Post-occupancy evaluation on people’s perception of comfort, adaptation and seasonal performance of sustainable housing: a case study of three prefabricated structural timber housing developments

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper discusses the results of the post-occupancy evaluation conducted in three-prefabricated timber housing developments. The study investigated occupants’ perception of comfort, adaptation to the thermal environment, and seasonal performance of the buildings. The buildings are constructed with engineered timber products (SIPs and CLT). The survey was conducted in the summer, but it also evaluated the performance of the buildings in winter. The results show 81% of the respondents feel ‘warm’ in summer. More than 50% of the respondents feel ‘neutral’ or ‘slightly warm’ in winter. Over 90% of the participants confirmed the use of control with higher control satisfaction. Higher control satisfaction votes observed in one of the buildings are found to be strongly influenced by the occupancy period and ownership status. The respondents who are satisfied with control perceived a high level of control across the case study buildings. The importance of control for thermal comfort/satisfaction may be a contributing factor as control increases; a key suggestion for widening the adaptive actions of people in buildings. Overall, the results showed the occupants did not perceive extreme summertime overheating at the buildings, despite higher thermal sensation votes (summer) recorded during the survey. The study provides an insight into occupants’ perception of comfort and adaptation in the buildings. The study identifies the significant impact of control on occupants’ comfort and adaptation. The paper concludes that the buildings perform better in winter than summer.