Innovate- Evaluate Learn: The Importance of Iterative Research

“Within the profession in general, there has never been a consistent pattern of innovation, evaluation and learning applied to the design of housing” (Plunz 1990). Affordable, sustainable, well-designed housing is a rising concern. While we have amassed significant knowledge into methods for realizing comfortable, healthy, sustainable housing, through design/build programs in post-professional education throughout North America, more information is needed on the long-term performance of projects. It is through the acquisition and evaluation of housing performance data that we can close the loop and move beyond “one-off” construction, towards meaningful change in addressing responsible affordable housing. The necessity for a reiterative loop in housing research that considers project evaluation is widely acknowledged (Plunz 1990, Kieran 2007, Weinstock 2008, Dulaney 2013). Goals of the iterative process are to synthesize information from previous projects to yield new knowledge, disseminate findings to improve home performance, and implement new information into future design/build projects. But the methods for evaluation and, more importantly, dissemination of knowledge are only beginning to emerge, if at all. Dialog around these topics is necessary to improve the delivery and efficacy of affordable housing and design/build as research, pedagogy and practice. This paper will present emerging protocols for project innovation, evaluation, and iterative learning being developed by a multidisciplinary team of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students at a NAAB accredited university. The research group is dedicated to the investigation of the entire “life-cycle” of housing – design & construction methods through performance evaluation and optimization – in order to inform more responsible housing solutions for more resource conscious living. In our research, responsible housing means well-designed energy-efficient housing that is affordable over the entire life cycle of the home. Affordability addresses both the initial costs of providing housing and the long-term energy-related expenses carried forth by the resident. One of the foci of the research group is the establishment of tools and methodologies for evaluation that contribute to reflective learning and improving the design of subsequent projects. The work that will be presented has grown out of involvement on multiple Solar Decathlon and affordable housing projects undertaken in collaboration with a local housing authority. The paper is a reflection on previous projects in the interest of identifying opportunities as we embark on another ambitious design/build project.

Volume Editors
Sergio Palleroni, Ted Cavanagh & Ursula Hartig

ISBN
978-0-935502-94-7