Actor Network Theory as a tool to understand the sustainable use of the historic built environment for the provision of commercial hospitality property

The relationship between buildings and the people that inhabit and utilise them is complex and multifaceted. This complexity is dependent on a number of interconnected factors such as; the nature of the building, the building’s status and its use, all of which affect the perception of the building and its contribution to the local environment. The purpose of this paper is to consider what happens when a particular set of these factors combine. Hospitality and the built environment are interdependent upon one another and have been so ever since the inception of civilisation (O’Gorman 2010). The commercialisation of hospitality has been accompanied over the centuries by a combination of the development of specific buildings and the adaptation of existing buildings for hospitality purposes. This has led to the adaptation, revitalisation and rejuvenation of post-industrial buildings for commercial hospitality purposes as a key means to achieve the continued and sustainable us of the historic built environment (Mc Neill, 2008, Bell, 2005). This creation of hospitality outlets in character buildings can be seen as a ‘lightest touch’ option allowing the implementation of conservation and planning legislation, an option that also provides the possibility of income generation and employment creation with continued public access and therefore fulfils their obligation not only to preserve such buildings but also to achieve sustainable development (PCPAct, 2004). While adaption can result in operational and financial challenges (Ransley and Ingram, 2004) these can be countered by opportunities for brand management. Current UK Government advice is that developers and policy makers should see the historic built environment as an asset, with economically viable reuse being encouraged as a means of achieving sustainable development (DCLG 2012). But in order to achieve successful adaptation an understanding of the relationship between buildings, people, operations and legislation is necessary. The alternative ontological perspective offered by Actor-Network Theory (Law, 1999, Latour, 2005), bridges the traditional social-physical divide and provides a tool for allowing the relationship between hospitality and the built environment to be understood.