I managed to submit my draft of A Practical Guide to Post-Occupancy Evaluation before taking a well-earned break. The new book is a revision of the British Council Guide to Post-Occupancy Evaluation that I wrote back in 2007. It’s an under-statement to say the world has moved on since then – we’ve had austerity measures, agile/hybrid working, advances in sensor technology and AI to name a few workplace related initiatives. What hasn’t changed is the importance of POE, it’s more relevant than ever especially with Net Zero Carbon targets.
Nonetheless, despite encouragement by the government and professional bodies, such as CIBSE and RIBA, the take-up of POE is still lacking. My plan is to unravel the mystery of POE, highlight the benefits and provide practical advice on how to conduct different levels of POE. Your support is needed in encouraging clients to conduct POEs to improve future office buildings.
After a 38-year thriving relationship with Maggie, we finally wrote our first joint article. In “Home-working the biophilic way”, published in the Journal of Biophilic Design, we discuss how to practically introduce biophilic elements to your home office. I joined the ranks of George Bernard Shaw, Roald Dahl and Le Corbusier as a “shed-worker” and discuss how my cabin at the bottom of the garden provides a sustainable but spacious and cost-effective home office offering privacy, tranquillity, environmental control and access to nature.
I was fortunate to research and co-author the BCO report on The Future of UK Office Densities. This was an opportunity to understand and address the increasing office densities in the UK. Too high a density requires additional infrastructure (toilets, lifts, building services etc.) and can result in reduced occupant performance due to noise, cross-infection and discomfort. In contrast, too low a density leads to inefficient space use and higher property costs. It’s a fine balance and the required density varies by organisation, sector and function. However, we proposed that a ballpark figure of 10-12 m² per planned occupant is preferable to the previously recommended 8 m2 per person.
The BCO research inspired me to write a piece for Facilitate Magazine titled “Under-utilised offices – An inconvenient truth”. With the increasing popularity of people spending three days in the office there is more likelihood of offices sitting empty for at least 57% of the week (including weekends). Heating, cooling and lighting empty offices just doesn’t seem sustainable to me and certainly doesn’t help meet Net Zero Carbon targets. The alternative is to introduce unallocated desks, the so-called dreaded hot-desking, and balance occupancy levels across the week. This will allow future office space to be better sized or current unused space released for use by other organisations. There are some valid reasons for some occupants not to hot-desk, but the commonest objection I hear is that it’s inconvenient, a hassle and a burden on time. Like all things environmental, I don’t think inconvenience is a sufficient reason not to share desks when only in the office a small fraction of the time.
If you are considering a post-occupancy evaluation (POE), require workplace related research or simply need advice on your office space then do get in touch at oseland@workplaceunlimited.com
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