Protocol for Post Occupancy Evaluation in Schools to Improve Indoor Environmental Quality and Energy Efficiency

Erica Cochran Hameen, Bobuchi Ken-Opurum and Young Joo Son
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Erica Cochran Hameen: Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
Bobuchi Ken-Opurum: School of Architecture/Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
Young Joo Son: Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-23

Abstract: Research has shown a strong correlation between the performance and health of young students and teachers, and the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of their schools. A post occupancy evaluation (POE) of a school’s IEQ can help stakeholders understand the current conditions of the building and their impact on occupant wellbeing and productivity. It can also provide pathways for building performance upgrades and resource allocation for school administrations. However, current research on POE in schools frequently omits the contexts of young students during evaluations. Furthermore, there is limited research on guidelines for performing POE and measurements in school facilities. This study adopted the National Environmental Assessment Toolkit (NEAT) and tailored qualitative methods to evaluate eight schools over an eight-year period. The methodology was refined throughout the study to develop a protocol for robust investigation of IEQ conditions in schools. The NEAT was developed by Carnegie Mellon University’s Centre for Building Performance and Diagnostics for measuring the IEQ of office buildings. The paper addresses the challenges that may occur during POE and measurements (POE+M) and the differences between POE+M for offices and schools. It also determines how the POE+M process can be efficiently implemented to include all primary stakeholders in order to improve data collection for IEQ and energy efficiency analysis.

Keywords: post occupancy evaluation; IEQ; IAQ; energy efficiency; schools; protocol (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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