Post-occupancy Evaluation Surveys Research Articles

Exploring the Benefits of Mass Timber Construction in the Workplace: A Novel Primer for Research

Mass timber construction has recently gained popularity due to its outstanding environmental benefits and building performance, which hold revolutionary potential for the construction industry. However, its impacts from the perspective of occupants have not been thoroughly explored. This study introduces an innovative empirical approach that explores the potential benefits of mass timber construction for individuals and organizations, with an emphasis on the workplace. We review the conceptual framework regarding how visual and physical exposure to timber construction materials and finishes have a positive effect on individuals and organizations at a broad level. We propose a more holistic mixed-method behavioral approach to studying occupant behavior and well-being by integrating self-reported questionnaires, objective biomarkers (heart rate variability and hair cortisol), and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) measures. Our study offers a novel research primer on the exploration of mass timber construction impacts and benefits for both office workers and construction workers. Participants from different office settings completed pre- and post-occupancy evaluation surveys to assess their experiences, including IEQ satisfaction, productivity, and health. Office workers were located in three different offices: a controlled laboratory environment, an open-plan office, and an open-plan space with a timber interior. The construction workers worked in a timber space for three months and then moved to work in a building with a concrete structure. The analysis included descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and linear regression to compare differences between office settings and assess the relationship between environmental variables and overall satisfaction in IEQ, comfort, productivity, and health. In office workers, in terms of building image, thermal comfort, and artificial lighting, the data analysis revealed significant differences in occupants’ satisfaction levels between office settings. However, the low number of participants affected the results, and some factors were not found significant in relation to the office setting. Among tradespeople, there was no relationship between the building environment and productivity, health, or comfort. However, the results of hair cortisol testing indicated that working in a timber space can decrease the level of cortisol (stress) and have an impact on the productivity of workers. Such occupant’s perspective research is pivotal to informing policy makers, developers, business owners, construction professionals, timber industry stakeholders, environmentalists, and researchers in their decision-making processes. Fostering the future widespread adoption and advancement of mass timber construction.

Analyzing the Sablettes Promenade's User Satisfaction in Algiers to Improve the Quality of Coastal Promenades in Algeria

One of the most interesting achievements of Algiers Bay nowadays is the Sablettes Promenade, which was developedaccording to a strategic plan for 2031-2035. It has a lot of features and amenities that have drawn a wide range ofpeople, but there are many negative factors influencing the experience of its users. The aim of this study was to exploreusers'perceptions by analyzing their satisfaction using a post-occupancy evaluation survey, executed with a sample of271 users, and the results were processed with SPSS Statistics version 26. The results clearly showed the level of users’satisfaction with the following criteria: economy of use, management, attractiveness, safety and security, mobility,accessibility, urban ambience, urban composition, arrangements, and environmental quality, while detecting factorsthat could improve user satisfaction in each criterion. This enabled us to extract characteristics for the design anddevelopment of future urban coastal promenades in Algeria.

Honeymoon-hangover effect: Occupant workspace satisfaction decreases over time

This paper investigates the pattern of change in occupants’ satisfaction with the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) of their workspace over time. Analyses were performed on a cumulative (2012–2023) database of responses to a Post-Occupancy Evaluation survey in Australia. 20,400 questionnaire responses from 226 office buildings were classified into five groups based on the length of time respondents had occupied their workspace. Associations between workspace satisfaction and the length of time respondents had occupied their workspace were also analysed for different gender and age cohorts. Our results show that occupant satisfaction generally decreased with the length of time they had been allocated to their present workspaces (the ‘honeymoon-hangover’ effect). People who have occupied their workspace for more than 5 years expressed lower overall satisfaction with their workspace than those who have been there for less than 6 months. The same pattern was observed for occupants’ satisfaction with other IEQ dimensions including building image and maintenance, indoor air quality, spatial comfort, and thermal comfort. This ‘honeymoon-hangover’ effect was evident across genders and age groups. Furthermore, there was negligible difference between the two genders on the ‘honeymoon-hangover’ effect, although thermal comfort and indoor air quality were generally less satisfactory for women than men. Respondents aged 30 yrs or less showed a larger decline in satisfaction over time compared to those over 50-yrs old. Within the 30-year-or-under age group, occupants who had spent more than 5 years at their workspaces consistently registered the lowest satisfaction score across all IEQ dimensions. Implications and impactsThe findings in this study have significant implications for the design of Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) surveys and for facility managers aiming to enhance occupants' satisfaction with their workspace and workplace.

“Do office workers’ comments corroborate the ratings they give their buildings?” A qualitative analysis of comments on operational factors in the workplace

PurposeThis paper aims to illustrate the extensive benefits of qualitative data analysis as a rarely undertaken process in post-occupancy evaluation surveys. As a result, there is limited evidence of what occupants say about their buildings, especially for operational parameters, as opposed to how they rate them. While quantitative analyses provide useful information on how workers feel about workplace operational factors, qualitative analyses provide richer information on what aspects of the workplace workers identify as influential to their comfort, well-being and productivity.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analysed 6,938 comments from office buildings worldwide on workers’ perception of workplace operational factors: design, storage, needs, space at desks and storage in their work environments. These factors were analysed based on the buildings’ design intent and use, and the associated comments were coded into positive, negative and balanced comments. The authors used a combination of coding, descriptive analysis, content analysis and word cloud to dissect the comments.FindingsThe findings showed that whereas workers rated these operational factors favourably, there were significantly more negative comments about each factor. Also, the Chi-square test showed a significant association (p < 0.01) between the satisfaction scale and the type of comments received for all the operational factors. This means that when a factor is rated high in the satisfaction score (5–7), there were fewer negative and more positive comments and vice versa. The word cloud analysis highlighted vital aspects of the office environment the workers mostly commented on, such as open plan design, natural lighting, space and windows, toilets, facilities, kitchens, meeting room booking systems, storage and furniture.Research limitations/implicationsThis study highlights the importance of dissecting building occupants’ comments as integral to building performance monitoring and measurement. These emphasise the richness and value of respondents’ comments and the importance of critically analysing them. A limitation is that only 6,938 comments were viable for analysis because most comments were either incomplete with no meaning or were not provided. This underlines the importance of encouraging respondents to comment and express their feelings in questionnaire surveys. Also, the building use studies questionnaire data set presents extensive opportunities for further analyses of interrelationships between demographics, building characteristics and environmental and operational factors.Practical implicationsThe findings from this study can be applied to future projects and facility management to maintain and improve office buildings throughout their life cycle. Also, these findings are essential in predicting the requirements of future workplaces for robust workplace designs and management.Originality/valueThe authors identified specific comments on the performance of workplaces across the globe, showing similarities and differences between sustainable, conventional, commercial and institutional buildings. Specifically, the analysis showed that office workers’ comments do not always corroborate the ratings they give their buildings. There was a significantly higher percentage of negative comments than positive comments despite the high satisfaction scores of the operational factors.

The potential of high-performance workplaces for boosting worker productivity, health, and creativity: A comparison between WELL and non-WELL certified environments

Although there is abundance of research on Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in offices, aspects beyond IEQ that can affect occupants’ satisfaction and performance are not well understood. Additionally, rapid adaptation of certification schemes and scarcity of evidence in evaluating if the workplaces with these schemes outperform other workplaces necessitate research in this area. In this study, a total of 1403 Post-Occupancy Evaluation surveys from 14 open-plan offices (10 WELL-certified and 4 uncertified) in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong were analysed. Key drivers of productivity, creativity, and health were investigated. Satisfaction with visual privacy and access to the outdoor environment emerged as key predictors for productivity, and layout and interior design was the main predictor for creativity. Organizational aspects were the key drivers for mental health; privacy and IEQ for physical health; and privacy and connection to the outdoor environment for overall health. The five offices that achieved the highest satisfaction in layout and interior design, IEQ, privacy and connection to the outdoor environment, and organizational aspects were all WELL certified, so a comparison was conducted between WELL and non-WELL offices. Satisfaction with the physical configuration of the space and organizational aspects were generally higher in WELL-certified offices. There were no significant differences in health between WELL and non-WELL offices, however fewer Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) complaints and musculoskeletal discomfort were less reported in WELL offices. More than 20% of respondents were dissatisfied with the physical environment regardless of being WELL or non-WELL certified.

The post-renovation indoor environmental quality in a research institute: 3D visualization in the map

This study aims to evaluate and analyse how a renovation impacts occupant satisfaction through a pre-and post-occupancy evaluation with physical measurements and occupant satisfaction survey. The study was performed for the HVAC renovation of a research institute in Korea. Online occupant survey was conducted in 2021 winter before renovation and in 2022 summer after renovation. Both surveys were performed by using Korean Building Occupant Survey System (K-BOSS) which is integrated building open data including spatial information. The physical measurements through sensors were conducted simultaneously with surveys. In terms of sensor measurement, representative IEQ factors such as temperature, relative humidity, CO2 concentration, and illuminance were measured. The surveys included three main indoor environmental quality categories such as thermal comfort, air quality, lighting environment. The measured results were analysed via T-test. As a result, the study found a statistically significant improvement with HVAC renovation about relative humidity in physical measurements and thermal comfort, air quality, overall occupant satisfaction in the survey. The results are displayed in the 3D (three dimensional) indoor map to help intuitively view gap between pre- and post-occupancy evaluation. Overall, the pre- and post-occupation evaluation survey analyses supported the beneficial effects of IEQ in the renovated building. In conclusion, the study provides a thorough examination of the effect on occupant satisfaction with IEQ of the data-driven changes collected from pre- and post-occupancy evaluation surveys.

The impact of lighting trespass on nearby buildings and their inhabitants which derives from municipal stadiums. Early results from a post occupancy evaluation survey

Outdoor lighting has a more significant environmental influence on flora and fauna than humans mainly because of the shortest time period that they may be spending outdoors. Yet, light trespass has an equally important influence on people since it may affect the living conditions in their everyday life, and consequently, their prosperity. The present study investigates houses with facades in front of municipal stadiums with no audience and affected by their lighting. The prevailing visual atmosphere caused by the lighting levels and its improper direction is definitely intrusive separating the indoor and outdoor environment. This anthropocentric research, conducted via the Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) methodology, aims to detect the visual and psychological effects and consequences of the visual surrounding caused by light pollution because of outdoor night lighting in an urban environment.

The Comparative Analysis for the New Approach to Three Tourism-Oriented Heritage Districts in the United Arab Emirates

This study investigates the tourism-oriented heritage districts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and explores a new approach to fostering heritage tourism. This is envisaged through conducting a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) to detect the characteristics of the tourism-oriented heritage districts from the residents and tourists. The systematic evaluation of opinions is based on indicators developed by UNESCO and ICOMOS international principles. According to the survey results, it is found that Dubai’s approach was successful at reuniting people with their history via modern materials in the restoration works. This has preserved the heritage value and increased their culture and national identity. The social goal to reconnect residents to their cultural history has been realized despite the inconsistencies compared to the specification of the World Heritage Convention, which requires technical authenticity and integrity. People perceived the identities of tourism-oriented heritage districts in Dubai, Sharjah, and Ajman differently. Based on the POE survey, the Shindagha area and Al Fahidi Historical Area in Dubai were perceived as traditional destinations for tourist attractions. The Heart of Sharjah area was perceived as cultural and educational tourism, and the Ajman Heritage District area was perceived as community tourism.

Do Green Buildings Have Superior Performance over Non-Certified Buildings? Occupants’ Perceptions of Strengths and Weaknesses in Office Buildings

The main objectives of green buildings are to improve their design and operation. Many studies have investigated whether green buildings lead to higher occupant satisfaction, yet with contradictory conclusions. The paper builds on the results of post-occupancy evaluation surveys of 68 buildings using the BUS Methodology. Satisfaction scores expressed by occupants with the qualities of their indoor environment were compared between the green and non-certified buildings. This research investigates whether green buildings have superior performance to non-certified buildings from the occupants’ perspectives. It was found that generally occupants were more satisfied in green buildings than in non-certified buildings. However, the differences were not significant for any of the environmental and operational parameters including thermal comfort, lighting, noise, and air quality. In the case of operational parameters such as design, needs, image of the building, and cleaning, the differences between the two building groups were notable. Air quality, design and work requirement had the strongest influence on perceived comfort in both green and non-certified buildings. Noise had the strongest influence on perceived productivity for both building groups. Although overall green buildings performed better than the non-certified buildings, the differences between the two were negligible particularly for environmental parameters. Most of the green buildings were not performing entirely as their designers may have intended and had weaknesses that needed to be addressed.

Cultural Perception Performance Assessment of Adaptively Reused Heritage Buildings: Kilis Eski Hamam Case Study

Adaptive reuse of the built heritage can often result in damage to heritage values both during the adaptation and reuse processes -in many cases it can bear on building performance and user satisfaction. Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) is a well-known method of assessing building performance, and previous studies demonstrated the practicality of employing POE in reused heritage building assessment. Yet, POE’s contribution to heritage conservation has not been comprehensively explored. This paper presents the findings of an indicative POE of a hammam building adapted into a restaurant as a case study. The case study building was evaluated through a series of walk-throughs, photographs, documentation, and a user survey. The POE has pointed to damage and authenticity loss in the building by reuse based on established conservation principles concerning intangible heritage values and cultural perception, resulting in a series of recommendations to prevent future deterioration and improve the performance of the building. A key observation is that data from the user survey do not coincide with the findings based on internationally acknowledged principles of conservation practice, which indicates that heritage awareness still has not been gained by the wider society. Hence, this study concludes that more research is required to examine the use of POEs in addressing heritage conservation issues and suggests a greater understanding of the role of POE surveys for a more valuable insight into user feedback. It also provides designers and decision-makers with matters to be taken in account regarding the preservation of authenticity when executing an adaptive reuse project for a heritage building.

Impact of occupant autonomy on satisfaction and building energy efficiency

The philosophy of building energy management is going through a paradigm change from traditional, often inefficient, user-controlled systems to one that is centrally automated with the aid of IoT-enabled technologies. In this context, occupants’ perceived control and building automation may seem to be in conflict. The inquiry of this study is rooted in a proposition that while building automation and centralized control systems are assumed to provide indoor comfort and conserve energy use, limiting occupants’ control over their work environment may result in dissatisfaction, and in turn decrease productivity. For assessing this hypothesis, data from the post-occupancy evaluation survey of a smart building in a university in Australia was used to analyze the relationships between perceived control, satisfaction, and perceived productivity. Using structural equation modeling, we have found a positive direct effect of occupants’ perceived control on overall satisfaction with their working area. Meanwhile, perceived control exerts an influence on perceived productivity through satisfaction. Furthermore, a field experiment conducted in the same building revealed the potential impact that occupant controllability can have on energy saving. We changed the default light settings from automatic on-and-off to manual-on and automatic-off, letting occupants choose themselves whether to switch the light on or not. Interestingly, about half of the participants usually kept the lights off, preferring daylight in their rooms. This also resulted in a reduction in lighting electricity use by 17.8% without any upfront investment and major technical modification. These findings emphasize the important role of perceived control on occupant satisfaction and productivity, as well as on the energy-saving potential of the user-in-the-loop automation of buildings.

The Impact of Design Interventions on Occupant Satisfaction: A Workplace Pre-and Post-Occupancy Evaluation Analysis

Understanding how occupants perceive the built environment is a growing interest in sustainability research. This article looks into how design interventions in a workplace renovation project impact occupants’ satisfaction through a pre-and post-occupancy survey. In two years (from 2016 to 2018), an interdisciplinary research team from the University of Minnesota administered online occupancy surveys at the headquarters of the Cuningham Group, a national renowned design firm in Minnesota. The surveys included 12 indoor environmental quality categories (with 26 criteria on a 7-point Likert scale) that measured how occupants perceived their existing workplace and the renovated environment. Mann–Whitney U tests and Chi-square tests were conducted for 12 indoor environmental quality categories between the pre-and post-surveys. Results showed that occupants’ satisfaction significantly increased with the design interventions in the renovated workplace. Perceived work performance and health also improved in the post-survey. Among 12 indoor environmental quality categories, occupants perceived the biggest improvements in lighting such as adjustability and quality of task lighting. Design interventions in electric lighting, especially improved ease of control, effectiveness of automatic systems, plus visual and acoustic comfort, contributed to occupants’ satisfaction. Overall, the pre-and post-occupancy evaluation survey analysis confirmed the positive impact of the renovated Cuningham Group facility. The article presents a comprehensive measure of the impact of the data-driven design interventions derived from pre-and post-occupancy evaluation surveys on occupant satisfaction.

Analyzing the Users’ Satisfaction Levels and Perceptions of the Dubai Water Canal for Future Waterfront Development in UAE

Dubai was developed from Khor Dubai and the city always focuses on the development of waterfront as a public space. The urban waterfront in Dubai is a highly visible public space for recreational activities but also as an urban landscape for placemaking, environmental pollution reduction, and transportation. The objective of this study is to explore the direction of future development of the Dubai Water Canal. By analyzing the characteristics and behavioural patterns of canal users using a post-occupancy evaluation survey, the study presents the management plan necessary to improve the facility. As a methodology, Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) with two-step cluster analysis was used with SPSS Statistics version 20.0. Dubai Water Canal users were classified into friend-based, family-based, and individual-based clusters to investigate the differences in satisfaction levels and perception between clusters. The survey included questions on accessibility, convenience of use, facility management status, safety, and landscape management. The result had shown that family-only parking, convenient pedestrian walkway, signage/distance marker, and pocket parks as green buffer zones are needed to increase the level of satisfaction. Factors to enhance users’ satisfaction comprised 1) efficient road system for light exercise, 2) efficient information signage, 3) convenient pedestrian roads with nighttime lighting system, 4) strict separation of pedestrians and cyclists, and 5) nature-friendly landscape and landscape improvement. This study intended to extract elements for future design and management of urban open space projects, similar to the Dubai Water Canal.

Visual discomfort assessment in an open-plan space with skylights: A case study with POE survey and retrofit design

Visual discomfort could be a significant issue in open-plan spaces with skylight. Due to the glazing size and position in the field of view (FOV) are different from that in perimeter area within side-lit rooms, the evaluation method generated from where may not be referenceable. Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) survey including subjective feedback collection and instrument measurements are taken place in an open-plan office building with skylights to assess the visual discomfort evaluation method in the specific scenario. Based on the research findings, a simulation-based retrofitting plan of skylights and windows is proposed. The results of the glare rating experiment indicate that DGI outperforms DGP in core areas or deep spaces while the glazing appeared in the central area of FOV, the borderline thresholds of DGP shift to lower values as the stimulus range is lower than that in perimeter spaces (e.g. low vertical eye illuminance). Under the situation that the glare sources appeared around the upper edge of FOV, simple luminance metrics which defined within the region surrounding the glare perform better. Moreover, a field test also confirmed that the preferred light level on the workplane under skylight ranges from 150 lx to 1000 lx. The findings refers to glare rating and daylight retrofitting design process may provide insights into visual discomfort issue in open-plan spaces with skylights.

Indoor thermal comfort assessment in office buildings in hot-humid climate

This paper aims to assess the user’s perception of thermal comfort and air conditioning in office buildings in Batu Pahat, Johor area. Field experiments were conducted utilizing environmental measurement and Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) in Batu Pahat District Land Office (Pejabat Daerah) and (C2 and ORICC) office buildings in the Universiti Tun Hussien Onn Malaysia (UTHM). The environmental measurement was conducted using thermal comfort station BABUC A, whereas the POE was based on the ASHRAE 55-2010 standard. The environmental parameters included relative humidity, air temperature, and air velocity. They were measured and compared with MS-1525, ASHRAE 55, and ISO 7730 standards. Results indicated that indoor air temperature in C2 has good compliance with MS-1525, ASHRAE 55, and ISO 7730 standards and criteria with a measured comfort range of 24 °C-26 °C. Whereas for ORICC and Pejabat Daerah, temperatures were a bit lower than the suggested range. At the same time, the range of relative humidity was found to be higher than ASHRAE limits but complied with other standards. Moreover, adequate air velocity standards were not met in the three office buildings, in which they were measured within 0.4-0.5 m/s range. Furthermore, thermal comfort levels and the POE survey results indicated that users’ in hot tropical office buildings could acclimate to a higher indoor environment than what was suggested by standards.

Association between Building Characteristics and Indoor Environmental Quality through Post-Occupancy Evaluation

Post-occupancy evaluations are common tools used to periodically assess Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in tertiary buildings. Although the large amount of data collected from surveys contain valuable information, the influence of building characteristics on IEQ considering the different uses of the rooms and different types of occupants is rarely considered in the evaluation. This study presents an analysis of the association between building characteristics and IEQ in different building rooms (classrooms and offices) and different occupants (students and lecturers) using a post occupancy evaluation survey to 1013 occupants in 26 higher educational buildings in Spain under a Mediterranean climate. This research demonstrated that building characteristics influence IEQ perceptions of the different rooms in tertiary education buildings. The possibility of controlling the lighting, shadows or heating, ventilation air or conditioning (HVAC) systems are the most influential factors when analyzing IEQ. The findings of this research are of interest to facility managers aiming at implementing energy efficiency measures based on user-centric satisfaction or developing maintenance plans focused on IEQ enhancement.

Occupants’ satisfaction and perceived productivity in open-plan offices designed to support activity-based working: findings from different industry sectors

PurposeIn the rise of offices designed to support activity-based working (ABW), parts of industry have fully transitioned to open-plan environments and then later to unassigned seating, whereas other parts, such as tertiary education, are still in the process of moving away from individual offices. There are a few relevant studies to understand how occupants from industry sectors with different levels of adoption of ABW perceived environments designed to support this way of working. This paper aims to contribute to the knowledge gap by providing insight into workers’ satisfaction and dissatisfaction from open-plan offices designed to support ABW along with the key predictors of perceived productivity.Design/methodology/approachA data set of 2,090 post-occupancy evaluation surveys conducted in five sectors – tertiary education, finance, construction, property/asset management and design/engineering – was analyzed. ANOVA and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted for the survey questionnaires. First, ANOVA tests were conducted for the whole sample with perceived productivity as the dependent variable. A seven-point Likert scale with five theoretical factors was generated with all survey questionnaires. CFA was performed to show the factor loadings. In addition, regression analyses were carried out for each of factor item taken as the independent variable, where perceived productivity was the dependent variable. Key sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction per sector were analyzed and differences between occupants reporting a negative or positive impact on their productivity were also investigated. Finally, open-ended comments were analyzed to show the key sources of dissatisfaction based on open-ended comments.FindingsWorkers from construction were the most satisfied, followed by finance and tertiary education. Occupants from all industry sectors consistently rated their workspaces highly on biophilic and interior design. Distraction and privacy received the lowest scores from all sectors. Open-ended comments showed mismatches between spatial and behavioral dimensions of ABW both for satisfaction and perceived productivity. Interior design was the strongest predictor for perceived productivity for all sectors. Findings dispel the notion that ABW implementation may not be suitable for certain industries, as long as the three key pillars of ABW are fully implemented, including design, behavior and technology.Originality/valueThis paper provides insight into workers’ satisfaction and dissatisfaction from open-plan offices designed to support ABW in different industry sectors along with the key predictors of perceived productivity.

Effect of Thermal, Acoustic and Air Quality Perception Interactions on the Comfort and Satisfaction of People in Office Buildings

Current research on human comfort has identified a gap in the investigation of multi-domain perception interactions. There is a lack of understanding the interrelationships of different physio-socio-psychological factors and the manifestation of their contextual interactions into cross-modal comfort perception. In that direction, this study used data from a post occupancy evaluation survey (n = 26), two longitudinal comfort studies (n = 1079 and n = 52) and concurrent measurements of indoor environmental quality factors (one building) to assess the effect of thermal, acoustic and air quality perception interactions on comfort and satisfaction of occupants in three mixed-mode university office buildings. The study concluded that thermal sensation (TSV) is associated with both air quality (ASV) and noise perception (NSV). The crossed effect of the interaction of air quality and noise perception on thermal sensation was not evident. The key finding was the significant correlation of operative temperature (Top) with TSV as expected, but also with noise perception and overall acoustic comfort. Regarding the crossed main effects on thermal sensation, a significant effect was found for the interactions of (1) Top and (2) sound pressure levels (SPL30) with air quality perception respectively. Most importantly, this study has highlighted the importance of air quality perception in achieving occupants’ comfort and satisfaction with office space.

�We need ground space�: urban densification and transitional housing in Ethiopia

Like many countries of rapid urbanisation, Ethiopia has an acute low-income housing shortage. Ethiopia�s Integrated Housing Development Programme (IHDP) can be seen as an attempt to innovate low-income housing provision. Over 200,000 IHDP units have been built since 2005. Drawing from a Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) survey in Amhara region, this article asks how the transition to high-rise has affected household practices and energy use. The POE survey shows low satisfaction among the residents, despite energy access and sanitary facilities. The new built environment compromises and contradicts established cultural practices, reducing the residents� well-being compared to previous living in more informal settlements where the dwelling had direct access to outdoor space and community. This means that the residents tend to view IHDP housing as transitional, disincentivising improvements in the environment or social networks. Further, the loss of ground connection causes domestic and cultural practices to move indoors, increasing energy demand and reliance on appliances. This paper argues that high-rise as the only typology for mass housing should not go unchallenged. If it is the only option, design standards should not be left open to interpretation by the developer and regulations should ensure adequate design, such as dual aspect, flexibility and privacy in floor plans, and design and designation of outdoor spaces. The findings question the idea of modernisation of housing as a linear process and challenge the literature on the compact city model as �the� paradigm for sustainable cities in Southern urban practice.

�We need ground space�: urban densification and transitional housing in Ethiopia

Like many countries of rapid urbanisation, Ethiopia has an acute low-income housing shortage. Ethiopia�s Integrated Housing Development Programme (IHDP) can be seen as an attempt to innovate low-income housing provision. Over 200,000 IHDP units have been built since 2005. Drawing from a Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) survey in Amhara region, this article asks how the transition to high-rise has affected household practices and energy use. The POE survey shows low satisfaction among the residents, despite energy access and sanitary facilities. The new built environment compromises and contradicts established cultural practices, reducing the residents� well-being compared to previous living in more informal settlements where the dwelling had direct access to outdoor space and community. This means that the residents tend to view IHDP housing as transitional, disincentivising improvements in the environment or social networks. Further, the loss of ground connection causes domestic and cultural practices to move indoors, increasing energy demand and reliance on appliances. This paper argues that high-rise as the only typology for mass housing should not go unchallenged. If it is the only option, design standards should not be left open to interpretation by the developer and regulations should ensure adequate design, such as dual aspect, flexibility and privacy in floor plans, and design and designation of outdoor spaces. The findings question the idea of modernisation of housing as a linear process and challenge the literature on the compact city model as �the� paradigm for sustainable cities in Southern urban practice.