OVERVIEW
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.
IN-DEPTH
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Can Buildings Teach Sustainable Behavior?
June 5, 2018News 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
March 6, 2018News 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
January 5, 2018News Brief
New study describes the value of occupant stories in evaluating high-performance buildings.
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Design Strategies for Occupant Engagement—and Why They Boost Performance
July 6, 2015Feature 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)
June 1, 2015Feature 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
October 6, 2014Feature 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
August 3, 2014Feature Article
Designers are reinventing the art and science of passive comfort control even where climate and culture favor mechanical systems.
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Sustainable Development through Open-Source, Participatory Design
May 30, 2017News Brief
Alejandro Aravena wins Gothenburg Award for offering revolutionary strategies for social housing.
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Occupant Engagement: Where Design Meets Performance
November 1, 2011Feature Article
No matter how carefully you plan a retrofit or design a building, the occupants hold the keys to environmental performance. But design teams can help them unlock any building's potential.
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Ethnography: A Creative Tool for Human-Centered Design
May 2, 2017Primer
Social science research methods can generate innovative and sophisticated design solutions that respond to human needs and cultural values.
