Ambitions at work: Professional practices and the energy performance of non-residential buildings in Norway

Capturing the relations between formal standards, technologies and actual professional work requires interdisciplinary research. Taking professional practices as the starting point, the article draws on facility management and social practice theory, and case studies mapping energy management and use practices in buildings with high performance ambitions in Norway, informed by interviews with owner, facility management and user representatives. This article presents and compares results from two office buildings. It demonstrates and discusses how characteristics of and relationships between professional practices and standards influence the realisation of ambitions, pointing out opportunities for actually achieving and sustaining the targeted energy performance levels.