Developing Post-Occupancy Evaluation Techniques For Assessing The Environmental Performance Of Apartment Buildings In Wales: An Ecological Perspective

Abstract

Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) originates from "an interest in learning how a building performs once it is built, including if and how well it has met expectations and how satisfied building users are with the environment that has been created" (Vischer, 2002). The subject of this paper is a three-year PhD research project that is investigating the environmental performance of low-carbon apartment buildings in-use, including how users rate building performance. The drivers and barriers to making POE more routine practice in the UK are identified through a literature review, and a definition of environmental performance for building evaluation studies is proposed that encompasses both the degree to which the building supports the activities and aspirations of its users and the environmental impacts arising from its use. POE techniques employed in recent studies of housing in the UK and other parts of the world are reviewed, and the paper concludes by discussing the development of an overall monitoring strategy and an occupant survey questionnaire to be used in the research programme. The paper will be of interest to researchers investigating POE research and practice in low-carbon dwellings.