Residents’ thermal comfort in Swedish newly built homes: political aesthetics and atmospheric practices

Abstract

This paper draws on a case study of newly constructed passive houses in Sweden and explores how architecture and the material influence everyday life. We suggest the new aesthetics as a potential theoretical tool for understanding user experiences of low-energy housing, an approach that considers how atmospheres are produced and consumed, by whom and by what means. We approach passive house designs as the materialisation of environmental sustainability, facilitating the fulfilment of long-term goals for energy efficiency and renewable materials. In our case study, apartment designs involving lofts, timber and extensive glazing sometimes conflicted with the passive house concept once the residents had settled in their homes. Some designs, for example lofts, failed to facilitate comfortable everyday life, while designs with renewable materials enhanced a homely atmosphere. We propose to acknowledge the labour that is required by the residents of these buildings to create thermal comfort at home.