Post-occupancy assessment: building design, governance and household consumption

Abstract

Abstract Can post-occupancy assessment assess drivers of household consumption? A mixed-methods approach was used to investigate household consumption patterns in three housing types in Vancouver, Canada. An analysis of eight multi-unit, residential household settings was conducted that included high-performance green residential buildings, co-housing buildings, and typical multi-residential buildings. A post-occupancy assessment survey instrument quantified household solid waste, recycling, and storage relationships, and triangulated results with qualitative interviews and site observations. Findings suggest that both the type of housing development and the building governance structure influence household consumption levels, in particular with regard to waste-reduction strategies and storage issues. Of the studied building types, co-housing appears to have the most potential to reduce household consumption through innovative management practices and the sharing of resources. Une évaluation après occupation permet-elle d'évaluer les facteurs de consommation des ménages? Une approche à méthodes mixtes est utilisée pour étudier les habitudes de consommation des ménages dans trois types de logements à Vancouver, au Canada. Une analyse portant sur huit ensembles résidentiels à logements multiples a été menée, comprenant des bâtiments verts résidentiels hautes performances, des immeubles en co-habitat et des immeubles classiques à habitations multiples. Un instrument d'enquête permettant une évaluation après occupation a quantifié les déchets solides des ménages, le recyclage et les relations de stockage, et a triangulé les résultats avec des entretiens qualitatifs et les observations sur site. Les résultats obtenus suggèrent que le type d'ensemble d'habitation aussi bien que la structure de gouvernance des immeubles influent sur les niveaux de consommation des ménages, s'agissant en particulier des stratégies de réduction des déchets et des problèmes de stockage. Parmi les types de bâtiments étudiés, il semble que le co-habitat offre le plus de possibilités de réduction de la consommation des ménages par des pratiques de gestion innovantes et le partage des ressources. Mots clés: co-habitat, consommation, gouvernance, ménages, logement, évaluation après occupation, déchets solides Keywords: co-housingconsumptiongovernancehouseholdshousingpost-occupancy assessmentsolid waste Acknowledgements The authors wish to thank the interview respondents and the journal referees. The authors also gratefully acknowledge funding support from the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia, grant number # 0207-31. Thanks to the strata councils, management companies, and developers for their support throughout the research project; and to Adrian Leaman for questionnaire assistance, used under licence © Copyright: Building Use Studies Ltd, 2007. Special thanks are extended to Dr M. Roseland and research assistant Michele Battisti. Notes Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) – NC (New Construction) Rating System. Residential Environmental Assessment Program (REAP) is a residential green building certification system developed in 2005 by researchers at the University of British Columbia. In British Columbia, MURBs are managed by the voluntary executive boards of building home-owner associations (known as the strata corporation). These boards, called strata councils, act as the managing body for the strata corporation, make daily decisions for the strata corporation to run smoothly, and operate within any restrictions created by the Strata Act, regulations, bylaws, or a majority vote of the owners. The strata council prepares an annual budget, which must be approved by a majority vote of the strata lot owners. Examples of residential toolkits include: One Earth (2009) Eco-Strata Guide for Metro Vancouver, Vancouver, BC (available at: http://www.eco-strata.com) (accessed on 30 March 2010); The Natural Step Canada, Light House and The David Suzuki Foundation (2009) Sustainability at Home: A Toolkit Decision-Making Help for Your Everyday Choices, Vancouver, BC; and Natural Resources Canada (2009) Energy Star® Purchasing Guide: Put Energy Star to Work for Your Organization, Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, ON (available at: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/publications/equipment/m144-206-2009e.cfm?attr=20) (accessed on 30 March 2010).