Performance in use of completed buildings

[edit] Introduction

Generally, performance in use assessments do not begin until 6 to 12 months after occupation, as operations may not be properly established before then, and the development will not have operated in all seasons.

Performance in use assessments should then be part of a continuous, ongoing process.

An assessment of performance in use generally includes an evaluation of two aspects of a development:

• Business objectives.
• Design.

[edit] Business objectives

An evaluation of business objectives might include:

• The achievement of business case objectives.
• Whole-life costs and benefits against those forecast (including an assessment of capital costs vs running costs).
• Whether the project continues to comply with the current business strategy.
• Whether operations have improved as a result of the development.
• The resilience of the development and business to ongoing or likely change.
• Business and user satisfaction (including staff and user retention and motivation).

[edit] Design evaluation

An evaluation of design might include:

• The effectiveness of space planning.
• Aesthetic quality.
• The standards of lighting, the acoustic environment, ventilation, temperature and humidity.
• Air-pollution and air quality.
• User comfort.
• Maintenance and occupancy costs.
• Defects.
• The balance between capital and running costs.
• An assessment of whether the development is being operated as designed (including assessment of user controlled systems).
• Environmental and energy consumption in use. NB Regular evaluation of energy consumption is mandatory for certain types of buildings under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations). See the article on energy certificates for more information.

[edit] Assessment

The assessment should compare findings to the original targets set out in business case (the original targets may need to be updated to reflect changes to the project brief during the design process as well as wider changes such as inflation). It should also compare findings to other projects and industry standards and compare the outcome of the project with the position had the project not taken place.

A report should be prepared that identifies issues, recommends remedies, and makes recommendations for improvements in performance both for the development being assessed and for future projects.

[edit] Find out more

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• BREEAM.
• Building performance evaluation.
• Building performance metrics.
• Building use studies (BUS).
• Closing the gap between design and as-built performance.
• OGC Gateway Review 5: Operations review & benefits realisation (or benefits evaluation)
• Performance gap.
• Performance of exemplar buildings in use: Bridging the performance gap FB 78.
• Post occupancy evaluation (repeats some of the text in this article).
• Post project review.
• Soft landings.