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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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.
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Occupant Engagement: Where Design Meets Performance
Feature 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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Measurement and Verification: Monitoring Building Systems for Optimal Performance
Feature Article
Tracking the performance of a building's mechanical and electrical systems is essential for energy savings that persist over time. In this article, EBN explores measurement and verification and explains why demand for these systems is growing. We also explain the LEED® Rating System's evolving treatment of M&V.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Sitting Is the New Smoking: Fad or Fact?
Explainer
Active design is looking less like a luxury and more like a public health imperative.
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Post-Occupancy Evaluations: Ignorance Isn't Bliss
Explainer
POEs tell you everything you ever wanted to know about your buildings. Don't be afraid to ask.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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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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What’s the Secret to High Performance?
News Analysis
A new report identifies common habits of the firms that produce the best-designed and most sustainable projects.
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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.
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Four Reasons Building Performance Is Worse Than Predicted
News Brief
It’s common for energy use to far exceed what models predict. Should outcome-based measures be the new standard?
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Just For Fun
Something weird happens every April at BuildingGreen...
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