Post Occupancy Evaluation an Academic Building: Lessons to Learn

Abstract

Post occupancy evaluation (POE) is a tool used to determine the users’ satisfaction of a building after its completion. Most educational facilities do not conduct a post occupancy evaluation due to the absence of it in the contract agreement between the institution and architect. The client often chooses to bypass the POE to reduce the cost of the project. The purpose of this research is to conduct a POE of an academic building and identify areas of user dissatisfaction in order to enhance future projects. An academic building on a major, Midwestern university campus was remodeled during the academic year of 2014-15 followed by a POE with end users (students, faculty, and staff). The building houses the Dean’s office and two departments with a total of approximately 1400 Students and 65 Full-time faculty and staff. Personal interviews were conducted with the staff of the architectural firm responsible for the project (architect, Interior designer, and construction manager), and the university facility planning director and architect. Interviews and walk-throughs were also conducted with program directors and chairpersons. A questionnaire in three different formats to accommodate different majors was distributed to 750 students and 45 faculty and staff. Specialized areas included a student operated restaurant and kitchen, as well as interior design studios and apparel design labs. Overall, users were satisfied with the remodeled building with the exception of a few minor issues such as navigation through the building and temperature.