Radical methodology: the design and commercialisation nexus in research innovation on personal thermal comfort

The alternatives to the business-as-usual scenario involves radical change. Whilst technological advancement is a key aspect to adaptation, scientific validity does not in itself guarantee the success of an innovation. A survey of ideas like the Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan and the Solar Chimney reveal how the most promising solutions could be crippled by political lethargy. Is it possible to solve the consequence of capitalist economies and consumer society with the same attitudes that created the problem? A vital but often overlooked approach is research commercialisation. This endeavour can help academics navigate the frustration of having their research, albeit academically sound, face rejection in the business world. For sustained radical change, commercial considerations need to be factored into the innovation and implementation framework. This paper explores Lakatosian heuristics as an unconventional research methodology, but one suited for confronting complex issues, with a focus on thermal comfort in an energy-constrained world.

In this inter-disciplinary undertaking involving sociological, physiological and engineering considerations, the solution was resolved by adopting a design-based approach unique and typical of the architectural studio.