Designers’ intentions versus users’ perceptions: a comparison of two refurbished office buildings

Abstract

Following on from his investigation of the performance in practice of over 30 new commercial and institutional buildings worldwide from the point of view of users, the author and his associates conducted a detailed investigation of two major office refurbishments in Wellington, New Zealand. The main aims were to see how the refurbished buildings were perceived by the occupants, how these perceptions compared with the worldwide set of mainly new buildings, and what design processes were employed. The investigation involved interviewing members of the design teams and conducting a questionnaire survey of the users of each building. It was found that both buildings scored very well for their design and overall comfort, but there were significant differences in the users’ perceptions of health and productivity. One building was found to perform considerably better than the worldwide sample average, and the other on a par with or slightly under the average. These case studies give a clear indication that refurbishments and even fit-outs within the constraints of an existing shell are quite capable of equalling and even surpassing the performance of completely new designs from the point of view of building users, and that a design approach more inclusive of the prospective occupants can result in significantly better users’ perceptions of a building.