Designers often like to review a project’s performance after completion because it provides information that can help perfect the design, or add value to the firm’s next project. Getting a client to recognize the value of such a review can be more difficult, because the value to the client is harder to quantify. Yet, a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) can facilitate organizational learning by the clients that sponsor it. How can this occur?
In one study, greater perceived comfort in a green building was not related to knowledge about the building or personal control of the ambient environment.
Occupant satisfaction is higher in green buildings.
Determining user responses requires a post-occupancy evaluation (POE). Although their use is less frequent in landscape design, this example illustrates how widely applicable the POE process can be.
The aim of a healing garden is to provide a place of respite and renewal. Yet such a goal has to include the different needs of patients, visitors, and staff. An evaluation of how three healing gardens at a pediatric cancer center were used and appreciated provides insight into maximizing the use of healing gardens for these diverse populations.
One widely held tenet of better building design is the importance of learning from the successes and deficiencies of current or just-built projects. Often such learning has been done during a post-occupancy evaluation (POE). Several articles cover new approaches to eliciting and implementing project feedback.
What are the most important benefits sought by zoo visitors? What can surveys and a post-occupancy evalutation reveal about zoo design?
The North Carolina State Building Commission has now been authorized, to establish POE rules for various bodies within the responsibility of the State Construction Office. This is believed to be the first POE requirement at the state level.