Post-occupancy Surveys Research Articles

Common sources of occupant dissatisfaction with workspace environments in 600 office buildings

Previously unpublished data from over 600 office buildings in the Center for the Built Environment (CBE) Occupant Survey database are used to perform a systematic analysis of dissatisfaction in contemporary workspaces. A total of 81% of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with at least one aspect of their workspace, and 67% with more than one. Acoustics were the most common source of dissatisfaction, particularly related to people talking, speech privacy, and phones. Other challenges included a perceived lack of control over the temperature and insufficient space, along with other associated problems of densely populated offices. The analysis shows that context matters when understanding occupant dissatisfaction. Occupants of open-plan offices with low or no partitions were almost twice as likely to complain about their workspace than someone in a private, enclosed office. Being near a window decreased the likelihood of dissatisfaction compared with those who were not near a window. There was a clear relationship between self-perceived performance and satisfaction with the indoor environment. Dissatisfaction profiles found that acoustics, space, and privacy-related items co-occur for many occupants dissatisfied with more than one workspace aspect. <em><strong>Practical relevance</strong></em> Post-occupancy surveys are a useful tool for evaluating whether an office environment supports occupants while conducting their work. While highlighting the successes is important, complaints from dissatisfied occupants can identify issues and pinpoint reasons why spaces do not meet expectations. The reported challenges generally relate to the simultaneous reduction in control and personalization with increasingly open and densely populated layouts. Occupant dissatisfaction may impact performance given the reported relationship between satisfaction with the environment and feeling supported by the workspace to complete work tasks. The themes emerging from this analysis identify common dissatisfaction sources that can serve as an empirical basis to identify common problems in contemporary workspace designs.

Analysis of the Applicability of Non-Destructive Techniques to Determine In Situ Thermal Transmittance in Passive House Façades

Within the European framework, the passive house has become an essential constructive solution in terms of building efficiency and CO2 reduction. However, the main approaches have been focused on post-occupancy surveys, measurements of actual energy consumption, life-cycle analyses in dynamic conditions, using simulation, and the estimation of the thermal comfort. Few studies have assessed the in situ performance of the building fabric of passive houses. Hence, this paper explores the applicability of non-destructive techniques—heat flux meter (HFM) and quantitative infrared thermography (QIRT)—for assessing the gap between the predicted and actual thermal transmittance of passive house façades under steady-state conditions in the Mediterranean climate. Firstly, the suitability of in situ non-destructive techniques was checked in an experimental mock-up, and, subsequently, a detached house was tested in the real built environment. The findings revealed that both Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) techniques allow for the quantification of the gap between the design and the actual façades U-value of a new passive house before its operational stage. QIRT was faster than the HFM technique, although the latter was more accurate. The results will help practitioners to choose the most appropriate method based on environmental conditions, execution of the method, and data analysis.

How does indoor environmental quality in green refurbished office buildings compare with the one in new certified buildings?

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Singapore to investigate whether buildings refurbished to attain the Green Mark (GM) standards present measurable improvements to indoor environmental quality (IEQ) that are also manifested by the occupants with respect to their level of satisfaction and health symptoms. Comparative analyses were performed with buildings that are GM-certified since day one (GMN), buildings refurbished to GM standards (GMC) and conventional buildings which could not receive the GM certification (NGM). A one-week field measurement of selected IEQ parameters and post occupancy surveys of satisfaction and health symptoms of 367 occupants in 14 office buildings revealed that GMC buildings exhibited levels of IEQ, satisfaction and health symptoms similar to GMN buildings. Both categories of buildings had superior IEQ compared with NGM buildings. Apart from parameters affected by limitations of refurbishment related to façade, this study found that enhanced IEQ performance to the level as high as GMN buildings’ can be achieved by converting existing conventional buildings to GM-certified buildings through green refurbishment in the context of office buildings in Singapore.

The Norwegian ZEB definition and lessons learnt from nine pilot zero emission building projects

In the frame of the Norwegian Research Centre on Zero Emission Buildings, nine real-life zero emission pilot building projects were initiated during the period of 2009 to 2017. Eight of the pilot building projects have been constructed and are currently in use, whilst one of them is still in the planning phase. All the pilot projects have been followed up by researchers during the design, construction, and operation phases, by e.g. analyses of construction documents, and post-occupancy surveys. The main lessons learnt from this work are presented in this paper. They include the importance of an integrated design process, having clear goals and associated assessment methods, following a strategy based on ‘trias energetica’, as well as choosing locally sourced materials with low embodied carbon and long service lives, and increasing the focus on the users.

Indoor comfort and adaptation in low-income and middle-income residential buildings in a Nigerian city during a dry season

This paper investigates occupants' comfort, adaptation and their responses during the dry season in low-income to middle-income residential buildings in Abuja, Nigeria. The study aims to provide empirical data on occupants' comfort through evaluating 171 households in four different locations in Abuja. The study considered a combination of different research methods for data collection. Post-occupancy surveys were used to evaluate the buildings and residents' adaptation within the thermal environment. Thermal comfort surveys were also carried out in eight low-income residential households to assess occupants' perception of the thermal environment. Based on the short duration of the physical measurements, building simulation was also used to examine thermal comfort of occupants for an extended period. The Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) results revealed over 70% of the occupants were dissatisfied with their thermal environment. The comfort surveys reported similar results with over 65% of the responses revealed being ‘uncomfortably warm’. The results showed an overall mean temperature of all the measured case studies to be 31.7 °C and the average temperature (predicted) of 30.7 °C. The neutral temperatures were in a range of 28°C–30.4 °C compared to the preferred temperature range of 27.5°C–29.4 °C. The prevalence of thermal discomfort highlights the need to explore the possibilities of reducing internal temperatures, particularly by passive means (fabric, shading, insulation etc.) given the need to avoid or reduce the need for air conditioning to make the buildings energy-efficient for low to middle income groups.

Classroom-comfort-data: A method to collect comprehensive information on thermal comfort in school classrooms

Data from post-occupancy studies in real constructions have been instrumental in the development of mainstream thermal comfort standards for the built environment. However, there is growing evidence of the need to advance these standards, through more robust and comprehensive fieldwork records from a broader spectrum of geographies, climates, architectural characteristics and occupancies. It has been shown that the standards have limited suitability in environments such as educational buildings, as they were developed based mainly on adult subjects working in offices. The lack of guidance in data collection methodologies is also thought to require particular attention, as the accuracy of the assessment models relies significantly on the quality of the information gathered. This manuscript proposes a method to systematically acquire an extensive range of data specifically from school classrooms. The method seeks to improve current techniques as follows:•The post-occupancy surveys suggested in mainstream standards focus mainly on the collection of physical and environmental parameters related to adult subjects. Classroom-comfort-data can be used to collect information not only on physical and environmental parameters but also on physiological and psychological aspects. It also includes tools tailored for occupants from different ages (7 years old and above).•The assessment models suggested in mainstream standards employ between 2–5 parameters to predict thermal comfort ranges. The Classroom-comfort-data method is designed to gather up to 49 different thermal comfort parameters, which allow a more comprehensive evaluation of perception and preference, as well as adaptive strategies, social context, and cognitive and emotional appraisals.•The existing surveys in the standards were formulated primarily for office environments in subtropical and temperate climates. The Classroom-comfort-data method can be adapted to fieldwork within different conditions of climate, building design, occupancy levels, and cultural contexts.

Synergies between high performance buildings and good acoustics

Post-occupancy surveys and anecdotal evidence suggest that “green” buildings tend to have worse acoustics than new “non-green” and older buildings. While some aspects of green building design such as the increased use of glass, increased exposure of hard finishes, and the removal of barriers between work stations can create situations that reduce the acoustic performance of interior spaces, all is not lost. Many energy efficiency innovations can actually improve acoustic performance. In this presentation, some of the synergies between acoustics and high performance building design will be discussed.

Visualising the environmental conditions of buildings

This paper describes a software application that visualises environmental data from post-occupancy evaluation surveys. Such surveys are increasingly common but the data are rarely meaningful to non-experts. The software aims to address this by providing static and dynamic visualisation of data in a building context. The paper provides the rationale for the software and technical information with regard to its development. It describes the software's use in three projects: a small UK housing development, a large modular housing development in Mexico and a mixed-use university building in England. The paper concludes with future directions of the application and the potential for industry adoption on a larger scale.

A Study of Improvement Plan and Post Occupancy Evaluation of Block Housing in Korea - Focused on Block Housing in Eun-Pyeong First District and Nok-Yang District -

Since the early 2000s, block housing has been a topic of increasing interest, and planners have issued many block houses through design contests. The main purpose of the block housing was to promote the formation of community among residents, and supplemental plan has also been completed in order to support the previously envisioned level of residency which is weak due to the inherent characteristics of block style housing. Currently, there are several housing complexes which have been recently built in Korea. However, questions have been aroused whether the residents are as satisfied as the planners had originally intended. In the midst of planning a new block housing complex, this research was motivated with the hope of making a measure of improvement based on the result of the post-occupancy survey. Block housing complex shows various problems such as noise, privacy, access to sunlight, and security. These problems are closely related to habitability, so resolving such problems will transform the block housing into a more comfortable and meaningful housing type and also contribute to the future promotion of the block housing complex. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to develop planning elements for the improvement of habitability as part of developing an attactive block-style housing complex, discern the level of satisfaction with habitability, problematic spatial issues and amenities based on the post-occupancy evaluation of the cases of actual residence, extract measures of improvement and implement the results at the times of future planning. In accomplishing such goal, this research performed and analyzed the post-occupancy evaluation on two block housing complexes built in Korea. Eunpyung 1st District and Nokyang District were chosen for the research, which were built 5 years ago. The data and documents obtained from the on-site visits of the two districts were classified according to the 3 physical spaces: 'external space to the complex,' 'unit living space' and 'common living space.' Survey questionnaires have been developed in terms of the level of satisfaction, problems and issues related to the amenities of the 3 spaces. The survey was performed in the form of in-person interview by visiting individual residents in the districts. Total of 200 residents were interviewed, and the SPSS statistical package was used for the analysis. Contrary to the one's expectation, the overall satisfaction level was shown as satisfactory on major evaluation points of the post-occupancy survey. Preferred amenities were landscaping in the complex, walk trails and unmaned parcel storage. Noise from the children's playground, privacy from the neighbors, insecurity issued from the inept visitor control, main buildings with poor sunlight access, low level of reputation due to complexity of the apartment structure are some of the space-related problems revealed by the survey. Detailed drawings and verified data were proposed as the means of improvement on the issues and problems. Based on the research and evaluation results of the post-occupancy surveys, it was concluded that the research on block housing complex should be continuously pursued and results from the early design stage should be arranged as planned-out elements that later ought to be implemented, thereby a residential complex with higher quality can be planned out.

Behaviour change potential for energy saving in non-domestic buildings: Development and pilot-testing of a benchmarking tool

Due to recent studies and government policies, designers and facilities managers are becoming increasingly aware of the role of occupant behaviour in energy conservation in buildings. While the use of post-occupancy surveys and benchmark tools is widespread in the built environment, there is limited research on assessing environmental and energy saving behaviours – particularly in non-domestic buildings. This article focuses on the development and pilot-testing of a novel benchmarking tool for the assessment of behaviour change potential for energy saving in the workplace, with findings from an industrial case study comprising a manufacturing and office environment. Beyond the findings of the case study, the article aims to provide a methodological framework for an easy-to-use benchmarking tool of user-behaviour within the context of energy saving in factories and offices. Practical Implications: This article discusses the development and pilot-testing of a novel questionnaire-based benchmarking tool for the assessment of behaviour change potential for energy saving in office and industrial settings. Its application to a case-study from the manufacturing sector demonstrates that the tool is easy to use, and it provides valuable insights on areas for improvement in energy use within non-domestic buildings, with a focus on user behaviour and management approaches. The tool can be used in applied research, for example in intervention studies for comparison within the same organisation (before and after), and/or for benchmarking against the performance of similar organisations.

The Relocation of al-Fustat Pottery Village: Evaluating the Results of Urban Redevelopment

In an attempt to deal with environmental threats to the inhabitants of the Kum Ghurab district in Cairo, the Egyptian government closed the district's pottery kilns in 2003, jeopardizing the livelihood of potters who trace the origins of their workshops to the establishment of al-Fustat in AD 641, the first Islamic capital of Egypt. In response to this potentially tragic loss of cultural and social capital, a model development project was initiated to introduce modern kilns and commercial units as part of a new potters' village and arts and crafts centre. In 2010, the project was the subject of a field study and post-occupancy surveys of primary and secondary stakeholders in the new model village, the old pottery area awaiting demolition and a newly developed arts and crafts centre bordering the model village. Findings suggest that although, the project exhibits shortcomings related to the amount of commercial disruption, loss of employment and citizen participation, relocation satisfaction problems appear to have been addressed in large part because commercial relocation occurred nearby, and local housing was available for area potters and workers; and a new arts and crafts economy has been established to address threats from globalization and technological change that have taken place within the broader pottery industry over the last several decades, reflecting greater demands for high quality decorative products and a wider range of arts and crafts products.

Making feedback and post-occupancy evaluation routine 1: A portfolio of feedback techniques

Over forty years ago, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) published its Plan of Work for Design Team Operation(1963), which included Stage M – Feedback. In spite of this, designers, builders and sometimes even procuring clients do not engage closely with the performance of the buildings they have created. Hence, low-level, chronic problems tend to persist, innovations miss their targets, and true successes may be overlooked – even in some of the best buildings, as the Probe series of post-occupancy surveys revealed. This paper discusses how feedback, follow through from design and construction into occupancy, and post-occupancy evaluation could become a natural part of project delivery, and how this could improve the quality and sustainability of our buildings. It describes progress made since the Probe series of post-occupancy ended in encouraging the use of feedback, including a portfolio of established techniques, development of the Soft Landings technique, and setting up a charity to promote and support feedback. The results of tests with a user group are also discussed.

Evaluation of natural illumination and thermal comfort conditions in the Ribeirao Preto’s Technological Village

The results of post-occupancy surveys of the 11 different construction systems used in the dwellings of the Technological Village of Ribeirao Preto are analyzed. The analyses focus on evaluating the natural illumination and thermal comfort conditions in selected habitation units after 2 years of use. All systems were devised to provide living conditions to low-income families with low purchasing power and, most importantly, to disseminate construction technologies adapted to, and appropriate for, this specific region of the country. The results indicate that the methodology employed is not appropriate using only classical factors to assess the illumination conditions, i.e. illuminance level and daylight factor, for a direct quantification of the illumination. The isolated use of these factors can result in distortions. The evaluation of the environmental conditions is relevant to observe that there can be differences between theoretical thermo-physical properties and actual features of the materials and construction systems analyzed.

Assessing building performance in use 1: the Probe process

The Probe project, which started in 1995, has been a unique joint venture between the UK government (Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions), a publisher and a research team. It has undertaken post-occupancy surveys of well-regarded new commercial and public buildings, typically 2–3 years after completion. The purpose was to provide feedback on generic and specific information on factors for success in the design, construction, operation and use of buildings, together with areas of difficulty and disappointment. This paper outlines the project and describes the survey methods used, and prospects for further development. It considers the opportunities for more widespread deployment of post-occupancy surveys as routine quality assurance measures for the building industry and its clients. Papers 2 to 4 in this series discuss the findings on technical performance, energy performance and occupant satisfaction. Paper 5 draws some general conclusions and considers their implications. Le projet Probe a été lancé conjointement en 1995 par le Gouvernement du Royaume-Uni (Ministère de l'environnement, du transport et des régions), un éditeur et une équipe de recherche. Son objectif était d'évaluer la fonctionnalité après emménagement de nouveaux immeubles commerciaux et publics bien entretenus; ces études étaient menées généralement 2 à 3 ans après l'achèvement des bâtiments. Il s'agissait d'obtenir des informations générales ou précises sur des facteurs devant contribuer à la réussite de la conception, de la construction, de l'exploitation et de l'usage de bâtiments et aussi d'indiquer les difficultés et les déceptions. Cet article présente le projet et décrit les méthodes d'évaluation utilisées ainsi que les perspectives de développement. Il considère les moyens de mieux faire connaître les études de fonctionnalité après emménagement afin que l'industrie du bâtiment et ses clients disposent régulièrement d'étalons de mesure utiles en matière d'assurance qualité. Les articles n° 2 à 4 de cette série portent sur les résultats obtenus en ce qui concerne les performances techniques, le rendement énergétique et la satisfaction des occupants. L'article n° 5 tire quelques conclusions générales et envisage ce qui pourrait en découler.