The role of feedback in building design 1980–2018 and onwards

This is a paper updating the paper I wrote on this topic for BSERT in issue 1 volume 1 in 1980. The original paper set out the causes of failure in building design as being due to various issues such as an inadequate brief, lack of data, poor communication, inadequate analysis or synthesis, quirks of human behaviour which could all contribute. Systematic appraisal – now referred to as post-occupancy evaluation – of buildings in use provides feedback which helps us to understand why theory and practice do not always agree and also gives evidence for improved building economics. It concluded that we have to involve users more in the design of buildings, and for the next generations, we need a much broader based education of building designers. This paper continues the theme by considering the latest methods of measurement and assessment which provide feedback data for sustainability but focusing more on health and wellbeing rating assessments.

Practical application: Our professions need more interaction across sectors and to foster a transdisciplinary approach. This means more communication with other professional kinsmen from the health and wellbeing sectors in order to make valuable interventions in the building design process. This paper updates the 1980 paper from the first edition of BSER&T that sets out the causes of failure in building design as being due to various issues such as an inadequate brief, lack of data, poor communication, inadequate analysis or synthesis, quirks of human behaviour which could all contribute. The paper determines that the need for feedback in order to improve building performance and provide data to develop existing guidelines, codes and standards is as valid now as it was in 1980 but the way we do this has changed.