SWA: The Post-Occupancy Initiative

Abstract

In 2013, SWA formalized the review of past projects in the Post-Occupancy Initiative. This effort was inspired by the need to develop rigor in evidence-based design and understand the historical impact of past projects. Since then, SWA has reviewed 20 projects, with ten more currently under review. Building on the work of the Landscape Architectural Foundation's case studies program and research methods from facilities management professions, we have developed a framework for project assessment, and are in the process of developing a value-added fee-for-service post-occupancy phase. At the same time, there have been logistical, ethical, and legal challenges this initiative has had to overcome to be meaningful. As a global practice focused on innovation, this program provides a critical review of the results of our design experimentation. These lessons have already impacted on how we design and detail our current work.

Keywords

Post-Occupancy Evaluation / Evidence-Based Design / Project Assessment

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2014 Higher Education Press