Occupant Engagement
Building occupants and operators play a key role in determining whether or not a building is sustainable. Their day-to-day choices significantly impact energy use, water use, purchasing, and waste management practices.
But you don’t have to wait until the building is occupied to influence occupants. Forward-thinking design is at the heart of effective occupant engagement. Here we look at social science research as well as more anecdotal case studies, and we share what actually works and why.
Occupant Engagement
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Design Strategies for Occupant Engagement—and Why They Boost Performance
Feature Article
Researchers reveal simple ways to empower occupants to reduce energy, water, and waste. It all starts with good design.
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Why Post-Occupancy Review Is the Future of Design (And How It Can Serve You Now)
Feature Article
A radical new paradigm is on the way for engaging with projects after they’re “completed”—and clients couldn’t be happier.
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Know Thy Client: 9 Un-Green Strategies for Delivering Better Buildings
Feature Article
Making all your projects high-performance means getting in touch with what your client really wants and checking “green building” at the door.
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Natural Ventilation: The Nine Biggest Obstacles and How Project Teams Are Beating Them
Feature Article
Designers are reinventing the art and science of passive comfort control even where climate and culture favor mechanical systems.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Ethnography: A Creative Tool for Human-Centered Design
Primer
Social science research methods can generate innovative and sophisticated design solutions that respond to human needs and cultural values.
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Sitting Is the New Smoking: Fad or Fact?
Primer
Active design is looking less like a luxury and more like a public health imperative.
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Checklist for Implementing an Occupant Engagement Campaign
Infographic
Use this checklist as a guide to implementing an occupant engagement campaign.
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Post-Occupancy Evaluations: Ignorance Isn't Bliss
Primer
POEs tell you everything you ever wanted to know about your buildings. Don't be afraid to ask.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Can Buildings Teach Sustainable Behavior?
News Brief
Recent research studies have aimed to determine the impact that high performance design in schools has on education for sustainability.
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Solar Helps Power a Campus While Engaging Students
News Analysis
Hampshire College expect its new solar arrays will save the college nearly $500,000 a year and educate the next generation of students in the process.
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Collecting Stories to Improve Design
News Brief
New study describes the value of occupant stories in evaluating high-performance buildings.
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Sustainable Development through Open-Source, Participatory Design
News Brief
Alejandro Aravena wins Gothenburg Award for offering revolutionary strategies for social housing.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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More on the Challenges of M&V
Op-Ed
Obtaining and using measuremt and verification (M&V) data from buildings is difficult to accomplish, writes Marc Rosenbaum, P.E.
Learning Resources
A wide range of education options, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
-
Design Strategies for Occupant Engagement—and Why They Boost Performance
Feature Article
Researchers reveal simple ways to empower occupants to reduce energy, water, and waste. It all starts with good design.
-
Why Post-Occupancy Review Is the Future of Design (And How It Can Serve You Now)
Feature Article
A radical new paradigm is on the way for engaging with projects after they’re “completed”—and clients couldn’t be happier.
-
Know Thy Client: 9 Un-Green Strategies for Delivering Better Buildings
Feature Article
Making all your projects high-performance means getting in touch with what your client really wants and checking “green building” at the door.
-
Natural Ventilation: The Nine Biggest Obstacles and How Project Teams Are Beating Them
Feature Article
Designers are reinventing the art and science of passive comfort control even where climate and culture favor mechanical systems.
Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
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USGBC Embraces Legal Marijuana
April Fools
LEED v4.20 introduces a wide range of cannabis-oriented prerequisites.
