Browse Hierarchy ARCH7025: Post Occupancy Building Evaluation

This module focuses on the complex issue of assessing the real (actual) performance of existing buildings on their energy use, environmental impact and occupant satisfaction, also called as Post-occupancy evaluation (POE). Technically POE involves systematic collection and evaluation of information about the performance of a building in use. Data collected can include measured information such as energy consumption, temperatures, lighting levels, acoustic performance etc., and survey data from the perspective of the occupants regarding issues such as comfort, aesthetics, occupant satisfaction, management, etc. Such an assessment of real building performance, from both a technical and social perspective, offers the opportunity to bring some real world experience and knowledge to students, and allows them to learn from the experiences of others (including occupants) in real buildings. POEs are useful for a variety of reasons: they provide performance benchmarks on which buildings can be rated and compared; they provide targets and incentives for building managers in terms of energy efficiency, environmental performance and occupant satisfaction; they can improve a company's green profile and enhance rental potential and public opinion. In this way post occupancy evaluation (POE) of buildings can be a useful design tool to help develop evidence-based sustainable building design.