Better Buildings: Learning from buildings in use

Despite an increasing demand for energy-efficient design, it is generally accepted that architects rarely return to their creations to ensure that they are performing as intended: to talk to users, observe how the buildings work and have been adapted, and whether the environments created are enjoyable places to be in.

While most building professionals recognise the value of follow-through and involvement after handover, there are many perceived barriers to undertaking this work in practice. This book provides a bold vision for how some of these perceived barriers can be overcome.

Better Buildings provides architects with the inspiration and tools they need to deliver truly sustainable design. Through essays and illustrated case studies, this essential book explores how sustainable buildings are occupied and work and sheds light on the methods used to observe this. It illustrates that in observing building performance in-use, sustainable architecture has moved beyond simply creating beautiful spaces, to deliver on the low-energy performances promised.