Feedback Loop: Post-Occupancy Evaluations Begin to Catch On

Post-occupancy evaluation, or POE, is a diverse practice that can feed back data into the design process on everything from energy and water consumption to workplace satisfaction and even occupants’ sleep cycles. According to sustainability-minded architects, POE is a prerequisite to closing the all-too-frequent gap between predicted and actual performance…A recent survey on the state of play of POEs affirms Judah’s take. The survey, conducted by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill associate Julie Hiromoto, garnered responses from 29 U.S. and Canadian architecture firms. Most expressed a desire to perform POEs, but only 18 of 29 are actually conducting them. Most did so on less than 5 percent of projects completed in the previous year.