Facilities

Post-occupancy evaluation: how to make buildings work better

Wolfgang F.E. Preiser

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Wolfgang F.E. Preiser, (1995),"Post-occupancy evaluation: how to make buildings work better", Facilities, Vol. 13 Iss 11 pp.
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Introduction

Post-occupancy
evaluation: how to
make buildings work
better

Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) is a new

tool which facility managers can use to assist
in continuously improving the quality and
performance of the facilities which they operate and maintain. This tool is particularly
beneficial to organizations with recurring
construction programmes, or with a significant volume of facilities which requires
remodelling. A definition of POE reads as
follows:

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Wolfgang F.E. Preiser

Post-occupancy evaluation is the process of

systematically comparing actual building performance, i.e., performance measures, with explicitly stated performance criteria. These are typically
documented in a facility program, which is a
common pre-requisite for the design phases in the
building delivery cycle. The comparison constitutes the evaluation in terms of both positive and
negative performance aspects[1].

The author
Wolfgang F.E. Preiser is Professor of Architecture, School
of Architecture and Interior Design, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

In the 1960s, POE was introduced in

response to significant problems experienced
in building performance with particular
emphasis on the building occupant perspective. This was first noted in institutional care
facilities, such as mental hospitals, nursing
homes, and correctional facilities. It was
observed that the facilities actually hindered
progress towards recuperation or resocialization of the residents, or inmates, respectively.
A generally common set of problems in building performance, even for new buildings, is
listed below:
health and safety problems;
security problems;
leakage;
poor signage and wayfinding problems;
poor air circulation and temperature
control;

Abstract
Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) is a diagnostic tool and
system which allows facility managers to identify and
evaluate critical aspects of building performance systematically. This system has been applied to identify problem
areas in existing buildings, to test new building prototypes
and to develop design guidance and criteria for future
facilities. Outlines the numerous benefits of POE, including
better space utilization, as well as cost and time savings.
Describes a conceptual framework and evaluation datagathering techniques. Presents examples of the outcomes
of a case study POE on a medical facility. Highlights the
primary effect of a POE database development project on
FM software and summarizes the outcomes of an IFMA
Pilot Survey on Academic Facility Performance Feedback.

Figures 1-4 were produced by Architectural

Research Consultants, Inc. of Albuquerque, New
Mexico, USA, and first appeared in Post-occupancy
Evaluation by Preiser et al.[1]. Permission of the
Building Research Board, Van Nostrand Reinhold
and Plenum publishing Corporation for the use of
these figures in this article is gratefully acknowledged.
Funding support for the POE Database Development Project was provided by the University of
Cincinnati, IBM Corporation and Accugraph, Inc.
For commentary and review of this article thanks
are owed to the following: Terry R. White, formerly
University of Cincinnati vice-president and CEO,
University Hospital; Thomas Cruse, associate viceprovost, University of Cincinnati.
This paper was originally presented at the Euro
FM/IFMA Conference, Facility management new
European challenges, Frankfurt, 11-13 June 1995.

Facilities
Volume 13 Number 11 October 1995 pp. 1928
MCB University Press ISSN 0263-2772

19

Post-occupancy evaluation: how to make buildings work better

Facilities

Wolfgang F.E. Preiser

Volume 13 Number 11 October 1995 1928

handicapped accessibility problems;

lack of storage;
lack of privacy;
hallway blockage;
aesthetic problems;
entry door problems with wind and accumulation of dirt;
inadequacy of designing space for equipment (like copiers);
maintainability of glass surfaces (e.g. skywalks or inaccessible skylights).

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availability of base-line data and criteria with

which findings from POE studies can be
compared. The experience has been that
indicative POEs cost approximately 50 cents
per square foot, investigative POEs cost
US$1.75 per square foot, whereas diagnostic
POEs can cost anywhere upwards from
US$2.50 per evaluated square foot. The three
levels of effort, indicative, investigative and
diagnostic, are defined below.
The term post-occupancy evaluation is a
misnomer, according to some experts, in the
sense that critical evaluation and review
should not only occur in a facility once constructed and occupied, but it should occur
throughout the entire building delivery cycle.
While the term post-occupancy evaluation
has been introduced into the planning and
design professions and their literature, some
alternative names such as building-in-use
studies have been tried but not adopted. The
same is true for building diagnostics, and
more recently, building pathology which is
gaining ground in European countries, especially in the UK. The latter term and field
promises to bring together both the technical
aspects of building performance (structural,
mechanical, etc.) and the building performance aspects which focus on the building
occupant/end-user, thus promising a truly
comprehensive treatment of the subject matter. In the future, another more generic term
could potentially substitute for all of the above
mentioned terms, namely building evaluation[4].

Since then POE has been introduced in a

number of countries and in organizations
ranging from small to very large governmental
agencies. Examples of organizations with
POE experience are given in Table I.
The history and evolution of this relatively
young field of specialization can be found in the
book, Post-Occupancy Evaluation by Preiser et
al.[1]. In this context, a key observation can be
made, i.e. that POEs have evolved from rather
simple minded, one of a kind case studies of
individual facilities to sophisticated, crosssectional studies of building types with valid,
reproducible and generalizable results. These,
in turn, form the basis for the development of
design guidelines and criteria for use in the
planning of similar facilities in the future[2].
Most recently, POE methods have been applied
to analyses and modelling of the building delivery cycle, and especially hospital activation, for
the Department of Veterans Affairs[3].
Likewise, the cost of conducting POEs has
been significantly reduced due to standardization of data-gathering instruments and greater

Table I Organizations with POE experience

Government of the USA

Military Services
US Customs Service
National Bureau of Standards
General Services Administration
US postal service
Department of Veterans Affairs
Public Works Canada
Health care facilities
Government of Australia
All agencies
Government of New Zealand
Military facilities
State Governments of California and
Massachusetts
Correction facilities

State of New Mexico

Police facilities
City of Albuquerque, New Mexico
Senior centres
State of Ohio
Hospital and university facilities
Kaiser Permanente
Health care facilities
Duke University Medical Center
Hospital
Takenaka and Shimizu Corporations in Japan
Speculative
Office buildings

20

Post-occupancy evaluation: how to make buildings work better

Facilities

Wolfgang F.E. Preiser

Volume 13 Number 11 October 1995 1928

functions and activities, and environmental

conditions that are required. They are commonly documented in the form of a functional
programme (or brief) and communicated to
all parties involved in building delivery.
In carrying out these evaluations, three
levels of performance are considered (see
lower right box in Figure 2):
(1) the health/safety/security level;
(2) the functionality/efficiency level;

Historically, building performance was evaluated in an informal manner, and the lessons
learned were applied in the next building
cycle of a similar facility type. Because of
relatively slow change in the evolution of
building types in the past, knowledge about
their performance was passed on from generation to generation of building specialists.
These were often craftsmen with multiple
skills, i.e. they were artists/designers/draftsmen/builders, in one and the same person,
who had almost total control over the building
delivery process. They also had a very thorough knowledge of the context in which the
client operated as far as cultural, social, economic and technical parameters were concerned.
This situation has totally changed today,
with ever-increasing proliferation of specialization, not only in the construction industry,
but also in the demands the clients place on
facilities. The situation is made more difficult
due to the fact that no one person or group
seems to be in control of the building delivery
process any more. Rather, major building
decisions are made by committees, and an
increasing number of technical code and
regulatory requirements are placed on facilities, such as handicapped accessibility, energy
conservation, hazardous waste disposal, fire
safety, occupational health and safety requirements, and so on. Since all these have to be
complied with and brought into some balance, it is easy to see that the performance of
the facilities is something that needs to be well
articulated and documented, usually in the
form of the facility programme[5]. That way,
all participants in the building delivery
process have a clear understanding of what
type and level of performance should be
achieved in a facility. Figure 1 illustrates the
performance concept in the building delivery
process as well as the basic outcomes of postoccupancy evaluations from short- mediumand long-term perspectives.
In this context, facility managers can play a
pivotal role because they have to live with
decisions and choices of facility planners,
programmers and designers. This leads us to
the point where building performance needs
to be specified for each category of spaces,
and the facility overall. Therefore, building
performance criteria are an expression and
translation of client goals and objectives,

Figure 1 The performance concept in the building delivery process

Performance
criteria

Co
n

iso

r
pa

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Building performance evaluation

Performance
measures
Post-occupancy
evaluation
outcomes
Long-term feedforward
to database clearing
house for improvement
of state-of-the-artdesign criteria

Short-term
feedback to existing
building client for
immediate, short-term
problem solving
Planning

Programming
Design
Construction
Occupancy

Medium-term direct
input into the next
building cycle

Figure 2 Elements and levels of building performance

Buildings
and settings

Workstation
Room
Building

Occupants

Individual
Group
Organization

Occupant
needs

21

Health/safety/security
Functional performance
Psychological comfort
and satisfaction

Post-occupancy evaluation: how to make buildings work better

Facilities

Wolfgang F.E. Preiser

Volume 13 Number 11 October 1995 1928

(3) the social, psychological, cultural and

aesthetic level.

recommendations for action. Results are

usually available within a matter of days after
the site visit. Investigative POEs can take
anywhere from a week to several months,
depending on the depth of investigation and
the amount of personnel involved on the part
of the client organization whose building(s)
are to be evaluated. Diagnostic POEs resemble traditional in-depth research in a very
focused topic area. It can take months or years
and requires highly sophisticated data gathering and analysis techniques.

For a complete description of the types of data

that are collected in connection with the
evaluation of facilities see Preiser, et al.[1].

POE process model

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Based on the collective and cumulative experience in a number of researchers in the field
of POE, a POE process model was developed
which outlines in three phases and nine steps
the process a typical post-occupancy evaluation goes through. In addition, it features
three levels of effort at which POEs can be
undertaken, i.e. indicative, investigative, and
diagnostic (see Figure 3):
(1) Indicative POEs are quick, walk-through
evaluations, involving structured interviews with key personnel, group meetings
with end-users, as well as inspections in
which both positive and negative aspects
of building performance are documented
photographically, or on the notepad.
(2) Investigative POEs are more in-depth and
they utilize interviews and survey questionnaires, in addition to photographic/
video recordings, and physical measurements, they typically involve a number of
buildings of the same type.
(3) Diagnostic POEs are focused, longitudinal and cross-sectional evaluation studies
of such performance aspects as stair
safety, orientation and wayfinding, artificial versus full spectrum lighting, privacy,
overcrowding, etc.

POE and facility management

From the facility management perspective,
POE expertise and data-gathering methods
can be applied to various situations which
would benefit facility performance in the
continuous quest for quality improvement.
Thus, POE techniques become an important
asset in the toolkit facility managers can use
for total quality management:
Trouble shooting. It is advisable that facility
managers get involved in or provide input
into the early planning and pre-design
phases of a project. They should be consulted in the review of proposed design
concepts and solutions, as well as in the
selection of hardware specifications, surface materials, operating systems, etc. Not
only can they supply valuable advice on
building performance aspects of specified
systems and materials, but they can also
shed light on their cost in operating and
maintaining facilities.
Finetuning. After a facility is occupied and
taken into use, the inevitable finetuning
process takes place in which the occupants
adapt to the facility, and they in turn adapt
the facility to suit their needs. In very large
facilities housing hundreds or even thousands of occupants, it is necessary to get
feedback from the occupants efficiently
and rapidly in order to carry out the finetuning process. For very large organizations, this requires that surveys be conducted and multiple observations or measurements be made in a systematic manner.
Problem identification. One of the most
common applications of post-occupancy
evaluation is the identification of performance problems in occupied facilites,
resulting in objective documentation,
which, in turn, is the basis for recommendations for actions to solve those problems.

The most common POE is the indicative one

which can be carried out within a few hours of
on-site data gathering. Typically, an executive
summary results in prioritized issues, and

Steps

Levels of effort

Figure 3 Post-occupancy evaluation process model

Level 1:
Indicative
Level 2:
Investigative
Level 3:
Diagnostic

Phase 1

Phase 2

Planning

Conducting

Planning

Planning

Conducting

Conducting

Phase 3
Applying

Applying
Applying

1.1 Reconnaissance and 2.1 Initiating on-site data

3.1 Reporting findings
feasibility
collection process
1.2 Resource planning
2.2 Monitoring and managing 3.2 Recommending
data colleciton procedures
actions
1.3 Research planning
2.3 Analysing data
3.3 Reviewing outcomes

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Post-occupancy evaluation: how to make buildings work better

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Wolfgang F.E. Preiser

Volume 13 Number 11 October 1995 1928

independently of who happens to operate

them at a given point in time.

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Equally important is the fact that the POE

helps justify budget requests to implement
solutions to identified problems.
Intra-agency feed forward of design and guidance criteria. In order to improve facility
performance in future facilities, systematic
intra-agency feedback on the performance
of existing facilities is essential. Facility
managers can be instrumental in providing
this type of feedback by administering
POEs and facility audits, and by documenting excellent facility performance
aspects which are deemed worth replicating in the future new and remodelled
facilities. Thus, given the recent developments in software systems for facility management, post-occupancy evaluation may
be added as a module to FM software
systems such as Accugraphs Mountain
Top software which already addresses the
building delivery cycle in a rather comprehensive manner.
Litigation. Malfunctions or performance
breakdowns do occur in facilities and the
facility manager is the first to know it.
Since design problems, safety or warranty
issues may be at stake, POE methods can
be used to document data for litigation
carefully.

IFMA pilot survey on facility

performance feedback synopsis
In 1994, a pilot survey was conducted with
members of the International Facilities
Management Association (IFMA) Academic
Facilities Council. Of the total membership of
141, only ten responded to the pilot survey,
the results of which are summarized below.
The focus of the survey was to ascertain
which aspects of facility performance are of
concern to facilities managers before and after
activation and occupancy of academic facilities (42 per cent of the sample), in addition to
student residences, i.e. 27 per cent of the total
number of buildings being reported on.
In summary, prior to building occupancy,
major performance problems included building code issues and changes, as well as scheduling. One year after occupancy, the major
concerns included operational problems with
HVAC building controls, as well as peeling
paint. Most common facility management
performance problems facing facility managers one year after occupancy included
breakage, operational problems, health/safety
security problems, as well as functionality/efficiency issues.
Unsolicited facility performance problems
identified by the respondents included problems of expansion and redecorating; accommodating student needs better in residences,
e.g. computer labs, study rooms, recreational
spaces, etc.; adaptability to changing uses;
ability to perform cyclical maintenance without disrupting occupants; as well as the need
to carry out facility assessments prior to, as
well as after, occupancy. In summary, the
pilot survey bears out the fact that facility
managers do experience significant facility
performance issues on a recurring basis and,
thus, that their cumulative expertise in building performance can be a valuable input in the
planning, programming and design process of
new or remodelled facilities.

Ultimately, as Figure 4 illustrates, facility

managers may become the keepers of expertise and databases/information systems on
facility performance of common facility types,
as opposed to architects, or independent
clearing-houses. Being on-site and familiar
with the everyday problems and issues of
building performance, facility managers may
also be aided by so-called building user manuals which should be developed for facilities

Figure 4 POE as a facility management tool

Elements of post-occupancy
evaluation research
Database/
information system

Performance
criteria

Building
process

Goals/
outcomes

Planning

Programming
Design

Benefits of POE
Construction
Measurement
technology

Post-occupancy
evaluation

The benefits of POE for facility managers

include short-, medium- and long-term
benefits:

Occupancy

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Post-occupancy evaluation: how to make buildings work better

Facilities

Wolfgang F.E. Preiser

Volume 13 Number 11 October 1995 1928

Short-term benefits. These include user

feedback on problems in buildings and
identification of appropriate solutions.
Medium-term benefits. These include feedforward of the positive and negative lessons
learned into the next building cycle.
Long-term benefits. These are aimed at the
creation of databases, clearing-houses and
the generation of planning and design
criteria for specific building types, such as
health-care facilities, offices, etc. Database
development as outlined below assumes a
critical role in linking POE with facility
programming.

planning, budgeting, as well as validate the

information gathered from these various FM
areas[7]. This is done by integrating the
information base among the various areas of
the FM programme, and by assimilating the
information as far as possible in the work
processes in order to optimize them.
For example, the frequency of replacement
of a certain type of indoor lighting can be
recorded in facility maintenance. Meanwhile,
facility operations can record the usage of that
type of lighting. Planning and budgeting may
have already recorded the normal life
expectancy and cost of that lighting, as well as
comparisons with alternative lighting. Other
sources would have further information:
health and safety reports could indicate any
problems attributed to the lighting, purchasing information could provide the availability
of the lighting, etc. While evaluating the
lighting system for a new or existing facility,
all these types of information can be taken
into account, in addition to specific user input
on aspects which could range from aesthetics
to ease of use. Thus, it can be seen that a key
aspect of POE is in the creation and propagation of information on various aspects of
facility performance, to the mutual benefit of
all areas of the FM programme.
To study the feasibility of introducing the
concept of POE in the FM process, a project is
underway at the University of Cincinnati. The
POE Database Project at the University of
Cincinnati involves the development of a
knowledge-based system which can be used by
designers and planners to accomplish better
designs. This is done by learning from past
experiences as well as from comprehensive
design information made available during the
design process. The first stage of the project is
devoted specifically to upcoming research
laboratory type building projects at the university. Facility evaluations which include various
aspects of building performance evaluations
and surveys were conducted on the users of
these facilities. They will be compiled into a
knowledge-base which would be used by the
POE database system in assisting designers in
future projects (Figures 5 and 6).
Like most large universities, the University
of Cincinnati has its facilities-related work
groups widely spread geographically, as well
as administratively. Traditionally, these
groups have functioned independently and
have developed independent information
resources (Figure 6). Sometimes, the same

POEs helps complex organizations with

communication about guilding performance.
Thus, POE feedback from occupants combined with state-of-the-art knowledge:
(1) Improves building performance (quality)
in terms of
health/safety/security;
functionality/efficiency;
social/psychological/cultural satisfaction.
(2) Adds to the state-of-the-art knowledge,
local experience and contextual factors.
(3) Saves cost of maintaining and operating
facilities over life cycles.
(4) Improves morale of workers.
(5) Helps generate guidelines.
(6) Benchmarks/successful concepts.
(7) Standards/databases.
In summary, the benefits of POE do not only
promise to improve the quality of facilities
and worker morale, but they may also contribute to significant cost savings.

FM and POE database development

For a number of reasons, from organizational
structure and control to bulk volume dealings,
a fast evolving trend is to view various traditionally independent facility-related activities as
parts of an entire facility management programme. In this context, it is clear that the role
of POE is better served as part of an enterprisewide and comprehensive facility management
programme, rather than a simple addition to
facility design[6]. In fact, quite deservingly,
POE can be seen as a control process reviewing
the primary facility processes.
As stated earlier, POE can be used not only
to improve the various aspects of facility
design, but also other aspects such as facility
operations, maintenance, short and long-term
24

Post-occupancy evaluation: how to make buildings work better

Facilities

Wolfgang F.E. Preiser

Volume 13 Number 11 October 1995 1928

It is hoped that once the process of interfacing standards development is accomplished, many groups may directly or indirectly use the POE system for (or as part of) their
facility management and design work, thus
allowing for the evolution of an integrated
facilities programme at the university.
A future stage of the project is the implementation of the POE system in the integrated facilities programme. It is expected that the
underlying CAD and database systems of the
POE system will become the key components
of an integrated facilities programme. Interfacing modules may have to be developed to
facilitate the interfacing of other systems with
the POE system, as well as with other components of integrated facilities programme.
It is envisioned that the POE system along
with the integrated facilities programme will
eventually be the primary component in the
overall facility planning, design and maintenance process at the university. The development and update of the knowledge bases and
expert system components would involve
systematic processes, including self-learning
capabilities of the system. The arena of the
knowledge bases would include various usage
levels, thus allowing for wider use of the system in the overall facility-related areas.
The cost benefits of POEs and their applications in facility programming and design are
lucrative considering the time and effort put
in by organizations in facility-related functions. Facility programmes are very comprehensive in universities with large research
programmes and they rank high among all
budgeted expenses. A structured facility
programme could not only help in the operation of institutions, but also in their long-term
planning by stressing the proper aspects in
facility requirements and hence better projections of growth/restructuring. Thus, successful budgets and project proposals would
result, both internally as well as externally,
e.g. to state governments. This is valuable for
organizations with large and expensive facility
programmes, especially catering for research,
health-care, and high-technology environments, such as universities.

Figure 5 POE project overview

Software review

Post-occupancy
evaluation surveys

Hardware review

Data evaluation

Database design

Data input/update

Expert shell
interface

Criteria
assembly

Design

Application to design

Figure 6 Typical university FM databases

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Facilities design
Space management
Design projects
Drawings
Fixed assests
Cost information

Facilities management
Maintenance management
Housekeeping
Telecom
Housing
Hazardous material/waste

Other
Course schedules
Registration
Student/staff information
Financial information
Campus schedules

objects are referred to differently by different

groups, such as room numbers in buildings.
In order to function more efficiently, the idea
of an integrated facilities programme has been
conceptualized, whereby the various groups
would pool all their information for the common benefits of all groups. Such an information base would then be used as a tool for
further improvements in facilities processes.
In addition to this, the POE concept and the
proposed database system are intended to be
used for the upkeep and use of the information base, thus allowing for process review
and quality improvement.
The development of an expert system to
interface the knowledge base with CAD
design and facility management databases is
underway. Since the project has invoked
interest from various groups in the university
which use CAD/database systems for facility
design and management, an effort has been
made to keep the POE architecture system
open so that other groups can attach CAD/
database modules to the POE system.

University of Cincinnati case study the

Barrett Cancer Center POE
In 1991, the University of Cincinnati
embarked on a POE database development
project with the goal of applying the lessons
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Post-occupancy evaluation: how to make buildings work better

Facilities

Wolfgang F.E. Preiser

Volume 13 Number 11 October 1995 1928

learned from the past, i.e. from existing facilities to the planning of future facilities. At this
time, approximately US$100,000,000 worth
of scientific laboratories are being planned. It
was decided that it would be appropriate to
use POE to evaluate several existing facilities,
and to review those currently being planned.
In this context, input from facility managers
and their staff was critical to make sure that
problems which were identified would be
corrected and not repeated in the next building cycle.
In addition to the above effort, in 1992, the
University of Cincinnati Medical Center
Administration commissioned the author to
conduct a post-occupancy evaluation on the
Barrett Cancer Center. It served two objectives:
(1) to identify how the Barrett Cancer Center
performance could be enhanced;
(2) to apply the lessons learned to a new
medical office building which is currently
being planned.

provide lounge, bathrooms and locker

area dedicated to staff;
provide computer access in all examination rooms;
have part-time doctors share offices;
redesign registration counters to suit
work process better;
redesign level 1 lobby to be less gloomy
and more efficient;
create BCC building user manual.
(2) Long term:
streamline patient registration and
circulation throughout the facility;
design storage for short-, medium- and
long-term needs;
space allocation policy to be guided by
productivity of patient area;
flexibility to encompass programmatic
and technological change;
reroute pedestrian through-traffic;
reserve space for future growth.
Most of the issues/recommendations identified in this POE project are being implemented at this time.
These and other items will also be considered in the planning and design of a new
medical office building of the University of
Cincinnati Hospital, to be created in the space
of an already erected shell in a six-story steel
structure. The top two stories of the building
will be occupied by a blood centre and the
remaining four storeys will be devoted to the
new medical office building. Of these, the
lowest floor (below grade) will be reserved for
future growth.
Two clients using POE at the University of
Cincinnati provide brief commentaries on
their experiences and expectations with this
process.

The focus of the POE was on end-users such

as patients, staff and physicians. The results
and issues presented below are intended to
illustrate the breadth and diversity of issues
which can be covered in POEs.
Key issues identified in the Barrett Cancer
Center POE include:
(1) Short term:
provide clear signage at street level;
provide canopy at main entrance for
protection from the elements;
make handicapped access to comply
with ADA;
provide interior signage/directories
and colour coding for better wayfinding;
improve access to dedicated parking.
(2) Medium term:
provide lit signs and uncomplicated
directional information throughout
facility;
provide patient seating in waiting areas
with individual chairs with armrests;
improve acoustic privacy in examination rooms;
create childrens play corner at level 2;
provide for companion space/seating in
therapy areas;
avoid double occupancy in patient
rooms (e.g. IV therapy);
avoid multiple registration by patients;

POE client feedback

POE: whats in it for me? by Terry
White, formerly CEO at the University of
Cincinnati Medical Center and Hospital.
In operating a large and complex organization
(and its facilities), such as a University Medical
Center, post-occupancy evaluation has a number of uses, e.g., it:
Constitutes a proactive, not reactive management approach
Addresses the big picture, not piecemeal
actions
Allows objective review of the situation

26

Post-occupancy evaluation: how to make buildings work better

Facilities

Wolfgang F.E. Preiser

Volume 13 Number 11 October 1995 1928

Provides reationale and support for budget

allocation
Is participative and therefore assists in
implementing needed change
Provides expertise not available on staff[8].

ing a large, private health-care provider,

Kaiser Permanente, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and facilities planners and managers at universities like the University of
Cincinnati, Duke University Medical Center,
Carnegie-Mellon University, the University of
Sao Paulo, Brazil and the Universities of
Melbourne and the University of Western
Australia in Perth, Australia.
The purpose of the workshops was to
create awareness, understanding and practical
know-how regarding post-occupancy evaluation methods, results and benefits. In one case
the client wanted to test prototypes of newly
developed medical office buildings before
proceeding to replicate the prototype in a
number of locations. In another, members of
a state housing authority, including architects,
planners and facility managers, were trained
in POE techniques in order to be able to
conduct evaluations as a routine staff function
with in-house personnel. In a third case the
workshop focused on evaluating the process
of hospital activation rather than the performance characteristics of the resulting building. Here, a model process of hospital activation as developed by the project consultant
was to be scrutinized and verified by the
workshop participants who represented local,
regional and national levels of decision making of a major government agency.
The typical structure of the three-day
training workshops is as follows:
Day 1. Instruction on the conceptual basis
of POE; data-gathering techniques; case
study examples; review of documents on
the facility to be evaluated; formation of
sub-teams for data gathering; review of
responses to facility evaluation interview
questions which were given to facility
managers ahead of time.
Day 2. Orientation of evaluation team at
facility by facility administrator or manager; sub-team reporting and data analysis;
processing of photographic materials;
debriefing of facility manager and administrator of the evaluated facility.
Day 3. Compilation of executive summary;
prioritization of recommendations; presentation to top management.

These quotes are from a presentation at the

European conference on Designing the
Future, (sponsored by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and
Working Conditions) which was held in
Copenhagen, Denmark, 18-20 June 1992.

Downloaded by New York University At 09:17 22 June 2015 (PT)

Prospects for FM and POE by Thomas

Cruse, president of the IFMA Academic
Facilities Council
Post-occupancy evaluation will play an ever
increasing role in building design as external
and internal factors place more demands upon
the facility. This is especially true with universities and institutions who are entrusted with the
responsibility of utilizing the publics funds
judiciously. Seldom do these buildings disappear from the campus, rather they are created
with immortality.
POEs provide a mechanism to both learn
from the past and evaluate contemporary
trends. The University of Cincinnati is embarking on a series of new laboratory building
projects totalling more than $80 million, not
including several millions routinely spent on lab
renovations. Research facilities became our first
introduction to POE where Dr Preiser was
provided funding to begin his work, hire support personnel, and acquire computer hardware
and software. Our intent was to apply these
techniques to the resource intensive facilities
first, then use the same analytical process to
other types of facilities in the conceptual stage.
Based on his analysis, a report was produced
to recommend modifications which have been
taken under consideration. Drawings and
survey information have been incorporated into
a database for cataloging and retrieval. At the
present, concepts are being considered to
integrate this data with numerous independent
mini-data bases on campus to form an integrated facilitie sinformation network.
It is our hope that the collection, interpretation, and analysis of information about facilities
will provide the key to better planning and
design for the future. POE plays an important
role in this process[9].

POE training workshops how to learn

about POE

Following the workshop, a draft report is

edited with short-, medium- and long-term
recommendations for action and implementation by the client organization.

Over the past few years, the author has conducted a number of POE training workshops
for institutional and corporate clients includ27

Post-occupancy evaluation: how to make buildings work better

Facilities

Wolfgang F.E. Preiser

Volume 13 Number 11 October 1995 1928

Downloaded by New York University At 09:17 22 June 2015 (PT)

Conclusion

References

The arguments presented in this article suggest

that facility management may benefit greatly
from including post-occupancy evaluation in
the methods used to gather data on facility
performance, in analysing those data, and in
making recommendations for facility improvements. Thereby POE can assist in closing the
information loop in facility management, which
in the past largely ignored the experiences with
and feedback from existing facilities in a systematic manner. This is particularly true when
POE results are fed into databases which focus
on building performance from the end-user
perspective. This task should be relatively easy
and cost-effective, since the proposed POE
software module would be merely an extension
of an already existing, rather comprehensive
FM software system.
The unique contribution POE could provide, in addition to the multiple benefits that
are described above, is the important emphasis
on the ultimate consumers or users of facilities,
something that has been neglected for too long.
It is the recommendation of this author for
facility managers to adopt POE as part of their
tool kits, to conduct pilot POEs on limited
performance aspects of their facilities in order
to become familiar with the methodology and
the results and, ultimately, to integrate POE
into their routine data-gathering and reporting
activities.
The bottom line will be how to make buildings work better!

1 Preiser, W.F.E., Rabinowitz, H.Z. and White, E.T., Postoccupancy Evaluation, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New
York, NY, 1988.
2 National Research Council, Building Research Board,
Post-occupancy Evaluation Practices in the Building
Process: Opportunities for Improvement, National
Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1987.
3 Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Facility Delivery
Cycle Activation Guide, Vols 1 and 2, by Fellows, G.,
Petronis, J. and Preiser, W.F.E., NM, Architectural
Research Consultants, Inc., Albuquerque, July 1991.
4 Preiser, W.F.E. (Ed.), Building Evaluation, Plenum, New
York, NY, 1989.
5 Eberhard, J.P., Horizons for the performance concept
in building, Proceedings of the Symposium on the
Performance Concept in Building, Building Research
Advisory Board, National Academy of Sciences,
Washington, DC, 1965, pp. 93-8.
6 Kernohan, D., Gray, J., and Daish, J. Jr, User Participation in Building Design and Management: A Generic
Approach to Building Evaluation, Butterworth,
Boston, MA, 1992.
7 Hamer, J.M., Facility Management Systems, Van
Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY, 1988.
8 White, T., POE whats in it for me? paper presented
at the conference on Designing the Future (European
Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions), Copenhagen, 18-20 June 1992.
9 Cruse, T., Prospects for FM and POE, paper presented at the conference on Designing the Future
(European Foundation for the Improvement of Living
and Working Conditions), Copenhagen, 18-20 June
1992.

decisions and avoid costly and damaging

mistakes.
Contact: Quadrilect, Peer House, Verulam
Street, London WC1X 8LZ. Tel: 0171 242
4141.

Diary
23 October 1995
Service Level Agreements
An intensive, one-day seminar on how service
level agreements benefit the organization and
how to design and implement them successfully.
Contact: Quadrilect, Peer House, Verulam
Street, London WC1X 8LZ. Tel: 0171 242
4141.

26 October 1995
Going out to Contract
To be held in London, questions how should
facilities managers agree contracts which
perform well, represent value for money and
meet the changing needs of the organization?
Contact: Quadrilect, Peer House, Verulam
Street, London. WC1X 8LZ. Tel: 0171 242
4141.

25 October 1995
Effective Purchasing
To be held in London, this course is designed
to help delegates make the right purchasing
28