Improvement of visual comfort through a human-centered methodology. An experience of Post Occupancy Evaluation in hospital buildings

The understanding of users’ behavior and needs represents a turning point in contemporary human-centered design. It is also important to find a balance between the reduction of energy consumption and the wellbeing of users during the occupancy phase of buildings. Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) is among the most accredited evidence-based methodology, in order to evaluate building performance through use of data from quantitative and qualitative analysis. Quantitative performance is detected through physical and technical monitoring whilst qualitative analysis is concerned with detecting the users’ perception and the characteristics of their behavior. The integration of POE into the whole life cycle of the building (from planning to re-use/demolition) is part of a broader definition called Building Performance Evaluation (BPE). Therefore, the detection of users’ feedback has proved particularly useful in the healthcare sector, with particular reference to the complex and delicate issue of hospital buildings. Seven case studies on three hospital buildings are presented here, in which POE was carried out to deepen knowledge of visual comfort. This aspect can influence productivity, hospitalization time, physical and psychological health of the people living in the hospital. Moreover, it is linked to energy consumption in different aspects. The results help to relate preferen- tial lines of intervention for the improvement of users’ comfort with energy saving solutions.