Abstract
ABSTRACTThe importance of post-occupancy evaluation (POE) is widely acknowledged in the academic literature, industry press and, increasingly, by professional institutes. Learning from previous projects systematically is central to improving building performance, resulting in a built environment that better fits the needs of clients, end users, wider society and the environment. The key role of architects in pushing forward this agenda has been recognized, however evidence suggests that take up of POE is low across the profession. Whilst research has investigated barriers to POE across the construction industry, very little has considered the unique perspective of architects. In-depth interviews with UK-based architects are presented to explore their experiences in relation to POE and their perspectives on its potential to be a standard part of architectural practice. The findings indicate that a considerable amount of practical work is being undertaken, but uncertainty over what constitutes POE means it is often excluded from the POE label – with significant implications for the development of a rigorous evidence base. An appetite is identified for more holistic evaluation measures that move beyond the current preoccupation with energy efficiency to consider other aspects of building performance, and thereby sustainability, in a wider value framework.
Highlights
The construction industry is frequently cited as being inefficient, of poor quality and unable to improve over time (Egan, 1998; Farmer, 2016)
In the context of the professional institutes (RIBA, 2016; Watson et al, 2015), researchers (Bordass & Leaman, 2005; Guerra-Santin & Tweed, 2015; Preiser, 2003) and teachers (SCHOSA, 2015) calling for post-occupancy evaluation (POE) to become more widely employed in the construction industry, this paper has explored the unique perspective of architects themselves
The thematic evidence drawn from interviews with UK-based architects with an existing interest in POE has revealed a number of common perspectives, experiences and issues relating to POE in practice
Summary
The construction industry is frequently cited as being inefficient, of poor quality and unable to improve over time (Egan, 1998; Farmer, 2016). Within architecture – the field on which this article focuses – surveys indicate that take-up is very low, with only 3% of British-based architectural practices regularly undertaking POE on housing projects (Clark, 2015), only 9% of chartered practices offering POE to clients, and none generating revenues from POE services (The Fees Bureau & RIBA, 2015) This is despite recent evidence of a willingness and desire amongst British architects to undertake research and evaluation in practice (Dye & Samuel, 2015; RIBA, 2014). The research to date on POE in architecture has been drawn from high-level surveys (The Fees Bureau & RIBA, 2015) and large research programmes (Bordass et al, 2001a, 2001b; Palmer et al, 2016) These studies provide evidence that POE is not happening in practice, but do not explore the qualitative reasons why. Location of operation International South East, UK UK International UK UK International International North of England, UK International UK North West, UK
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