Aftercare
In the context of the built environment, the term aftercare might refer to the soft landings process, which includes provisions for initial aftercare and extended aftercare services for three years after the completed development has been handed over for occupation.
Articles about aftercare on Designing Buildings include:
NB High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Environmental Statement, Glossary, abbreviations and references, published by the Department for Transport in 2022, defines aftercare as: ‘The ongoing management of a restored site to ensure that the restoration is established, is sustainable and delivers the proposed after use. It is usually used in the context of restoration of agricultural land and borrow pits.’
Smart Building Overlay to the RIBA Plan of Work, published by the RIBA in 2024, states in relation to aftercare: ‘The RIBA Plan of Work refers to initiatives aimed at making the use of the building, or subsequent buildings, more effective, including improving the performance of the building systems. Tasks may include gathering feedback on project performance and building performance from post occupancy evaluations. Where smart buildings are concerned, over and above the usual user surveys and system tests, there is the opportunity to evaluate the smart building technology and applications against system performance design information, and any future requirements for refinement and optimisation.’
Competence frameworks for the built environment – Core criteria for sustainability competence - Code of practice , Version 3, published by the Edge for the Construction Industry Council in February 2025, defines aftercare as: ‘support for the asset to meet its optimum performance and support the end operators and users in providing an environment that supports the required performance. Aftercare starts when the project passes from its final construction phase and into full time occupancy.’
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
ECA, JIB and JTL back Fabian Society call to invest in skills for a stronger built environment workforce.
Women's Contributions to the Built Environment.
Calls for the delayed Circular Economy Strategy
Over 50 leading businesses, trade associations and professional bodies, including CIAT, and UKGBC sign open letter.
The future workforce: culture change and skill
Under the spotlight at UK Construction Week London.
A landmark moment for postmodern heritage.
A safe energy transition – ECA launches a new Charter
Practical policy actions to speed up low carbon adoption while maintaining installation safety and competency.
Frank Duffy: Researcher and Practitioner
Reflections on achievements and relevance to the wider research and practice communities.
The 2026 Compliance Landscape: Fire doors
Why 'Business as Usual' is a Liability.
Cutting construction carbon footprint by caring for soil
Is construction neglecting one of the planet’s most powerful carbon stores and one of our greatest natural climate allies.
ARCHITECTURE: How's it progressing?
Archiblogger posing questions of a historical and contextual nature.
The roofscape of Hampstead Garden Suburb
Residents, architects and roofers need to understand detailing.
Homes, landlords. tenants and the new housing standards
What will it all mean?
The Architectural Technology podcast: Where it's AT
Catch-up on the latest episodes.
Edmundson Apprentice of the Year award 2026
Entries now open for this Electrical Contractors' Association award.
Traditional blue-grey slate from one of the oldest and largest UK slate quarries down in Cornwall.
There are plenty of sources with the potential to be redeveloped.
Change of use legislation breaths new life into buildings
A run down on Class MA of the General Permitted Development Order.
Solar generation in the historic environment
Success requires understanding each site in detail.