ABSTRACT
Building research, particularly with respect to energy performance, appears to be undergoing a transformation not seen since the first oil crisis. Governments have begun to recognize the scale and urgency of the challenge presented by climate change and that buildings can make a substantial contribution to reducing national carbon emissions (DTI, 2007). Thus, building research is likely to focus increasingly on climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies across the built stock. In research terms, this translates into a rapid shift from more familiar small-scale projects, such as exemplar or prototype buildings of design and academic interest, to field studies that generate the kind and scale of empirical evidence that can inform energy policies at the national level.
