Building Performance Evaluation

The main aim of this book is to present an intriguing retrospective of Building Performance Evaluation (BPE) as it evolved from Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) over the past 25 years. On one hand, this is done by updating original authors' chapter content of Building Evaluation, the first edition published in 1989. That, in turn, is augmented by an orientation toward current and future practice on the other, including new authors who are engaged in ongoing, cutting edge projects. Therefore, individual, methodology oriented chapters covering the fundamental principles of POE and BPE go along with major thematic chapters, topics of which like sustainability or integration of new technologies are addressed in a diversity of case studies from around the globe. Research, methodologies, and framework of POEs continue to evolve. POEs are one step, on the larger scale of BPE, in understanding how buildings function after they are occupied. This resource helps a rchitects, building owners, and facility managers understand the implications and reactions to the facilities that they designed, built and/or commissioned. By considering the whole process from conception to future uses of the building, there can be a more holistic approach to the planning, programming, design, construction, occupancy, and future adaptability of the structure. This book is dedicated to first editor Wolfgang F. E. Preiser who passed away during the process of editing and reviewing chapters of this volume.

The building performance evaluation (BPE) framework emphasizes an evaluative stance throughout the six phases of the building delivery and life cycle: (1) strategic planning/needs analysis; (2) program review; (3) design review; (4) post-construction evaluation/review; (5) post-occupancy evaluation; and, (6) facilities management review/adaptive reuse. The lessons learned from positive and negative building performance are fed into future building delivery cycles. The case studies illustrate how this basic methodology has been adapted to a range of cultural contexts, and indicates the positive results of building performance assessment in a wide range of situations.

The building performance evaluation (BPE) framework emphasizes an evaluative stance throughout the six phases of the building delivery and life cycle: (1) strategic planning/needs analysis; (2) program review; (3) design review; (4) post-construction evaluation/review; (5) post-occupancy evaluation; and, (6) facilities management review/adaptive reuse. The lessons learned from positive and negative building performance are fed into future building delivery cycles. The case studies illustrate how this basic methodology has been adapted to a range of cultural contexts, and indicates the positive results of building performance assessment in a wide range of situations.

Building Performance Evaluation (BPE) informs and enhances the usability and sustainability of building designs with lessons learned from evaluation of building performance throughout the building life cycle, from initial planning through occupancy to adaptive re-use. A key feature of BPE is that it examines design and technical performance of buildings alongside human performance criteria. That is, it seeks to examine facilities in order to determine whether they will work for the people that will use and occupy them. Rigorous BPE helps to improve design practice by providing feedback on the effectiveness of the choices made about the building to ensure that its design is optimised for stakeholders’ uses. The overarching theme for Enhancing Building Performance is to present the next generation of BPE work. The book provides an updated systematic approach for BPE as well as chapters written by experts from around the world who demonstrate how to apply BPE to enhance building design. Topics covered include: evidence-based and integrative design processes, evaluation methods and tools, and education and knowledge transfer. In addition, case studies provide specific examples of how BPE has been used to study such things as the impact of workplace design on human productivity and innovation. Written primarily for design professionals and facility managers who wish to use BPE to deliver improved building performance that is responsive to the needs of stakeholders, Enhancing Building Performance will also be of great value to researchers and students across a range of architecture and construction disciplines.

This book is about building evaluation in the broadest sense and it transcends the meaning and conventional boundaries of the evolving field of "post-occupancy evalu ation" by focusing on evaluation throughout the building delivery process. This process is seen not just as being linear with a product in mind, i. e. , the completed and occupied building, but rather, it is seen as a cyclic evolution which has as its goal the continuous improvement of the quality of buildings. This goal can only be accomplished if evaluation occurs throughout the building delivery process, and if: 1. the evaluation that does occur is systematic and rigorous, 2. the data that is obtained can be fed into data bases and clearinghouses for use in future generations of buildings, and; 3. there is continuity in information flow. The idea for this book originated with a symposium that was part of a conference held at the Technical University in Delft, Netherlands, in July of 1988, i. e. , lAPS 10, the tenth biannual conference of the "International Association for the Study of People and their Physical Surroundings. " Authors presented papers based on their book chapters, and discussions ensued about the expanded boundaries of the field, about theoretical, methodological, and practical issues, as well as applications in building evaluation. Other relevant topics were identified and several additional authors were invited to participate in order to round out the contents of this book.

This guide explains how to use Building Performance Evaluation (BPE) to address issues of inefficiency and user dissatisfaction. It is a general introduction to BPE, and explains why it is important and how it can be carried out.

Post-occupancy evaluation, focusing on building’s occupants and their needs, provides insight into the consequences of past design decisions and forms a sound basis for creating better buildings in the future. This book, first published in 1988, includes a review of the evolution of the field, a conceptual frame-work for POE, and pragmatic information on planning, conducting, and reporting POEs. Post-Occupancy Evaluation categorizes the approaches to building evaluation by describing the three levels of POE effort – indicative, investigative, and diagnostic, each differing in terms of time, resources, and personnel needed. In its scope Post-Occupancy Evaluation is both comprehensive and specific; professionals in the design and planning disciplines will find it an invaluable resource for understanding the theory behind POE’s and the procedures needed to put the theory into practice.

In 1986, the FFC requested that the NRC appoint a committee to examine the field and propose ways by which the POE process could be improved to better serve public and private sector organizations. The resulting report, Post-Occupancy Evaluation Practices in the Building Process: Opportunities for Improvement, proposed a broader view of POEs-from being simply the end phase of a building project to being an integral part of the entire building process. The authoring committee recommended a series of actions related to policy, procedures, and innovative technologies and techniques to achieve that broader view. In 2000, the FFC funded a second study to look at the state of the practice of POEs and lessons-learned programs among federal agencies and in private, public, and academic organizations both here and abroad. The sponsor agencies specifically wanted to determine whether and how information gathered during POE processes could be used to help inform decisions made in the programming, budgeting, design, construction, and operation phases of facility acquisition in a useful and timely way. To complete this study, the FFC commissioned a set of papers by recognized experts in this field, conducted a survey of selected federal agencies with POE programs, and held a forum at the National Academy of Sciences on March 13, 2001, to address these issues. This report is the result of those efforts.