The belly of the beast: Post-occupancy assessment of sustainable consumption in multi-unit residential buildings

A post-occupancy assessment (POA) tool was developed and applied to assess drivers of household consumption in three types of multi-residential housing in Metro Vancouver, Canada: typical condominiums, co-housing, and high-performance green buildings. A mixed methods approach used performance and actor-centred indicators to analyze building performance, household consumption patterns and user feedback on building livability. The POA survey instrument quantified household relationships and compared results with qualitative interviews and site observations. A public policy focus group framed policy implications and assisted in dissemination. Findings suggest that the type of housing development, governance structure and levels of social cohesion significantly influence household consumption levels with respect to physical design, waste reduction strategies, mobility modes, food preferences and procurement, social connectivity and household behaviour. The consumption levels of occupants of co-housing developments that feature innovative management practices and resource sharing were the lowest among the building types examined. The environmental impact of using green construction material and energy-saving devices proved to be less significant in reducing consumption levels than did the social cohesion of occupants within the building types examined. Findings regarding the relationship of household organization to consumption patterns advance understanding of the behavioural dimensions of sustainability, of interest to policy makers, academics, planners, architects and designers.