Title: The SusHouse Methodology. Design Orienting Scenarios for Sustainable Solutions

Authors: Philip Vergragt, Ken Green

Addresses: Faculty of Design, Engineering and Production Delft University of Technology Delft The Netherlands ' Manchester School of Management UMIST Manchester UK ' kgreen161@aol.com

Abstract: This paper describes the conclusions of the SusHouse (Strategies towards the Sustainable Household) Project that has been exploring possible socially and technologically innovative strategies for sustainable households.The Project has covered 3 household \'functions\': Clothing Care, Shelter (Heating, Cooling and Lighting) and Food (Shopping, Cooking and Eating). These have been studied in 5 European countries (Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, and UK). The methodology of the Project has involved stakeholder workshops, the construction of design-orienting scenarios, environmental, economic and consumer assessment of the scenarios and strategy formulation. The paper describes: * the methodology for devising Design-Orienting Scenarios, with examples from the three Functions * the results of environmental, economic and consumer acceptability assessments of these Scenarios * comments on how the methodology can be developed and applied. The methodology is specifically applicable by designers who are leading multi-stakeholder sustainable innovation processes aimed at large shifts in technology and use.

Keywords: sustainability, households, innovation, scenarios

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2001.009810

Journal of Design Research, 2001 Vol.1 No.2, pp.9 - 26

Published online: 10 Aug 2005 *

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