PROBE - Post-occupancy Review Of Buildings and their Engineering

Basics

What is it?
A method of post-occupancy evaluation of buildings, used in a published series in Building Services - the CIBSE Journal from 1995 to 2002.

Useful where?
In any completed building at any time. The Probes published in Building Services were in innovative buildings 2 to 5 years old. - sufficient for them to have settled down but still to retain some technical interest and novelty.

What else does it do?
The published Probes were intended to look through the buildings surveyed and to disseminate findings to the industry, its clients, government and academe. The techniques are also applied in private consultancies to evaluate and improve both newly-completed and older buildings.

Related activities
Probe incorporates the following techniques:

• A preliminary questionnaire for the building/facilities manager.
• The Building Use Studies occupant survey (q.v.), latterly including journey to work module.
• The CIBSE TM22 Energy assessment and reporting method (q.v.)
• Sometimes, a building envelope pressure test to CIBSE TM 23 by BRE or BSRIA.

Arup now runs an Appraise service which uses the same components of Probe to assess building performance.

In what sectors?
Any, but principally public and commercial and educational. Less widely used in domestic, industrial and transport buildings but the Probe approach has been adopted for studies of low energy housing.

Relevance
A well-established package, and one of the few to date which deals simultaneously with soft (people-related) and hard (technical and environmental performance) issues in an effective and pragmatic manner.

Although published in Building Services Journal, the Probe studies are equally relevant to other professional standpoints like architecture and facilities management. The journal Delta-T also carries Probe-like studies.

Development status

Who developed it?
A consortium including Building Use Studies Ltd, Halcrow Gilbert Associates, Energy for Sustainable Development Ltd, Target Energy Services Ltd and William Bordass Associates, in association with publisher Building Services Journal, and co-sponsored by the UK government under the Partners in Innovation (PII) scheme.

Stage of development
Robust, proven technique, subject to the tests of publication and peer review.

Examples of its use
Twenty published surveys from 1995-2002, plus many background papers. See the Probe section of www.usablebuildings.co.uk for downloads.

Further development happening?
Yes, of the component techniques but not currently as a Probe public domain package. However, Probe was re-launched briefly in 2006 to carry out two revisits. The findings of which were published in BSRIA's in-house journal, Delta T. See the Probe section of www.usablebuildings.co.uk for downloads.

Development contacts
Building Use Studies Ltd

Power Efficiency Ltd

William Bordass Associates

Usable Buildings Trust

Arup

How it works

Brief description
A relatively thorough examination of both hard and soft performance of a building, by combining the techniques of walk-through survey, energy survey, occupant survey, discussions with occupants and management, and a pressure test.

Is there software?
Yes, to support both the occupant and energy surveys. See Feedback Portfolio techniques for BUS and CIBSE TM22.

How long does it take?
Typically about one man-month over 2-3 elapsed months, but can be much quicker if good data is available.

Can I do it myself?
Potentially. You can licence the occupant survey. The energy survey technique is public domain but requires skill and experience.

Can someone else do it for me?
Yes, contact Probe team member firms (q.v.).

User comments
”Extremely useful, excellent value and a solid foundation for further improvements. Three years later, I still have the report by my desk and frequently refer to it“ - BARCAYCARD

“The best piece of research of the decade” - PROFESSOR TADJ ORESZCZYN, HEAD, THE BARTLETT GRADUATE SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

References
20 published surveys and many more related references. See link.

Is the technique in the public domain?
Mostly.

Are the methods open to inspection with technical support papers?
Mostly.

Are the results in the public domain?
Yes.

Are there stable benchmarks?
Yes.

Is there an accreditation system?
Not for the package. However:

• The occupant survey is subject to licensing and QA by BUS (q.v.).
• The energy survey and pressure tests are to CIBSE standards.

Organisations offering
William Bordass Associates
Contact name: Bill Bordass.

Building Use Studies Ltd or Usable Buildings Trust
Contact name: Adrian Leaman.

Power Efficiency Ltd
Contact name: John Field.

Arup
Contact name: Adrian Leaman.