Simpson, K, Murtagh, N and Owen, A orcid.org/0000-0002-1240-9319 (2021) Domestic retrofit: understanding capabilities of micro-enterprise building practitioners. Buildings and Cities, 2 (1). pp. 449-466. ISSN 2632-6655
Abstract
To deliver effective domestic retrofit at scale, it is essential to understand the current and required capabilities of building practitioners working in the repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) of existing buildings. Capability research in the construction sector has previously focused on large projects, but small, and particularly, micro-firms that undertake RMI and form 77% of workers in construction, are under-researched. This gap is addressed by the present study on the capabilities of the practitioners and the contextual opportunities to deploy capabilities. The study analysed data from interviews (n = 27) with micro-enterprise building practitioners working in the UK’s RMI sector. Template analysis was conducted by applying an established model of behaviour change: Capability, Opportunity, Motivation—Behaviour (COM-B). Under Capability, three main themes were identified: knowledge, business management and individual characteristics. Under Opportunities, the main themes were state action, market and customer demand, technology diffusion, networks and business management. Under Motivation the themes were pride in work, good working relationships, maintaining a viable business and customer satisfaction. Practitioners are continually learning and problem-solving, developing trust and creating positive professional relationships. Working with these existing capabilities, experiential learning on-site and peer-to-peer training are recommended to scale up capability. For capabilities to be deployed, policy must enable opportunities across the multiple contexts micro-enterprise practitioners operate within, including training and incentives across the supply chain network and in stimulating demand.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
Keywords: | building practitioners, capability, construction industry, energy efficiency, housing, labour, micro-enterprise, retrofit, vocational training |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Sainsburys Family Charitable Trusts No External Ref EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) EP/L024756/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 07 May 2021 08:49 |
Last Modified: | 27 Feb 2023 12:59 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Ubiquity Press |
Identification Number: | 10.5334/bc.106 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:173614 |