Experiencing the heat transition by making choices together
The challenge
In the switch from natural gas to alternatives for cooking, showering and heating, the choice does not rest with one person. Not all information is available to everyone, and each actor applies its own conditions. With a collective system, building owners must decide together where they would normally decide alone.
The design question
How do we make the motivations of actors and the consequences of choices visible, so an open dialogue about the heating concept can get going?
Our approach
We developed a decision and dialogue game driven by playing cards. Three triggers spark the conversation: changing municipal objectives, choosing a personal critical success factor, and deciding which technical scenarios — collective or individual — get developed. A game leader guides the dialogue and gradually releases new information.
The route
The game is based on the Amstel III case in Amsterdam Zuidoost, where waste heat from data centres makes a local heat network possible. Because of COVID, the game is playable both offline (a board game with cards) and online (via whiteboard software MIRO).
The outcome
The RiRa Heat Network Game is first used in education, where students explore positions and options. Project partners also see opportunities to develop the game further for real-world area cases.
Key facts
- Client
- Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
- Project
- RiRa Heat Network Game
- Sector
- Education and energy transition
- Year
- 2021
- Audience
- Students, building owners and stakeholders in the heat transition
- Format
- Decision and dialogue game (online and offline)
- Preludens role
- Game design and development