Much has been written on the benefits of Pre- and Post-Occupancy Evaluations (PPOEs), systematically assessing performance and utilization of designed spaces before and after they are occupied. Yet, according to a 2015 U.S. study, PPOEs are conducted in less than 5% of all built projects. Some myths and barriers to implementation of PPOEs include a belief that such evaluations are time-consuming, costly, and a potential liability if exposing unflattering results. Without them, however, we forfeit the opportunity to know whether and how design strategies are effective and impactful. Fortunately, more and more teams understand the importance of setting design goals early with post-occupancy in mind and the advantage of having occupant and spatial data to support design decisions and verify performance claims. With increased readiness to learn from data throughout the project cycle, it is important to understand why and how PPOEs can be conducted effectively at a variety of scales as part of a data-driven and evidence-based design process. With PPOEs, learning comes full circle when lessons learned through the process are applied to future projects with the goal of creating human-centered, high-performing spaces that are also well-utilized as design intended. The session will occur in three parts. First, the full group will review the value proposition for PPOEs and the benefits to designers, researchers, and education clients. Then, the group will break into teams for a fast-paced activity sharing knowledge and strategies for PPOE, including what we can measure, how to measure, and how we can communicate and apply lessons learned. The session will conclude with a full-group discussion of teams’ findings, and participants will leave with a set of measurable design goal topics and resources to engage various user groups with applied research methods to assess any of their past, present, and future learning environment design projects.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review the value proposition for conducting Pre- and Post-Occupancy Evaluations (PPOEs) and explore associated myths, challenges, and opportunities.
2. Understand PPOEs from perspectives of all team members, from designers and researchers to clients and user groups.
3. Assess and refine a set of design goals that can guide any learning environment design project and metrics to assess the impact of past, present, and future designs.
4. Explore strategies for integrating PPOEs into the full project delivery process, including application of lessons learned from PPOE data to benefit future evidence-based design projects.