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.’
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