The Hidden Game of Heritage Retrofit : A Qualitative Case Study on Coordination Mechanisms in Energy Retrofit Processes for Heritage Buildings in Norway

Sammanfattning

Energy retrofit in heritage buildings is often framed as a technical challenge: how to improve energy performance without compromising cultural and historical value. This thesis argues that the more critical challenge is organizational. The implementation of technical solutions depend on how actors coordinate interpretations, responsibilities, investment decision, regulatory requirements, and building-specific constraints within the project arena. A qualitative case study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with key actors involved in Norwegian heritage retrofit projects. Selected elements of the Mission-Oriented Innovation Systems (MIS) framework were applied to identify relevant actors and structure the analytical scope of the study. The interviewees included property owners, a facility manager, a solution provider, a building-case officer from the Municipality of Oslo (Plan- og bygningsetaten), a heritage advisor (Byantikvaren), a project coordinator, and a seasoned restoration architect, both being central in large transformation projects in Oslo. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The analysis led to eight sub-themes, which suggest that a successful retrofit project depends on six coordination mechanisms: (1) interpretive alignment, (2) technical feasibility integration, (3) decision-value translation, (4) relational-contractual coordination, (5) decision-support and uncertainty reduction, and (6) positional coordination and tactical information sharing. The findings suggest that successful heritage retrofit depends less on the availability of technical solutions and more on the ability to align actors, knowledge, and decision-making processes across regulatory, economic, operational, and cultural domains. Keywords: Heritage Retrofit, Low-Invasive Retrofit, Energy Retrofit, Coordination Mechanisms, Adaptive Reuse, Mission-Oriented Innovation Systems