The Structure and Dynamics of the Residential Building Environment: Which Mechanisms Determine the Development of the Building Stock?

The residential built environment and the belonging values creation network consisting of several interdependent actors has not obtained much attention from the field of science. Even though much literature exists about the diffusion of innovations (e.g., Rogers 1995), the diffusion process of innovations in the residential building system is not fully understood. Hence, the enormous potential to reduce CO2-emmsions cannot be captured. The authors try to elaborate the different processes in the built environment in order to provide policy interventions based on a simulation study. Based on this research project, we present interconnections between the different actors in the system. Thereby, we depict the inner structure of each important
actor group by some detail. In the current version of the paper, some details about the architects and the production supply chain consisting of producer-supplier-technical firm is provided. For the other actors, empirical survey research is in the process of being executed, after the completion of which dedicated models can be presented, different policies tested and implications discussed.