Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) applied to a building
in the UK. The design of the building was generated through an externally funded research project
over two years from 2005 to 2007. The construction of the building was completed in 2010.
After a period of occupancy, a POE of the building was carried out in 2015. The POE offered
an opportunity to investigate the effect of occupant behaviour on the performance of the building
and their level of comfort and satisfaction. We adopted a field survey method to evaluate the comfort
and satisfaction of users by asking them a series of questions to analyse how they felt in different
parts of the building throughout the course of the year. In our analysis, the users were prompted
to provide a subjective measure of the building regarding a range of internal conditions such as air
temperature, humidity, air movement, air quality, daylight, artificial light, and noise. The analysis
supports the notion that in naturally-ventilated buildings some users may find the building to be
hot in summer while cold in winter. The high level of control the users have over the operation of
the building contributes to their comfort and satisfaction. The users demonstrated a tendency to be
satisfied despite environmental factors and to forgive some aspects of the building which are not
performing as they should. The paper offers a perspective on statistical user satisfaction in a low
occupancy building and attempts to explain the role of workplace wellbeing on occupant perception
of comfort in this case.