POE Lecture Notes

Introduction

What is Post Occupancy Evaluation

• It is the systematic and rigorous manner of evaluating buildings and environments after they
have been in use for some time.
• It provides an insight into the +ve/-ve performance of a building.
• Evaluations help in understanding the outcome of projects and examine whether a project
has achieved its intended objectives.

POE involves

 Feedback and action

 Deciding the approach
 Observing and Collecting data
 Analyzing data

Problems that have led to the increasing importance of POE

 Design faults and construction claims

 Fire hazards
 Legal suits
 Need for accountability
 Innovation in the building industry
 Buildings are resources to be managed
 Growing building re-uses , remodeling and renovation
 Informed decision-making
 Organizations want to cut cost

Purposes of POE

 Generate new knowledge

 Assess merit or worth
 Improve facility
Benefits of POE

Short term (feedback to current facility)

- Problems and solutions are identified

- Improved space utilization
- Helps facility managers to be responsive to users
- Feedback on building performance
- Improved attitude of building users
- Understanding implications of budget cuts
- Informed decision-making

Medium term

- Built-in capacity for facility adaptation, change and growth

- Significant costs savings in building process and life-cycle
- Accountability for building performance by design professionals

Long-term (feed forward of results)

- Long-term improvements in building performance of building type

- Improvement in design standards, criteria and codes
- Improved measurement of building performance

Actors in POE

Best conducted by team of experts;

Architects, environmental psychologists, engineers, facility managers, urban planners

In lieu of this

 Academic consultant with knowledge in evaluation and buildings

 Architectural/engineering firms
 Consulting architects or engineers
 Facility management experts

Where POE services are needed

 Public organizations
 Govt. agencies dealing with lands/housing/physical development
 Building Research Institutes
  UN organizations in development (UNDP), human settlements (UNCHS).
 Private organizations
 Banks
 Finance organizations
 Insurance companies
 Private organizations with a lot of real estate/property.

Architectural criticism/ POE

• A.C. depends to a large extent on critic’s experience in architecture and in the history of
architecture, In POE performance us measured by instrumentation and by users
• A.C focuses on the style and aesthetics while POE focuses on the functional or technical
behavior aspects
• A.C. uses methods that are personal/ biased on precedents in architecture while POE uses
methods akin to research- systematic and scientific.

Facility Management/ POE

• FM has the objective to manage/ coordinate demand and supply of facilities and services
within public and private organizations
• FM processes require regular evaluations/ assessments of facilities

Architectural programming/ POE

• Architectural programming is the thorough and systematic evaluation of the interrelated

values, goals, facts, and needs of a client’s organization, facility users, and the surrounding
community. A well-conceived program leads to high quality design.

Evolution of Building Evaluation

Useful areas of research

 Initially research studies

 Focus was on psychological and sociological issues in buildings
 Usually experiments
 Buildings investigated were hostels, hospitals, prisons
 Simple, single building, small scale evaluations, few variables
Useful Methods Developed

 Still largely research oriented

 Concern with process and methods
 Increased scope, scale and number of studies
 Focus on public housing
 Multiple building evaluations
 Variables now include technical and functiona factors
 Established usable techniq-ues

Used Routinely

 Now routinely used by government and private agencies

 Standard activity for facility managers
 Growth of consulting practices doing evaluations’
 Increased number of evaluations/ commercial activity
 Emphasis on feedback/ fine-tuning rather than on process

LECTURE 3

CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES TO BUILDING EVALUATION

Overview of the POE Process

Decisions about:

 Basis of evaluation/conceptual approach

 Which building/environmental elements

 Type of evaluation process

 Type of instruments for evaluation

Conceptual approaches to building evaluation; what it evaluates

• The evaluation of Performance

• The evaluation of Quality

• The evaluation of Satisfaction

• The evaluation of Value

• The evaluation of Beauty/Aesthetic evaluation

• Evaluating sustainability

The building Performance concept

• Major conceptual basis for evaluation

• Emerged as an idea in the 1980s

• Evaluates buildings on the basis of performance

• Synonymous with Quality as a concept

• Qualities and accomplishments of different aspects of the building and responses to buildings
are measured and evaluated

Characteristics

• Performance criteria are identified and defined for aspects/elements of buildings to be

evaluated
• Buildings are measured along the aspects/elements of buildings to be evaluated
• A conclusion is reached about success or failures of the building(s)
• Recommendations for improvement(feed-back) or (and) feed-forward are presented.

Performance Criteria

Qualitative criteria;

Described in words or diagrams

Quantitative criteria;

Described in numerical quantities

Types of criteria (from where?)

› State of the art criteria (texts/documents)

› Occupant/client/management needs criteria, Client goals

› Original design criteria (brief/program)

› Current use criteria

 › Expert/ evaluator criteria

The Performance measurements

Performance measurements

› Subjective ratings/scoring and descriptions

 By occupants

 By evaluators

› Objective scoring/assessments

 By instrumentation

 By measurements

› Both subjective and objective measures are valid

› Biases in performance evaluation inevitable

› No absolutes! Evaluation means the assessment of values (of people and evaluator)

› Cultural biases

› Evaluator biases

› Professional biases

› Time difference

› In reality, what we actually measure is Perceived Performance

Benefits of the performance concepts

• Increased Objectivity

› Opinion replaced by measures of performance

• Clarity of measurement

› Clarify which aspects perform well/do not perform well

• Enhanced communication

› Clear communication with non-professionals due to specific criteria and standard tests.

• Incentives for innovation

 › Criteria have ranges within which innovation can take place

• Aids in decision making

› Allows alternatives to be compared

• Advanced professionalism

› Shows that evaluation can be done professionally (competence/expertise).

The concept of User Satisfaction

• Based on the assumption

› That user satisfaction is paramount

› Satisfaction is a good indicator of quality

› Satisfaction captures non-quantifiable dimensions

• Criticism of Satisfaction

 Subjective

 Operational definitions vary

• Defined as the gap between what the users aspire to and what they have.

• Defined as the degree to which users perceive the facility is helping them to achieve their
goals

An index of four questions

 How satisfied are you with this place in general?

 How long would you like to stay here?

 If you were to move, would you prefer a place like this?

 Would you recommend this place to a friend?

Interpreting the Model of Satisfaction

Satisfaction determined by 6 factors

› The sum of the attitudes

 What they know/think of the building

› Emotions about the building

 How much they like the building

› intentions about the building

 What they intend to do in relation to the building

› The personalities of the users

 E.g. Whether they are outgoing/indoor persons

› The demographic characteristics of the users

 Age, sex, educational status, family size, social status

› The characteristics of the building

 Size of building, number of rooms, location, number of floors, colour used, the design of
spaces, materials used...

Elements of Building Evaluated for Performance

• Major elements

› Technical elements

› Functional elements

› Behavioural elements

• Minor elements

› Location

› Economics

› Management

• Technical elements

› This refers to the background environment which sets the stage for users activities and
deal with the physiological well-being of users. Technical elements are not specific to
any building. Specifically, they deal with:

- Health
 - Safety

- Security

Examples

› Structure; Sanitation; Fire safety; Ventilation; Roofs; Illumination; Acoustics; Finishes

(walls, ceiling and floor); Exterior walls; Electrical systems; Environmental control systems

• Functional elements

› Are elements which directly support the activities of the users. Most functional elements
are specific to the building. They are critical for clients’ goal achievements. They are
important for physiological and psycho-social wellbeing. They deal with

› Function

› Efficiency

› Workflow

Examples

› Human factors (anthropometrics and ergonomics); Functional spaces; Storage;

Communication and workflow; Flexibility and responsiveness to change; Security;
Character; Continuity and enclosure; Ease of movement Legibility; Adaptability;
Diversity

• Behavioural elements

› They link occupants’ activities with social and psychological needs in the building.
Concerned with the psychological well-being of the user.

› Psychological

› Social

› Cultural

• Examples

› Privacy; Environmental perception; Freedom of choice; Territoriality; Image and

meaning; Legibility
 LECTURE 4

AESTHETIC EVALUATION

• Definition of aesthetics

 The science of the beauty or the ugly

• Definition beauty

 A combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the intellect,
physical senses, emotions or moral sense. (based on the Hedonism theory: what is
beautiful gives pleasure to the user)

How is a Building’s aesthetic measured?

• Is the answer in the building?

This means the building will be aesthetically pleasing no matter who looks/assesses it.

• Is the answer in the onlooker?

This means the aesthetic assessment depends on who is looking at it or assessing it.

Approaches to Aesthetic Evaluation

- Psychological - Measured as an emotional response

- Formal - Measured as adherence to formal principles
- Associational - Measured as moral beauty (truthful, good and virtuous)
- Ethical - Measured in relation to what it means

Measuring Aesthetics Formally

• Formal Aesthetic principles

› Francis Ching’s Ordering principles

- Axis - A line established by two points in space, and about which forms and spaces
can be arranged.

- Symmetry - The balanced distribution of equivalent forms and spaces about a

common line (axis) or point (center).
 - Hierarchy - The articulation of the importance or significance of a form or space by
its size, shape, or placement, relative to the other forms and spaces of the
organization.

- Rhythm and repetition - The use of recurring patterns, and their resultant rhythms, to
organize a series of like forms and spaces.

- Datum - A line, plane, or volume that, by its continuity and regularity, serves to
collect, gather, and organize a pattern of forms and spaces.

- Transformation - The principle that an architectural concept or organization can be

retained, strengthened, and built upon through a series of discrete manipulations
and transformations.

› Composition

- Focal points, Unity, vitality, Duality

› Form

- Unity, visual weight, size/scale, rhythm/ repetition, logic and ambiguity, symmetry,
static and dynamism, shading and effects of light.

› Proportion

- Balance, visual strength, visual force

› Detail

- Elaboration and ornamentation, transformation of shape, contrast and

enhancement, materials

› Color

- Hues and chromes

Aesthetics is Measured in terms of;

• Facades

• Architectural styles

• Forms and shapes

• Building elements
 › Windows

› Railings

› Decoration/murals

• Landscapes

Landscape Evaluation

• The term Landscape

 "The outdoor environment, natural or built, which can be directly perceived by a

person visiting and using that environment. A scene is the subset of a landscape which
is viewed from one location (vantage point) looking in one direction“

• Focus may be on the visual, biological, cultural or historical aspects

• Focus on aesthetic aspect is called scenic beauty assessment or landscape assessment.

Ecological Approach

› Describes landscapes in terms of species of plants and animals present, ecological

zones, and humans as users of the landscape.

› Underlying assumption is that landscapes should be as natural as possible to

preserve the integrity of the ecosystem.

› Ecological approaches measure the degree to which landscapes are natural/

ecologically stable.

Aesthetic evaluation of Landscapes

• Various psychological and formal methods of measurement

› Psychological measures usually quantitatively using rating scales

› Formal aesthetics measures are usually descriptive using words or diagrams.

• Most popular approach is Kaplan and Kaplan’s model of aesthetic assessment

A psychological model

› Defines four dimensions along which scenic beauty may be assessed;

  Coherence

The degree to which a scene hangs together or has organization. The more coherent, the
greater the preference for the scene

 Legibility

The degree of distinctiveness that enables the viewer to understand or categorize contents
of a scene. The greater the legibility, the greater the preference

 Complexity

The number of and variety of elements in a scene (for natural scenes). The greater the
complexity, the greater the preference

 Mystery

The degree to which a scene contains hidden information so that suspense and interest is
evoked.

LECTURE 5

The Concept of Value;

Value is the measure of the worth of something to its owner or any other person who derives
benefit from it.

Value is usually of two types:

• Use value (or Value-in-use) –

The pleasure/benefits of a building as a good or service. What it does for its users/other
beneficiaries.

Evaluation of Use Value

› Based on the idea that market value is not a sufficient indicator of value.

• Market value –

The monetary value a building/environment can be exchanged for.

 Evaluation of Market Value

› Can be obtained through methods such as:

 Hedonic pricing model

 Travel cost method

 Contingent evaluation

 Cost-benefit analysis

Hedonic Pricing

• A method of estimating value of any good including buildings

• It breaks down the item being researched into its constituent characteristics, and obtains
estimates of the contributory value of each characteristic.

• This requires that the composite good being valued can be reduced to its constituent parts
and that the market values for those constituent parts are derived.

Travel cost method

• A method of economic valuation used to calculate the value of something/facility that

cannot be obtained through market prices (i.e. national parks, beaches, ecosystems).

• Involves collecting data on the costs incurred by each individual in travelling to the
recreational site or amenity

• The aim is to calculate willingness to pay for a facility.

Cost Benefit Analysis

Economic techniques that measure and compare the monetary value of benefits from a
good, service, or activity to the cost of the good, service or activity.

Used in the assessment of whether a proposed project, program or policy is worth

embarking on, or to choose between several alternative ones
Dimensions of Value

• Economic Value

 Economic feasibility and viability in short and long terms

Indicators of Economic Value

• Economic Value (Tangible)

› Investments

 Increased Rental values, sale values, land values, asset value and tax revenue

› Operations

 Reduced running costs, security costs, energy consumption, Increased productivity

of occupier, corporate imaging.

› Economic viability of NHD

 More sales, higher demand, more visits

› Reduced travel costs

• Economic Value (Intangible)

 Distinctiveness

 Better productivity of occupier, and corporate image

 Better opportunities and repeat commissions for professionals/ developers

 Better quality users/tenants

• Social Value (includes Cultural/ Historical Value)

-Social responsibility and equity

Indicators of Social Value

 Regenerative potential (encouraging other developments)

 Better security and less crime

 Less pollution and better health

 Higher property values

  Less stress

 Reduced discord between different users

 Equitable use and access

 Greater accessibility to other facilities

 Increased quality of life

 Greater civic pride

 Reinforced sense of identity

 Increased cultural vitality

• Environmental Value

Energy efficiency, ecological support, less polluting patterns of development.

Indicators of Environmental Value

 Reduced energy consumption

 Reduced resources/land consumption

 Less environmental damage

 An ecologically diverse and supportive environment

• Functional Value

Support for activities, adaptability and human factors

Indicators of Functional Value

• Reduced travel costs

• Ease of accessibility

• Potential for adaptation

• Reduced health costs

• Reduced maintenance costs

 • Potential for adaptation and reuse

• Protection from extremes of weather

• Increased environmental comfort

• Adequate sizing

• Reduced stress from human factors in design

• Support for all activities

Measuring Value

• Economic value

 Using quantitative techniques: figures, price/cost comparisons with similar facilities

 Social value, Environmental value and Functional value

 Using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

 Using community, experts and users (e.g. tourists)

Evaluating Sustainability

• Sustainability means positive social, ecological and economic development on a long-

term basis within the framework of the carrying capacity of the eco-system.

• Sustainability is about the quality of:

 social, aesthetic, technical, economic, and environmental capacity of the

earth’s ecosystems.

• Similar ideas

› Evaluating green buildings, green architecture and eco-design

• Eco-housing, green development, sustainable design

• "taking less from the Earth and giving more to people."

• energy efficient
 • using nontoxic interior finishes

• constructed of recycled materials

• completely powered by the sun (renewable energy)

• resource conservation (water conservation);

• waste minimization, local materials

• healthy and comfortable environment;

• reduced operation and maintenance costs

• historical preservation,

• access to public transportation and other community infrastructure systems..

• Basically, its an environmentally friendly house!

Sustainable Design

Sustainable design is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment,
and services to comply with the principles of social, economic, and ecological
sustainability.

Why Evaluation of Sustainability is Important

• Impacts of buildings on environmental resources

› Forests

 Earth has lost 50% of its forest cover to buildings

› Water

 Buildings consume one-sixth of fresh water

› Carbon dioxide

 Level has risen by 27%; one-quarter of which is for building energy use.

› Energy

 Buildings take up to 60% of energy produced in UK

 › Resources

 Buildings use up to 40% of the world’s raw materials and energy

Pillars of Sustainability

• Ecology : Environment and resources

 Land use, biodiversity, bioclimatic design, water cycles, material cycles,

transportation and health

• Economic: Financial and institutional factors

 Costs, functionality, economic activity, financial structures, services, communication,

management and flexibility

• Social : Cultural, human, and community aspects

 Social diversity, accessibility, identity, security, variety, involvement, sociability and

aesthetics

Social Sustainability

• Reducing vulnerability and maintaining the health (i.e. resilience, vigor and organization) of
social and cultural systems

• Enhancing human capital (through education)

• strengthening social values, institutions and equity

• Strengthening social cohesion and networks of relationships, and reducing destructive

conflicts

Economic Sustainability

• “the amount that you can consume without impoverishing yourself”

• maximizing the flow of income that could be generated while at least maintaining the stock
of assets (or buildings) which yield this income

Environmental Sustainability

• The rates of renewable resource harvest, pollution creation, and non-renewable resource
depletion that can be continued indefinitely without affecting

› Resilience and
 › Adaptation of plants and animals

• For renewable resources, the rate of harvest should not exceed the rate of regeneration

• [For pollution] The rates of waste generation from projects should not exceed the assimilative
capacity of the environment

• For non-renewable resources the depletion of the non-renewable resources should require
comparable development of renewable substitutes for that resource.

Evaluating Sustainable Designs

• Has the Site’s Existing Structure’s Potential been optimally used?

Proper site selection, including consideration of the reuse or rehabilitation of existing

buildings. The location, orientation, and landscaping of a building affect the local
ecosystems, transportation methods, and energy use. The site of a sustainable building
should reduce, control, and/or treat storm water runoff.

• Is the Energy Use optimal?

Does the facility have reduced energy loads, increased efficiency, and does it utilize
renewable energy resources?

• Is there Protection and Conservation of Water?

Does the building use water efficiently, and reuse or recycle water for on-site use, when
feasible?

• Are Environmentally Preferable Products used?

Have construction of materials which minimize life-cycle environmental impacts such as

global warming, resource depletion, and human toxicity been used?

• Has the indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) been enhanced?

Is there maximized day lighting; are appropriate ventilation and moisture control present;
and has the use of materials with high-VOC emissions been avoided?

• Are Operational and Maintenance Practices optimized?

 Have designers specified materials and systems that simplify and reduce maintenance
requirements; require less water, energy, and toxic chemicals and cleaners to maintain;
and are cost-effective and reduce life-cycle costs?

LECTURE 6

VARIABILITY OF BUILDING EVALUATION

• Generalizability of result – How generalizable the results of the evaluation are intended to
be.

i. Highly specific results

- Case- studies/single buildings evaluated
- Results useful only for the facility
ii. Very general results
- Multiple buildings
- Sampled
- Results applicable to building type
- Useful for improving the guidelines

• Breadth of focus – The degree to which they focus on settings as holistic systems.

i. Broad focus
- Holistic approach
- Examines multiple attributes
- Multiple methods
ii. Deep/specific
- Concern is with single
- Issues e.g. lighting
- Depth of focus
- Single method of study
• Levels of effort - How much resources are to be devoted to the evaluation

Indicative
• Give an indication of major strengths and weaknesses of a particular building’s
performance.
• Usually conducted by an experience evaluator
• Uses simple methods, lasts a few days
• The typical outcome is awareness of issues in building performance: issues explaining
failures and successes.
• They usually consist of selected interviews with knowledgeable informants, as well as a
subsequent walk-through of the facility.

Investigative
Answers which aspects?
• Investigative POEs go into more depth.
• Objective evaluation criteria either are explicitly stated in the functional program of a
facility or have to be compiled from guidelines, performance standards, and published
literature on a given building type.
• The outcome is a thorough understanding of the causes and effects of issues in building
performance, identifies major problems indicated.
• Few months

Diagnostic: which aspects and why?

• Seeks relationships between physical, environmental and behavioral performance. They
correlate physical environmental measures with subjective occupant response measures.

• Comprehensive
• Multimethod
• Generalizable, Useful for prediction
• It lasts for much longer than an Investigative POE
• The outcome is usually the creation of new knowledge about aspects of building
performance. (Generalizable, Useful for prediction)
 LECTURE 7
CONDUCTING A BUILDING EVALUATION

PHASES IN CONDUCTING POES;

Planning Phase;

i. Reconnaissance and Feasibility

Getting familiar with the project, the purpose of the evaluation and obtaining
base-line information
Activities
- Determine purpose of evaluation
- Examine feasibility of objectives
- Examine building and context
- Define spaces to be evaluated
- Observe setting in use
- Assess information collection potential
- Determine level of client participation
- Calculate cost of evaluation

ii. Evaluation research planning

To develop a plan that ensures credible results are obtained.

Activities

- Determine the conceptual approach to evaluation

- Determine the level of effort to be used

- Determine the issues to be investigated

- Select techniques of evaluation

- Select indicators and evaluation criteria

- Anticipate results and outcome

iii. Resource planning

To determine the personnel, equipment/instruments required; to schedule work and to

budget.
 Activities

- Review evaluation priorities

- Determine time frame required/time available

- Identify skilled personnel and match with methods, instruments and available funds

- Prepare budget and time schedule

CONDUCTING PHASE

i. Initiating information collection procedure

To prepare background work and mobilize personnel

Activities

- Establish base of operation

- Mobilization, briefing and training

- Preparation of instruments

- Pilot testing

- Review pilot tests

- Refining instruments

ii. Monitoring collection

To ensure the quality of information collected

Activities

- Dissemination and collection instruments

- Collection and collation of information

- Monitoring using inter-observer checks

 iii. Analyzing information collected

To describe the information collected and suggest what they mean

Activities

- Review reliability of information

- Process information by description and analysis

- Compare findings with evaluation criteria

- Review and interpret results

APPLYING THE EVALUATION

I. Reporting findings

To report findings in an understandable way and in line with client’s purpose

Activities

- Development of presentation formats

- Organization of report contents

- Preparation of document

- Formal review of findings with client

- Corrections, preparing final document

- Dissemination of final report

II. Recommending Actions

To make recommendations for feedback and feed forward actions

Activities

- Analyze alternative strategies

- Prioritize recommendations

- Short term, long term, policy related, procedure related

recommendations
 - Suggest actions for implementation

III. Reviewing Outcomes

To monitor lifecycle implications of recommendations

Activities

- Liaise with client

- Continuous review and monitoring of recommended actions

- Report effects of recommended actions to building

LECTURE 8

METHODS AND TECHNIQUES OF INFORMATION COLLECTION

Depends on the types of information/data to be collected.

Qualitative data

Qualitative methods and techniques

Qualitative

Used for evaluating aspects which cannot be measured quantitatively.

- Interviews - Observations - Archives

- Interviews

• Interviews are one-to-one techniques for collecting information on people's perceptions,

beliefs and motivations as well as past behaviour.

• An interview is selected when interpersonal contact is important and when opportunities for
follow- up of interesting comments are desired.

• Interviews are used to find out in detail how people evaluate their environments, what they
consider important about it,

• Particularly useful in understanding what the architect’s intention at the design stage was.
 Types of Interviews

Structured:

 one-one but high control of evaluator

 interviewer asks specific questions in set order (worked out in advance of interview)

Unstructured:

 evaluator is very flexible, does not exercise much control but guides discussion. On-one
interview

 interviewer suggests the subject for discussion but has few if any specific questions in mind

Focus group

 interviews done for groups of individuals of about ten to twenty

 The aim is to focus the attention of the group on a given experiences of an environment
and its effects. The aim is to obtain not individual experiences but the experience as a
group.

Recorded with

 Audio tape recorder

 Video recorder

 Detailed notes

After the interview

 Transcribing

› Transcription helps to correct the natural limitations of our memories

› It allows for more thorough examination of what people say

› Time-consuming, requires good equipment and produces a lot of written

material.

 Content analyzing

› Each response is read and given a code to represent a different concept.

 › Then, the data can be sorted and organized by category to identify patterns
and bring meaning to the responses.

- Observation

Observation can be defined as the systematic process of recording the behavioral patterns
of people, objects, and occurrences without questioning or communicating with them

• Observation involves all 5 senses

• Observational techniques are methods by which one can gather primary data about
buildings, situations, processes, or behaviours being studied.

• Observations also allow the researcher to learn about things the participants may be unaware
of or that they are unwilling or unable to discuss.

• Observations provide the opportunity to compare what people actually do and say with their
account of what they did and said.

Purpose and Benefits of Observation as a Data Collection Technique

› It is unobtrusive

› You can see things in their natural context

› You can see things that may escape conscious awareness, things that are not seen by
others

› You can discover things no else has ever really paid attention to, things that are taken for
granted

› You can learn about things people may be unwilling to talk about

› It is inconspicuous – least potential for generating observer effects

› It is the least intrusive of all methods

› You can be totally creative – flexibility to yield insight into new realities or new ways of
looking at old realities

Observation is Useful When

› You want direct information

› You are trying to understand an ongoing behavior, process, unfolding situation, or event
› There is physical evidence, products, or outcomes that can be readily seen

› Written or other data collection methods seem inappropriate

What can be Observed?

 People (individuals, groups, communities)

› Characteristics

› Interactions

› Behaviors

› Reactions

 Physical settings

 Environmental features

 Products/physical artifacts

Recording your Observations

It is not good enough to just observe, you need to record your observations. You might use:

› Observation guide

› Recording sheet

› Checklist

› Field note

› Pictures

› CCTV, VIDEOCAM

› Combination of the above

›
Quantitative data

Quantitative methods and techniques

Used for evaluating quantifiable/ measurable aspects.

- Other paper and pencil tests

- Testing and simulation

- Questionnaire

 Questionnaires are most frequency used.

 They allow the evaluator to cover an extensive amount of information in a short time.

 Very helpful when the evaluator intends to use the user’s assessment in coming to
conclusion about the performance of a building

Key issues in designing a questionnaire are;

 determine the main topics to be covered

 clarify the purpose of each question

 Decide how to structure the questions

 Clarity in phrasing of questions e.g.

› use of short sentences

› avoid making two questions in a sentence

› avoid using ambiguous word

› employ non-threatening / offensive language

 ordering questions logically, interestingly and in order of priority

 using appealing graphics and formats

 giving instructions as to how to fill/reason for survey

 ethics (keeping individual information confidential)

 The questionnaire Format

- The cover letter; or introductory note, introduces the questionnaire to the respondents.

 Anticipate and answer the questions that the respondents are most likely to ask
› What’s this about?
› Who wants to know and why?
› Why was I selected?
› Will I be identified?
› How important is this and how will it be used?
› How long will this take?
› When should I do it?
 The general tone of the letter should be friendly, very much to the point, and not too
“stiff”.
 Avoid begging, being too demanding, or exaggerating the importance of the research.
 A signed letter is effective, especially if an official letterhead is used

- Demographic or Biographic Questions; Section that contains items about the respondents’
characteristics
 Demographic/biographic information obtained should be relevant to the study
 Inclusion of demographic/biographic questions allows for group comparisons during
analysis phase and adds value to the final report
 The tendency is to place the demographic/ biographic questions at the end of the
questionnaire

- The body of the questionnaire; Section that contains items for the topics to be covered.

There should be a logical arrangement of questions, and a smooth transition between

sections;

 Item grouping
› By topic/content
› By item type (matrix questions)
› By topic/content and item type
 Instructions
› General instructions
› Instructions for certain items and for using scales
 › Instructions for contingency/filter questions

• Guideline for asking questions

› Use words that the respondents understand
› Use short sentences as far as possible
› Questions should be relevant/applicable
› Avoid over generalizations (i.e. questions with no clear frame of reference)
› Avoid over-demanding recall and over-specificity
› Make sure negative items are not confusing
› Avoid double-barreled questions
› Avoid leading questions
› Avoid loaded questions

NOTE:

Question Structure;

Open ended questions; the respondent has to create the answers, it is good for probes and
insightful data

Closed ended questions; it is also called multichoice questions, the dimensions of answers is
clearly indicated.

LECTURE 9

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Environmental assessment is the systematic predictive evaluation of a project’s

quantitative and qualitative environmental impact on the environment.
A process of identifying the consequences of proposed projects and activities on
 The bio-geographical environment
 Man’s health and welfare
 Conveying these consequences and measures to mitigate them to appropriate
authorities
It also involves the identification of measures to modify and mitigate these predicted
impacts.
 EIA decree No 86 of 1992 stipulates that all major development projects must submit an
EIA for review and approval before projects commence.

Not a one – off process

 Also deals with monitoring the construction and operational phases, and acting on the
results of such monitoring till final abandonment/closure.

Types of Projects requiring EIA

Category 1

• Category 1-Development which must have a full EIA

 Refineries, power station, Nuclear waste/power station

 Manufacturing /food processing industries, Cement factories,

 Breweries,

 Infrastructure projects- roads, rail lines, ports, airports, waste disposal/treatment sites

• Category 2- Development which does not require a full EIA (may require full EIA if close to
sensitive sites)

 Hospitals, schools, housing.

 Major Holiday village/ hotel project

 Waste water treatment/ sewage sludge site

 Land reclamation, agric projects.

• Category 3 – Activities which have beneficial impacts on the environment.

Issues in EIA

Aspects of the environment that is likely to be affected

 Natural

 Man-made

 Social

 Community
  Economic

 Cultural

 Atmospheric

 Hydrological

 Visual

 Health

Nature of Environmental impacts;

› Size (large, medium or small)

› Duration (long, medium or short)

› Timing (during before or after construction)

› Type (direct, indirect, reversible or irreversible)

Contents of an Environmental Survey (ES)

An ES must contain

› a description of the development project

› Information used to assess environment impact

› A description of the significant effects of the project on people, vegetation, climate, soil,
water, landscape, material assets, cultural heritage

› Where the significant effects are identified, measures to ameliorate or avoid these effects.

› A summary in a non-technical language

Reducing Adverse Environmental effect

› Choosing a different location

› Redesigning

› Changing materials/ techniques

› Reducing scope/ scale of the project

The Process of Approval for EIA

Process: Preparation of EIA reports

• The reports state:

› The environmental effects associated with the project and its alternatives at the
construction, operational and abandonment phases.

› Mitigation measures and monitoring strategy for the entire life cycle of the project.

› The post-closure care / reclamation of the environment

Process: Public participation and independent interview

› EIA report is publicly displayed to the public for comments.

› The public comments of the EIA report are forwarded to the Independent Review Panel

› The Independent Review Panel reviews the EIA report to ensure that the information in the
EIA report is complete, correct and unbiased.

› Independent Review Panel also considers public comments and submits a report to the
Ministry

Process: Final Decisions

• Based on report form Independent panel, Ministry takes decisions which may be:

› The project or one of its alternatives is approved

› Request for further study/modification of project for future consideration

› The project is cancelled or rejected altogether.

• Decision is in writing and includes:

› course of action in respect of the project

› extent to which recommendations of review panel have been adopted

› follow-up activities to be implemented

› Decision is also published for the public

Process: Post-project Authorization

The Ministry carries out monitoring the follow – up programme for mitigations at the

› construction,

› operational and

› post-closure stages of the project.

LECTURE 10

PROBLEMS OF EVALUATION STUDIES

• Temporal nature of buildings and users

 Primary goals and objectives of the design change as users begin to use the buildings for
other purposes not considered at the time of conceiving the design

 Building age, deteriorate

 People, architects, (evaluators) and architect culture also changes.

• Request and Use of Evaluation is low

 Still considered as not so useful research

 Collaboration between architect and researchers is low.

 Difficulty in translating evaluation results into the language that the designer understands.

 Lack of understanding of professional accountability and integrity.

 Post-occupancy evaluations are not yet institutionalised – in architectural training and

practice.

 Post - occupancy evaluations not widely disseminated.

• Ethical Issues

 Positive and negative outcomes

 Questions professional competence

 Indictment
  No better alternative for professional development

• Theoretical Problems and problems of evaluation criteria

 What is the role of building on users?

 How should buildings perform?

 Are users supposed to be satisfied only or simply have what they need to function?

 How does a building impact on its users?

 What criteria should be used to measure the performance of building?

• Level of importance of buildings in people’s lives

 Other social and economic issues of life more important

 Buildings level of impact is low in comparison

• Whose evaluation?

 Different categories of users,

 Buildings impact users and non-users

 Which category to use and which is more important?

- Users, managers, client,

- conflicting interests of all participants/beneficiaries of the results of the

evaluation.