Making the 3000m2 Prototype

Abstract

The paper reveals insights from the project 3000m2 Prototype, a project where the design researcher investigates the making of her own house as a site of negotiation between professional building practices, use practices and material resources. The research draws on science and technology studies (STS) as the point of analytical departure alongside a material–reflective approach of practice–based design. The design of everyday living technologies, like the warm water and bathroom installations, is negotiated between the users, the professional builders, and the environmental forces, which inscribe the future use of these technologies. These emerging scripts are presented and discussed, revealing tension and misalignment between programmes of action in which builders are enrolled and those where the future user wants to design her house use in a resource-conscious way. This paper proposes the alignment of professional, use and resource considerations as a form of co–design of everyday living technologies. It argues that a more collaborative designing incorporating professional, use and resource considerations can produce technologies that lead to more sustainable living.