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Sustainability in Energy and Buildings pp 223–233Cite as

Maslow in the Mud. Contrast Between Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Thermal Performance in Historic Buildings

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Part of the book series: Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies ((SIST,volume 163))

Abstract

This paper argues that the notion of comfort is first and foremost related to subjective choices and individual value systems. The article presents results from research on the perception and measurements of the thermal qualities of heritage buildings in Lincolnshire, UK. The qualitative and quantitative results identified a strong contrast between different methodologies. Inhabitants describe as comfortable houses which would not be considered comfortable if a standard positivist approach was used. The conflict presented will be discussed in the context of sustainable strategies in architecture.

… not everything that can be counted counts,

and not everything that counts can be counted.

—William Bruce Cameron [1]

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Lincoln, Lincoln, LN6 7TS, UK

    Marcin Mateusz Kołakowski

Authors
  1. Marcin Mateusz Kołakowski
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Correspondence to Marcin Mateusz Kołakowski .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Art and Design, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, UK

    John Littlewood

  2. Bournemouth University, Poole, UK

    Robert J. Howlett

  3. Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy

    Alfonso Capozzoli

  4. University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia

    Lakhmi C. Jain

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Kołakowski, M.M. (2020). Maslow in the Mud. Contrast Between Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Thermal Performance in Historic Buildings. In: Littlewood, J., Howlett, R., Capozzoli, A., Jain, L. (eds) Sustainability in Energy and Buildings. Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies, vol 163. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9868-2_19

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