Post-occupancy Evaluation for Ceremonial and Public Buildings： A Case Study of Amman City Hall, Jordan

POE （post-occupancy evaluation） of buildings is one of the most important mechanisms which ensures that ceremonial and public building performance including its facilities is sustained. POE studies concerned with efficiency of building performance after using and implementing with the end-user. It provides feedback on the current status of the building and proposes solutions to existing problems in addition to guidelines and design criteria for the best solutions in the future. Despite precedent research which have been undertaken in the context of building performance, aspects of evaluating building performance have not been specified and used widely in Jordan. At the commencement of this research, the concept of POE is still new in Jordan, and the local building practitioners are still unfamiliar with this approach for the evaluation of a building performance in Amman. Accordingly, there is a need to undertake this kind of research in Jordan to identify the main guidelines of POE to be applied effectively in ceremonial and public buildings. This study therefore applies POE of indoor environment of the public buildings by exploring the guidelines that can constitute a successful and effective framework for the public buildings in Amman. This was achieved using the learnt lessons from Amman City Hall building which was used as a case study and reflecting them on these where needed. Analytical and descriptive approach basis was applied, adopting a mixed method approach （qualitative and quantitative method） by using observation tool and a questionnaire survey with occupants. Context-derived data and statistics analyzed together were used to explore the guidelines of POE to be applied effectively in public buildings. A field visit and observation tool was adopted for gathering information leading to the findings and recommendations. A questionnaire was also used to extrapolate core findings of this research. This research provides a significant contribution of POE result towards improving indoor environment to ceremonial and public buildings in Jordan.

Research on Optimal Design of Campus Space Based on POE Concept: A Case Study of Anhui Xinhua College

Through the analysis of the overall landscape,revetments and roads and plant landscape,10 evaluation factors were determined.The comprehensive evaluation model for the campus space of Anhui Xinhua University was constructed by analytic hierarchy process(AHP).The results showed that revetment safety,road convenience,plant disease resistance and campus activity space were important factors affecting the spatial form planning of campus.Through the comparative analysis of the collected data,optimization suggestions were put forward to provide a basis for the establishment of“people-oriented”campus open space system.

Evaluation （POE） of Yildiz Technical University （YTU） School of Foreign Languages （SFL）

This paper deals with the post-occupancy performance evaluation of the SFL （School of Foreign Languages） that was designed by the authors and is located within the YTU （Yildiz Technical University） Davutpaa campus in Istanbul. After the completion and occupation of the building, project review came into question and a POE was performed. Post-occupancy performance evaluation tries to answer the questions of space provision for social interaction： ＂How is this building working？＂ ＂Is it intended？＂ ＂How can it be improved？＂ and ＂How can future buildings be improved？＂ Answers to these vital questions are searched under four main sections. In the first section, the study discusses the physical location and functional properties of the building, in the second, the design decisions of the building are discussed in the context of and design principles, in the third, the method of performance evaluation is explained, and in the final section, the results are analyzed and discussed. These results will lead to a path to improve the quality of the building.

nZEB:bridging the gap between design forecast and actual performance data

The nZEB objectives have raised the standard of building performance and changed the way in which buildings are designed and used.Although energy dynamic simulation tools are potentially the most suitable way for accurately evaluating and forecasting the thermal performance,they need several data inputs and user’s knowledge that can affect the reliability of the results.It is precisely these two aspects that proved to be particularly critical,since the reliability of the ICT calculation tools has been widely proven in recent time.However,in order to foster credibility in sustainable architecture,bridging the gap between predicted and measured performance is pivotal to boost the building market towards energy efficiency and provide reliable data to inhabitant,investors and policy maker.The present research aims to identify and quantify the main factors that affect the energy performance gap through a detailed energy analysis carried out on a case study,which can be considered one of the first nearly zero energy residential complex built in Italy.Based on the analysis,the study identifies the main causes of the deviation between the calculated and measured data and demonstrates how it is possible to achieve very reliable models and,therefore,real buildings.Although the procedure traces a classic model calibration scheme,actually it consists of a verification of possible downstream errors mainly due to human factors,such as the provision of incorrect technical data or inappropriate operation.Some observations on the technical,management and regulatory gaps that may generate these errors are reported at the end of the study,together with practical suggestions that can provide effective solutions.