Making feedback and post-occupancy evaluation routine 3: Case studies of the use of techniques in the feedback portfolio

Although there is increasing interest in building performance, the people who procure, design and construct buildings seldom engage closely with the performance of the buildings they have created. This paper outlines the results of 14 case studies where designers and their clients used one or more techniques chosen from a portfolio of ten to evaluate their buildings or processes at any stage in the life cycle of a project. It is revealed that considerable value could be obtained for relatively low effort, helping to improve both the performance of the building concerned and the skills and insights of the participants; and that there was value in using established techniques that were robust, cost-effective and had benchmarks available where appropriate. It proved easier to undertake a survey than to get people together to discuss their experience. However, after the procurement process had started, it proved difficult to incorporate feedback, because everyone was already committed to a particular mode of operation.