Healy, S (2008) Air-conditioning and the 'homogenization' of people and built environments. Building Research & Information, 36(4), pp. 312-322. ISSN 0961-3218
Abstract
Recent research contests dominant conceptions of thermal comfort and the forms of life these constitute motivated by the energy-intensive character of thermal monotony. Thermal monotony is maintained via scientifically delineated norms of thermal comfort that configure a standardized, homogenous 'comfort zone'. The homogeneity of this zone is reflected in complementarily homogenous embodied dispositions, cultural norms, buildings and built environments that increasingly displace heterogeneous alternatives. The complex interdependencies among these things is explored by investigating how thermal comfort standards fundamentally shape forms of life and the built environments supportive of them. The analysis applies a, primarily, Foucauldian perspective to historical accounts of the emergence of air-conditioning to illuminate how the power of thermal comfort standards can be explained in terms of how they are constructed. The final section explores the relevance of these insights for the promotion of alternative approaches to thermal comfort.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | air-conditioning; comfort; governmentality; indoor environmental quality; michel foucault; normalization; standardization; thermal monotony |
| Index terms: | standardization, built environment, thermal comfort, governmentality, comfort, indoor environmental quality, norms, emergence, promotion |
| Subjects: | government bodies, occupational health and safety management, sociology, infrastructure and transport systems, systems engineering, environmental engineering, environmental health, performance measurement, management |
| Topics: | Quality Management, Human Resources, Urban Studies, Sustainability, Governance, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Health and Safety |
| Descriptive scope: | 2 PC |
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