BUILDING CASE STUDY POST-OCCUPANCY EVALUATION
served by natural ventilation only, and the university is keen to use lessons learnt to inform their future buildings. Finally, the design allows the
future incorporation of a large array of photovoltaic panels, thanks to pre- wiring and south-facing features at an optimum angle. In addition, the building incorporates a number of ‘sustainable’ design features such as water-efficient appliances, a run-off trench, and a sedum roof to slow down water run-off, provide additional insulation, protect the waterproof roof membrane and add to the local biodiversity.
The post-occupancy evaluation aimed to provide an overall view of the Digital Lab’s energy performance
drawn through the labyrinth’s concrete duct, it receives useful heating (in winter) or cooling (in summer) from the ground, which is at a relatively constant temperature throughout the year. This allows the air to be pre-heated or pre- cooled before going through local air handling units and being introduced into the meeting rooms. This relatively simple solution was considered ideal for the small proportion of spaces which could not be
Pre-cooled air at outlet of labyrinth
before the air handling unit was installed
Methodology The post-occupancy evaluation aimed to provide an overall view of the building’s performance, and as such considered user satisfaction, energy performance, and the performance of the earth labyrinth. User satisfaction was mostly assessed through formal occupancy surveys carried out in September 2010, using the BUS Methodology (the widely-used building occupancy survey method developed by the Usable Buildings Trust). Informal feedback was also gathered through site visits, interviews with university staff (facilities management and procurement side), and a ‘Likes/Dislikes’ survey carried out by the architect using the in-use stage of the design quality indicator (DQI) as part of the briefing process for their next building with the university.
Air inlet
Figure 1: Illustration of the earth labyrinth, with gradual tempering of the supply air before the air handling unit was installed
Key lessons learnt
lThe building’s very good response to the users’ needs indicates that the architectural design process has been successful in consulting with users. This could inform the services design process in future projects to improve usability by general users and management staff – for example, the Soft Landings approach.
26 CIBSE Journal April 2012
l Initial observations indicate that the earth labyrinth offers benefits in reducing heating and cooling consumption.
l The building systems, and their controls, should be kept as simple as possible to facilitate maintenance and respond to user expectations.
l Importance of handover, including commissioning
at completion, seasonal commissioning beyond handover, and training of the facilities manager and general users.
l Importance of users’ engagement and helpful facilities managers in allowing post-occupancy evaluation. This was extremely useful in this study.
Overall user feedback Feedback from WMG staff who occupy the building has overall been very positive, particularly on the architecture of the building, with high satisfaction levels on a number of important points: l The building’s score for overall satisfaction is among the best 20% in its category (see Figure 2a). In particular, this is achieved through very good satisfaction levels with the building’s image, good natural daylight levels, and the building’s success at meeting the users’ needs (Figures 2b and 2c), highlighting the success of the design process in establishing the brief and consulting with users; and
l The open-plan and spacious nature of the building is generally viewed extremely positively by users, contributing to the building’s ‘wow factor’ and being well used for public events and informal gatherings. This is all the more notable,
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