Post-Occupancy
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.
Post-Occupancy
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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How Buildings Fail Their Users
Feature Article
A building doesn’t have to be falling down to fail. We share seven stories of green buildings gone wrong—along with tips for prevention.
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Mouth, Meet Money: Case Studies of Outcome-Based Design
Feature Article
Performance-based incentives are a growing (and positive) trend. They’re not as risky as they sound, but there are some steps you should be taking to prepare.
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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.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Putting the “Pre” in Post-Occupancy Evaluations
Infographic
Don’t just take a survey and walk away. There’s a better way to do POEs that can dovetail with the integrative process, improve project outcomes, and save clients money.
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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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Product as a Service: Buying the Lumen, Not the Lightbulb
Primer
Proponents of the circular economy point to PaaS as one of the strongest tools we have to take control of our energy and material waste.
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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.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Demountable Walls: Here to Redeem the Open Office
Product Review
These movable partitions preserve the flexibility of an open office and provide the acoustical privacy office workers say they want.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Surgeons General Make Urgent Call for Healthy Building Policies
News Brief
In an open letter, public health leaders implore officials to design building policies for occupant health.
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New Tool Supports Existing Building Decarbonization at Scale
News Brief
Building owners and professionals can set and track emission targets across entire portfolios with Carbonsight.
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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.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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The Energy Conservatory’s New Blower Door Kit
Blog Post
TEC did its homework: its new blower door package is a well-engineered and integrated equipment system
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.
