Qatar Society of Engineers March 1st , 2011 Lecture
Building Performance Evaluation An Integrative Framework For Architectural and Urban Design Projects Evaluation
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub Department of Architecture College of Engineering
Qatar University
Introduction  This lecture outlines a
comprehensive approach to Building Performance Evaluation Evaluation applicable to all architectural and urban design projects.
Design
 Building Performance
Evaluation (BPE) offers feedback on design and contributes to architectural knowledge.
Construction
Introduction Building Performance
Evaluation (BPE) is an extension of what had been called Evaluation “Post-Occupancy Evaluation."
Design
BPE is a continuous process of
systematically evaluating the performance and/or effectiveness of aspects of buildings such as accessibility, aesthetics, costeffectiveness, functionality, produ ctivity, safety and security, and sustainability.
Construction
Six Phases of the Building Life Cycle  The typical six phases of the
building life cycle are: 1- Planning, 2- Programming, 3- Design, 4- Construction, 5- Occupancy, and 6- Recycling.
Recycling
Planning
Programming
Occupancy
Construction
Design
Participants in the Building Life Cycle Initiators: Owners - Investors - Institutions -
Governmental Agencies… Designers: Architects - Interior Designers -
Landscape Architects - Specialists (Structural Electrical - mechanical - …) Builders: Contractors - Sub-contractors - … Operators: Managers - Maintenance staff End Users: actual persons occupying buildings
Linear Design Method Architectural Knowledge Briefing Need Building Type Program Site Data …
Analysis …
Synthesis …
Evaluate …
Design …
Linear Design Method
Execution …
?
Cyclical Design Method Architectural Knowledge Briefing Need Building Type Program Site Data …
Analysis …
Building Performance Evaluation
Synthesis …
Evaluate …
Design …
Execution …
Cyclical Design Method
BPE Across Project Life Cycle Feed forward Experience
Conceive
BPE Procure
Feed forward Experience
Conceive
Occupy / manage
Post Occupancy Evaluation Procure
Occupy / manage
BPE Across Projects Life Cycle Feed forward Experience Conceive
3-6 mths Procure
12-18 mths
5 yrs
Occupy
Conceive
Feed forward Experience
Plan BPE
Conceive Plan POE
3-6 mths
5 yrs
Occupy
Procure
Feed forward Experience Conceive Plan BPE
Timeline for BPE
12-18 mths
Procure
Procure
3-6 mths
12-18 mths
Occupy Feed forward Experience
5 yrs
The Three Major Elements of Evaluation The Building Performance Evaluation process encompasses Functional and Technical performance of buildings alongside Human performance criteria, while recognizing the Cultural Context of the project.
Technical
Behavioral
Functional
Cultural Context The Three Major Elements of Evaluation
Elements of Evaluation Technical Elements:
Fire safety, structural integrity, sanitation, durability, acoustics, lighting, HVAC, ….. Functional Elements: Workflow, circulation, space allocation, operational efficiency, productivity, organization, ….. Behavioral Elements: Privacy, security, social interaction, perception of density, territoriality, …..
Technical
Behavioral
Functional
Cultural Context The Three Major Elements of Evaluation
Quantitative and Qualitative Measurements of Performance Many aspects of building performance are in fact
Quantifiable, such as: – Lighting, – Acoustics, – Temperature and humidity, – Durability of materials, – Amount and distribution of space, – User satisfaction and so on. The evaluation of Qualitative aspects of building performance, such as aesthetic beauty or visual compatibility with a building’s surroundings, is somewhat more difficult to measure.
Measurements of Performance Observed Performance
– Measured by an expert or panel of experts. – Information is recorded with the help of a checklist during a walkthrough of the building. Perceived Performance
– Measured by the users or occupants of a particular environment. – In most cases this information is recorded by a questionnaire. Measured Performance
– Measured performance is captured through monitoring of physical phenomena.
Measurements of Performance Evaluation Measured Perceived Observed Technical Fuctional Behavioral
Urban Building Room
Performance
Scale
An Integrative Framework for BPE Performance Criteria Market/ Needs Analysis PostOccupancy Evaluation
Recycling
Recycling
Planning
Planning
ProgramProgram ming -ming
Occupancy Occup-
ancy PostConstruction Evaluation
Effectiveness Review
Construction
Construction
Design
Design
Program Review
Design Review
Performance Criteria
An Integrative Framework for Building Performance Evaluation
Levels of BPE Effort There are three levels of effort at which BPEs can be
undertaken:
• Indicative • Investigative • Diagnostic
Levels of BPE Effort Indicative – – – – –
Quick, walk-through evaluations Selected interviews with knowledgeable informants Structured interviews with key personnel Group meetings with end-users Positive and Negative aspects of building performance are documented using photography and/or notes – Can be carried out within a few hours of on-site data gathering – Executive summary results with prioritized issues and recommendations for action – Indicates major strengths and weaknesses of a particular building’s performance.
Levels of BPE Effort Investigative – – – – – –
More in-depth Interviews and survey questionnaires Photographic/video recordings Physical measurements Involve a number of buildings of the same type Take anywhere from a week to several months
Levels of BPE Effort Diagnostic – Focused, longitudinal and cross-sectional evaluation studies – One or more performance aspects (e.g. stair safety, orientation, wayfinding, privacy, overcrowding, ...) – In-depth research in a very focused topic area – From months to years – Requires highly sophisticated data gathering and analysis techniques
The Process Preparation (2-3 weeks): Identification of user groups,
timetabling, selection of participants, letters of invitation. Interviews (1 week): Small groups of like users are
interviewed while walking through the building, which provides the prompt for their comments and observations. A review session is held to verify comments, establish priorities and review the process. Observation studies and written questionnaires may also be used. Analysis & Reporting (3-6 weeks): Documentation of
participant findings, generation of recommendations, compilation of a report and presentation.
BPE Outcomes Short term outcomes
– Feedback on existing problems in buildings – Identification of appropriate solutions Medium term outcomes
– Inform the next building delivery cycle – Database development Long term outcomes
– Generation of planning and design criteria for specific building types – Add to existing architectural knowledge
BPE Benefits Fine tuning new buildings.
Improving design for future buildings. Assessing building quality Cost savings
Renovating existing Improves staff and customer relations
The Application of BPE  Institutions and Government Agencies Increasing concern for budget overruns, building failure, or inappropriate design decisions made during the planning and development of facility. Government agencies are interested in the performance evaluation concept and process in order to avoid these disadvantages.
 Private Sector and Facility Managers There is an increasing acceptance of the performance evaluation concept and process in the private sector in order to solicit user feedback on existing buildings.
 Design Firms While some design firms are fearful that BPE results may be used against them, and others are unable to convince clients to pay for evaluation studies. Evaluation studies today constitutes an important contribution in the quest to provide quality assurance.
Who Should Conduct BPEs? Independent team of experts that includes architects, environmental psychologists, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, facility managers/experts and, when appropriate, fire protection personnel and structural engineers.
The architectural and/or engineering firms during the pre-design phase The client hires an individual consultant or professional organization
An academic group to develop architectural knowledge base on a set of social and psychological issues, evaluation methods, and/or building types.
In-house facility experts
Barriers to BPEs There is generally no money for BPEs.
BPEs require a considerable amount of
time. No people with necessary BPE skills. Professionals do not like to have their work judged by other professionals. Difficulties involved in establishing a clear link among user assessments and the physical environment.
Conclusions The benefits of BPEs are several:
– better quality of the built environment; – greater occupant comfort – more satisfactory experience in visiting, using, or working in a facility – improved staff morale and productivity – significant cost savings Most important of all, building performance evaluation contributes to
the state-of-the-art knowledge of environmental design research and thus make significant contributions towards improving the profession of architecture.
Summary  In summary, Building Performance
Evaluation (BPE) identifies both successes and failures in building performance, with an emphasis on human factors and the interaction with the design of physical setting and building systems.  If BPEs are made part of standard practice, it will help establish a performance-based approach to design.
Examples
Case study # 1
New Elementary School Buildings - UAE.
School Plan
New Elementary School Buildings - UAE.
New Elementary School Buildings - UAE.
Case study # 2
Governmental Housing Projects, Kuwait This research is applied on a sample of 27 house owners from different educational levels and socio-cultural backgrounds.
The changes that have been done Exterior changes exterior walls changes exterior walls no changes exterior walls no changes
25
25
exterior wall paint changes exterior wall paint no changes exterior wall paint no changes exterior finishing changes
20
20
20 19
19
19
exterior finishing no changes exterior finishing no changes exterior ornamentation changes exterior ornamentation no changes
15
15 14
exterior ornamentation no changes
14 13
car shed changes
13
car shed no changes
12
car shed no changes exterior doors and fences changes
10
exterior doors and fences no changes 8 7
8
8
exterior doors and fences no changes 7
garden changes garden no changes
5
garden no changes adding extra rooms changes 2
adding extra rooms no changes adding extra rooms no changes
0
adding extra floor changes adding extra floor no changes
The changes that have been done Interior Changes interior walls changes
25
25
interior walls no changes
23
23 22
interior walls no changes
22
interior wall paint changes 20
19
interior wall paint no changes
19
interior wall paint no changes
17
interior finishing changes
16 15
interior finishing no changes interior finishing no changes interior flooring changes
11 10
10
interior flooring no changes 8
8
interior flooring no changes bathrooms changes
5
5 4
4 2
0
5
bathrooms no changes bathrooms no changes kitchen changes kitchen no changes kitchen no changes
Reasons behind changes
7%
7% functional form both
The expence of changes
86%
22%
27%
1000-5000 KD 5000-10000 KD
The materials that are changed
10000-20000 KD 7%
20000-30000 KD 22%
7% throne away 41%
52%
sold reused
22%
30000-40000 KD
Case study # 3
Marina Mall - Kuwait The evaluation of user satisfaction intended to depict
the objectives and aims of the designers and compare them with opinions of its users, employees and visitors. It focused on: – – – – –
Way finding and circulation Air temperature Noise levels Some users attitudes Security
Marina Mall - Kuwait
Ground floor plan
First floor plan
Marina mall location
Marina Mall - Kuwait Way-finding and Circulation:
Most users cannot find their way in and out the mall and between
stores. They get lost easily. It is hard for users to understand the vertical circulation between the parking level and the shopping level. There by, most users make themselves familiar with only one entrance to access the mall, which for most of them is the entrance on the Gulf Road. Air temperature: The employees are not showing any satisfaction with the indoor
cold temperature. The employees who usually have slight movements, suffer from the cold temperature.
Marina Mall - Kuwait Noise:
The area under the dome is very noisy due to the design of the large
double height space under the dome, which causes echoes to travel throughout the building. In addition to the large flow of crowd on the ground floor, the noise coming from the food court on the upper level and the level of music coming from each restaurant and stores surrounding the dome. Security: Security staff members are not enough nor qualified for their jobs.
People complain from the fights that regularly occur inside the mall on weekends when there is a large crowd.
a
Marina Mall - Kuwait Noise and Lighting level measurement:
THE DECIBEL METER
lighting lev el
Daytime (lux) Night (lux)
900 800 700 600 500 LUX 400 300 200 100 0
Daytime (lux Night (lux) Area Area Area Area Area Area Area 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 area
Marina Mall - Kuwait 5 4
6 7
3
2
1
Daytime (lux)
Night (lux)
Area 1
250
64
Area 2
860
210
Area 3
670
118
Area 4
570
43
Area 5
400
302
Area 6
790
405
Area 7
690
96
Marina Mall - Kuwait
NIGHT
NIGHT
DAY
DAY
Marina Mall - Kuwait
NIGHT
NIGHT
DAY
DAY
Marina Mall - Kuwait Age
Finding Parking Space
Difficulty to find parking space
Age 13-19
30
20
20-29 20
30-39
10
40-49
10
50-59 0
0
60 +
1
Purpose of v isite
Purpose of visit?
Level of educationLevel of education
shopping
60
20
resturants
15
middle school
10
high school university and college
40
cinema playing
20
5
walking around
higher education
0
0 1
meeting 1
other
Marina Mall - Kuwait Rate Marina Mall according to:
25 20 15 10 5 0 op t l v n c f i e e m s f en emp ightin enti o ise rowd loori nteri xte r xte r ain ecu ire e la t or tan rity xit er t ior ior es ed ng poor ion e s ur e g a l c ne o nv olo nc ir o ok ss average e r n m good en t excellent
Marina Mall - Kuwait
Rate Marina Mall according to?
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
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Marina Mall - Kuwait
Salem al-Mubark court
Virgin corridor
Marina corridors
Wide corridor
The one store (exterior)
Marina’s signage
Marina Mall - Kuwait As a result of this BOE, solutions on the short term included the following: Opening clearer entrances of “The One” store
onto the mall. Increasing signage of shaft numbers and maps in the parking lot and throughout the building. Relocate the existing visitors building maps.
The dome
The dome
Marina Mall - Kuwait Recommendations for other future shopping centers and malls:  Study flow patterns of visitors and design
stores accordingly  Provide directories and reference labeling for entrances and zones  Locate entrances of the building in nodes containing equal amount of people so that the entrances would be used equally.
Food court
The parking
Thank You.