Search

Do architecture and interior architecture contribute to the happiness of people? Do these design disciplines have a role to play in enhancing possibilities for people to work on their happiness? To answer these questions, the first section of this paper discusses different factors that contribute to happiness: genetics, life circumstantial factors and intentional activities. Next, these factors are refined specifically from the viewpoint of architecture and interior architecture, whereby it is demonstrated how these disciplines can be considered as a life circumstantial factor that contributes to happiness. In the second section, a selection of techniques for exploring happiness and gaining insight in different factors contributing to happiness are discussed. Here, the authors discuss the set-up and use of a ‘Happiness Circle’, an exploratory tool which they developed in order to gain insight in the specific contribution that architecture and interior architecture can have regarding happiness. The results of an exploratory study wherein 212 research participants were involved demonstrate that architecture and interior architecture have a role to play in determining people’s happiness, which opens various promising opportunities for future design projects.

Literature, governmental and policy goals reveal a need to merge the, until now separately considered, concepts of Universal Design (UD) and Energy Efficiency (EE) in home renovations. Using the concept of Comfort from the perspective of homeowners, as a framework that unifies UD and EE, a list of 21 comfort indicators was developed. This paper discusses a survey undertaken with 145 homeowners to check whether these comfort indicators were indeed important from a homeowner’s perspective when building or renovating their home. It also looked at their relative importance and any possible interconnections between the indicators. In addition, the survey explored the triggers and goals of home renovations. The results show that the developed list of comfort indicators can be considered reasonably concise and complete. Comfort factors fall into 3 groups of importance with EE associated indicators located somewhere in the middle pack. This order does not significantly change between people who plan to build a new home, those who plan to renovate, and those who do not have concrete plans yet. The deeper understanding of indoor comfort indicators and their importance for homeowners supports our efforts to develop a user-focused synergetic merger of UD and EE under the umbrella of indoor environmental comfort in practice and research.

In order to achieve a sustainable built environment by 2050, the European building stock needs to be retrofitted. Also in Belgium, with 75% of the residential buildings built before 1980, deep energy renovation is stimulated. The Flemish government premises long term goals for the energy performance of the existing building stock in the Renovation Pact (2014). To be able to monitor the progress and effectiveness of the Renovation Pact, knowledge of the actual renovation rate is indispensable. Since years, a renovation rate of 0.7% to 1% is communicated as an argument that renovation should be stimulated. However, there is little empirical evidence for this figure and how it reflects the actual energy renovation activity. Furthermore, non-energy renovation activities are considered as possible gate for home owners towards energy renovation, but little is known about these renovation activities. Since 2013, a yearly survey is done by Essencia Marketing, a marketing agency specialized in the construction sector, on the renovation activity of Belgian households. A representative sample of 1000 households indicates their renovation activity in the previous year through an online questionnaire on structural works (façade, wall, roof, etc.), technical works (HVAC, electricity, etc.) and energetic works (insulation, windows, etc.). For the period 2012-2018, the results show that each year almost 2,1% undertakes a deep energy renovation activity (excluding decorative works). To better estimate the energy renovation activity in Belgium, the paper will firstly discuss the different types of renovation works home-owners execute, and determine the share of energy related renovations. This will be confronted with official statistics on (energy) renovation. Then the non-energy renovation activity will be discussed to determine the share of renovations that could serve as a gate to promote deep energy renovation. This could inform policy makers on policy actions to stimulate combined renovations.