Rethinking indoor climate control in historic buildings: The importance of negotiated priorities and discursive hegemony at a Swedish museum

Abstract

Much effort has in recent years been directed to support sustainable indoor climate control strategies in historic buildings. In this paper we show the necessity to complement the dominant technical approaches with research that take a wider interest in specific contexts, social practices, and negotiated decisions. The objective of the paper is to illustrate how the interactions between perceptions and experiences of different professional groups are pivotal for the management of the indoor climate. An ethnographic study of decision making in an historic house museum was carried out in 2009 and 2012. Interviews were made with individuals who either took part in management or were affected by the indoor climate. The findings show how discussions among social actors and the way their respective priorities are negotiated are essential features of the management of the indoor climate and have a strong impact on the ability to modify it. It turns out that a hegemonic discourse about preservation as the dominant rationale for indoor climate control in tandem with “acceptable” conditions with respect to preservation have reinforced a state of stability. This explorative study opens up for a re-framing of how a more sustainable management of historic buildings can be achieved.