Translating zero carbon into building design regulation, theories and practices

This thesis examines the translation of the zero-carbon vision into architectural design practice. It illustrates the unclear meaning of the term zero carbon and how the resulting uncertainties are resolved as the term is handed from politics to building design in the evolving risk society of late modernity. Carbon zero as a term is shown to be contested and uncertain. There is a plurality of very different buildings labelled as zero carbon. As concern about global warming resulting from carbon dioxide emissions is growing, the number of zero carbon initiatives is on the rise. Buildings are estimated to contribute between a third and half of all carbon dioxide emissions in the United Kingdom, and hence buildings are a particular focus for reducing the risks associated with carbon dioxide emissions. The government has announced policy targets that all new homes to be built from 2016 onwards must be zero carbon, and from 2019 all other new buildings are to meet the same standard. Yet, the meaning and practices of zero carbon buildings are poorly developed and academically under-explored. Drawing on writings from the study of science and technology, it is shown here that the process of introducing the zero-carbon concept is one of translation. It is translated from politics into policy and regulation, from policy and regulation into designers' understanding, and from this into design practice. The UK government's consultation on the definition of zero carbon buildings shows that many political pressures bear on the initial framing of zero carbon in the regulations, and the resulting definition is sufficiently broad to leave many specific translations to the design process. Architects play a pivotal role in translation. This thesis draws on both interviews with architects and on ethnographic observation of an architectural practice to unpick the process of translation. Architects feel uncertain about the concept, have little trust in it, and rely on ideas and information from the media, engineers, and other sources. Architects reposition themselves as intermediaries to benefit from the zero-carbon drive and further their influence over the design process. The translation process is subject to power struggles between designers - typically architects and engineers - as it becomes entangled in many other design agendas. The thesis concludes that uncertainty about the meaning of zero carbon attracts innovative architectural design responses, but also causes considerable social upheaval within the design professions. It results in a realignment of power and a new focus on intermediation as a practice for architects. Translation is subject to the risk of failure, as some zero carbon buildings could produce unexpected carbon dioxide emissions. In order to achieve the desired carbon dioxide emissions reductions, regulation needs to define adequately ambitious targets, needs to be linked to on-site testing, and has to be subject to effective enforcement.