensions of mobility and in particular, affective and emotional relationships that people have with their cars. My interest in how novel participatory and mobile methodologies can engage participants in collaborative and creative explorations of meaning and connection to place has drawn on, performative, affect-based, non-representational geographies. As such I am interested in sensory methods which pay attention to sound, touch, taste, smell and texture.
My interest in creative research methodologies is underpinned by the desire to critically engage with contemporary debates about the environmental sustainability. Currently sonic methods are underutilised as a sensory methodology. Sonic methodologies work on the assumption that while sounds are coded within particular ideologies, the processes of hearing and listening are embodied and therefore do not work to a given script or preconfigured world. More than simply representing places, communities or identities, everyday sounds (including music) give insights into how connections (or disconnections) in and to place, are mediated by emotional and affective relationships. This approach moves beyond sound as representation to explore sound as a process.
<p>The <a href="http://builtbetter.org/node/8142" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Guide to Implementing Low Carbon Retrofits for Social Housing </em></a>was developed to provide a simple to use reference for social housing asset managers and others involved in social housing upgrades to achieve improved energy performance and thermal comfort in their dwellings. The guide was developed in the aftermath of a long term engagement with housing providers and tenants, to understand existing maintenance and upgrading practices and the constraints that exist in this sector. Energy audits, energy and temperature monitoring were undertaken in a number of social housing properties around NSW, and the challenges facing vulnerable tenants were highlighted. <br /><br />The guide was designed to distil the complex process of energy auditing, energy monitoring and retrofit allocation undertaken the researchers into a a concise summary of effective energy efficiency options for social housing properties, that could support simple actions to improve management and tenant well being. The guide includes:</p><ul><li>Advice on priority upgrades;</li><li>Important things to consider when deciding whether to implement an upgrade;</li><li>Practical implementation advice to ensure the upgrade is implemented well;</li><li>Complementary retrofit considerations to make the most of opportunities as they arise;</li></ul><p><br /><br /></p>
The need to improve the poor performance of the existing residential building stock in Australia is pressing. The currently existing housing stock will still make up almost 60% of the housing stock in Australia in 2050. The social and community housing sector represents a significant opportunity for the development of a major, aggregated approach to low carbon retrofits in large portfolios of residential building stock. For example, in 2010, there were 150,000 houses under public housing management in New South Wales. <br /><br />Identifying and implementing energy efficiency upgrades to improve tenant comfort and well-being is a complex task, and is not the core business for housing providers. The Guide to Implementing Low Carbon Retrofits for Social Housing distilled the findings of a multi-year monitoring and retrofit study into a series of practical actions that can be used by housing providers to ensure tenant benefits are realised as a result of an upgrade. <br /><br />The guide was distributed through the Community Housing Industry Association, BuiltBetter.org, and the Analysis and Policy Observatory. It has been downloaded over 350 times through BuiltBetter.org alone.
My research focuses on the intersection of climate change knowledge and household behaviours. It investigates why increasing awareness and knowledge of the impact of climate change has not significantly altered domestic household practices especially in the light of modes of personal mobility. I explore the connections between identity, mobility, place and sustainable practices by attending to the embodied dimensions of mobility and in particular, affective and emotional relationships that people have with their cars. My interest in how novel participatory and mobile methodologies can engage participants in collaborative and creative explorations of meaning and connection to place has drawn on, performative, affect-based, non-representational geographies. As such I am interested in sensory methods which pay attention to sound, touch, taste, smell and texture.
My interest in creative research methodologies is underpinned by the desire to critically engage with contemporary debates about the environmental sustainability. Currently sonic methods are underutilised as a sensory methodology. Sonic methodologies work on the assumption that while sounds are coded within particular ideologies, the processes of hearing and listening are embodied and therefore do not work to a given script or preconfigured world. More than simply representing places, communities or identities, everyday sounds (including music) give insights into how connections (or disconnections) in and to place, are mediated by emotional and affective relationships. This approach moves beyond sound as representation to explore sound as a process.
<p>The <a href="http://builtbetter.org/node/8142" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Guide to Implementing Low Carbon Retrofits for Social Housing </em></a>was developed to provide a simple to use reference for social housing asset managers and others involved in social housing upgrades to achieve improved energy performance and thermal comfort in their dwellings. The guide was developed in the aftermath of a long term engagement with housing providers and tenants, to understand existing maintenance and upgrading practices and the constraints that exist in this sector. Energy audits, energy and temperature monitoring were undertaken in a number of social housing properties around NSW, and the challenges facing vulnerable tenants were highlighted. <br /><br />The guide was designed to distil the complex process of energy auditing, energy monitoring and retrofit allocation undertaken the researchers into a a concise summary of effective energy efficiency options for social housing properties, that could support simple actions to improve management and tenant well being. The guide includes:</p><ul><li>Advice on priority upgrades;</li><li>Important things to consider when deciding whether to implement an upgrade;</li><li>Practical implementation advice to ensure the upgrade is implemented well;</li><li>Complementary retrofit considerations to make the most of opportunities as they arise;</li></ul><p><br /><br /></p>
The need to improve the poor performance of the existing residential building stock in Australia is pressing. The currently existing housing stock will still make up almost 60% of the housing stock in Australia in 2050. The social and community housing sector represents a significant opportunity for the development of a major, aggregated approach to low carbon retrofits in large portfolios of residential building stock. For example, in 2010, there were 150,000 houses under public housing management in New South Wales. <br /><br />Identifying and implementing energy efficiency upgrades to improve tenant comfort and well-being is a complex task, and is not the core business for housing providers. The Guide to Implementing Low Carbon Retrofits for Social Housing distilled the findings of a multi-year monitoring and retrofit study into a series of practical actions that can be used by housing providers to ensure tenant benefits are realised as a result of an upgrade. <br /><br />The guide was distributed through the Community Housing Industry Association, BuiltBetter.org, and the Analysis and Policy Observatory. It has been downloaded over 350 times through BuiltBetter.org alone.
