Post Occupancy Evaluations (POEs), Part 1
Marcel Harmon
Research & Development Lead, Associate Principal at BranchPattern, Applied Anthropologist, Applied Evolutionist, Engineer
I’ve previously written on the importance of conducting Post Occupancy Evaluations (POEs), as well as the need to include building, O&M and occupant engagement methods as part of those evaluations:
However I have yet to provide a more detailed overview of what POEs actually are and how BranchPattern conducts them. In the U.S. POEs, also known has Facility Performance Evaluations (FPEs) or Building Performance Evaluations (BPEs) have been defined and executed in a variety of ways since at least the 1960s (Gossauer and Wagner 2007; NASFA/AIA 2010; Preiser 1995; Preiser and Nasar 2008; Preiser and Schramm 2002). They’re generally seen as systematic evaluations conducted after initial occupancy in order to assess building performance, usually with a focus on the occupant’s or building user’s perspective.
The scopes of such evaluations range from using simple paper surveys to full scale assessments. The latter involve a variety of occupant engagement as well as building system assessment methodologies to evaluate the building/occupant interface, from planning/programming through occupancy. Other terminology is also used to describe facility evaluations to varying degrees, and POE scopes often overlap with other forms of building assessments, such as retrocommissioning (Anderson et al. 2007), energy audits (ASHRAE 2011) or built environment ethnographies (BEEs) (Harmon and Leonard 2006a, 2006b).
One of primary goals of the POEs that BranchPattern conducts is to help ensure alignment of occupant and organizational needs with building capabilities and operations. We look for instances of misalignment, which typically impact occupant satisfaction, performance and health as well as building performance, and solutions to improve alignment. We also look for alignment successes that can be repeated on future projects. It’s part of our larger EAM (Evaluate, Align and Monitor) model or process that underlies much of what we do – more on that in a future post.
Our POE methods can be grouped into building-side and occupant-side methods. The former range from 1) assessments of a) O&M policies/procedures, b) space conditions via hand-held meters, dataloggers and BMS trending and c) energy/water performance to 2) full retrocommissioning scopes, conducted in order to “… assess the how and why of a building’s performance relative to design expectations” (Harmon et al. 2012:54).
领英推荐
Occupant-side methods consist of various combinations of surveys, interviews, observations and focus groups, conducted in order to “… determine a) if the facility and its operations meet [occupant] needs and b) how the building and occupant behavior impact each other’s productivity/performance and health” (Harmon et al. 2012:54). Multiple forms of occupant engagement are used to capture the often highly variable needs and behaviors in play for any given context.
I’ve seen the building/occupant focus labeled as a socio-technic approach to POEs in the UK (combining the social and technical elements of evaluation). BranchPattern hasn’t formally adopted that term for our combined approach, but I admit to seeing the appeal. Once the socio-technic data has been gathered (see, don’t you like the sound of that), it can then be analyzed using energy modeling, statistical analyses, and various forms of qualitative assessments, looking for correlations among the different aspects of occupant behavior/performance/engagement, facility configuration/performance and building operations/maintenance. It enables us to a) find the successes and deficiencies relative to alignment, b) why they’re occurring and c) determine the degree of impact on the building, O&M and the occupant. Understanding these things helps formulate solutions and assess any phasing of solutions relative to implementation costs and benefits.
At this point you may be thinking this is all well and good, but it sure seems like a potentially costly effort. Maybe such a full court press isn’t necessary for every facility or set of circumstances. And you would be right. This is why BranchPattern has developed three basic levels of POEs, each of which can be customized depending on the specific needs of the client. Check back tomorrow for a post that lays out the three levels.
References