Council House 2 - Post-Occupancy Reports

Post-Occupancy Reports

Note: Post-occupancy reports were recorded after one year of building use while the building was still going under adjustments.

Thermal Comfort: Thermal dissatisfaction ratings should be below 10% in most locations of the building. The perceived overall thermal comfort is also good but the airflow is perceived to be to low.

Air Quality:The air quality of CH₂ is excellent in terms of measured pollutant levels. The occupants also perceive the air quality to be better. The formaldehyde concentrations are much lower than compared to common office buildings. The overall air quality is excellent due to the 100% fresh air intake and the use of low toxicity materials used in all furnishings and finishes as well as an extensive use of indoor plants.

Noise Levels: Ambient noise levels and reverberation times were considered ideal but the occupant satisfaction ratings for now were average to poor and were generally worse than benchmarks. This is due to the open floor layout, which improves communication between employees, but allows for unwanted interruptions. White noise increases satisfaction scores on one level compared to the rest of the building (10-18%).

Lighting: The background lighting levels are sufficient, and the recommended task illuminances could be achieved if personal task lighting was switched on. Occupant satisfaction for lighting is average to poor in CH₂ and is worse than some Building Uses Studies benchmarks (BUS).

Perceived Productivity: Three quarters of CH₂ occupants rate the building as having a positive or neutral effect on productivity, compared to 39% in the original Council House. CH₂ is rated in the top 20% of Australian buildings for perceived productivity.

Perceived Worker Health: CH₂ is rated very highly for perceived healthiness, and is considered to have low levels of occupant reported rates for building related health symptoms. Absenteeism and staff turnover has not changed but more time must pass to have conclusive data.

Overall: 80% of occupants prefer CH₂ to their previous accommodation. It was also seen that the staff productivity improved 10.9% resulting in a cost savings of over two million dollars. The improvement results in a seven year payback period for the buildings environmental features, three years ahead of the suspected schedule of ten years.