Matthew Morgan from the Quality of Life Foundation reflects on our latest event, learning from post-occupancy evaluations conducted in London we analyse what the industry can learn to create sustainable, community-driven homes and neighbourhoods.

With a central focus on resident outcomes, the Quality of Life Foundation champions a 'whole-life' perspective to understanding the success of a development. From spirited community engagements to the ongoing evaluation of health and wellbeing, we help the industry to understand what homes and neighbourhoods must do to support a good quality of life for their residents. A key part of that is carrying out post-occupancy evaluations (POEs) that reach beyond building performance and snagging lists, and delve into how people think and feel about where they live.

 

But why should we leverage POEs in the residential sphere - and how we can do it better? This was the central question asked by Sem Lee of OURI Labs at the NLA’s recent discussion on the subject.

 

Peter Maxwell, the Director of Design, London Legacy Development Corporation, shared his thoughts, emphasising the importance of understanding every step of the consumer journey. This is a practice often undertaken by consumer brands but largely ignored when it comes to the development industry and is where POE can really help.

 

Peter pointed out the challenges faced by most public sector bodies - the trifecta of time, money, and experience in conducting such thorough analysis. He suggested the key lies in creating a transferable methodology that can be applied across diverse projects.

 

He further underscored the significance of considering social and economic outcomes in building design, with questions about safety, security and quality of life crucial at the home, block and neighbourhood levels. A standardised approach, along with incentives and a clear response mechanism to feedback, could bring costs down, and embedding POE in the entirety of developer agreements might also be a game-changer.

 

Gloria Vargas Palma, Social Value Design Research Associate from Pollard Thomas Edwards, built on this approach with an introduction to the Happy Homes Toolkit, which focuses on the notion of social value in housing. The toolkit categorises social value into ‘archetypes’ and a ‘taxonomy’. The importance of fostering a sense of community, providing spaces for communal activities, and considering such practical aspects as the location of sockets or ability to hang a mirror were all integral elements of the social value taxonomy.

 

Milly Warner introduced the Inhabitant POE service, developed in her role as ESG Research Consultant at Stride Treglowan. This is an ethnographic approach that explores the dynamics of living in a place through conversations with residents, covering economic, social, and cultural aspects, and considers communal spaces like shared gardens and neutral areas that facilitate the formation of governance structures and resource pooling.

 

In the discussion that followed individual presentations, Peter Maxwell reiterated the importance of revisiting the business model for housing, expressing his astonishment at the limited number of architects who follow up on how their buildings are being used. He emphasised that this responsibility cannot solely rest on the clients and called for a cultural shift in the industry.

 

Gloria Vargas Palma suggested removing the "post" from the POE process, advocating for its integration into the design process from the beginning. This is something that we are big advocates of at the Quality of Life Foundation. Indeed it was one of the recommendations in our report for DLUHC on the state of POE in the residential sector. 

 

Ultimately, weaving POEs into the design and development process can pave the way for more thoughtful and responsive spaces and places to live - and so help support better health and wellbeing outcomes for residents. As we navigate the complexities of building more homes in a climate emergency, the key lies in fostering a culture of continuous improvement and learning from the experiences of residents and professionals alike.