Integrating persuasive technology in prototypes of interior walls to stimulate behavioural change

Sustainability has gained influence and importance in the building industry since the 1960s. Originally, sustainable materials and energy reduction have been in the spotlight, but recently other aspects have become more influential as well, such as trying to influence people’s behaviour. This paper explores the possibility of influencing behaviour through the use of the Built Environment. Due to the fact that people spend 87% of their time indoors, the adaptation of buildings presents an opportunity to contribute to decreasing energy and resource consumption through behaviour change. One way of accomplishing this is persuasive technology, since its definition contains any interactive system designed to change people’s attitudes or behaviours. However, at present, most of the applications of this technology can be found in the fields of industrial design and computer sciences. Hardly any literature specifically deals with the incorporation of technology aimed to persuade humans through the use of buildings or building elements. Nonetheless, the technology identified in literature can be applied to the built environment. To integrate this persuading technology in the built environment, we have chosen to develop a prototype of an interior wall meant to stimulate behaviour change. In this research paper we will explain this prototype in further detail. In the discussion, this article will evaluate feedback and suggest areas for future investigation. Furthermore, implications of these prototypes of interior walls to stimulate behaviour change in the design process will be elaborated upon. Lastly, due to the limited knowledge on this subject, this article serves as a foundation for future development of other persuasive (prefab) building elements.