Understanding how facilities perform in practice. Buildings are designed to support people, programs, and organizational goals. A Post-Occupancy Evaluation reveals how well they actually do.
A Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) is a structured assessment of how a facility performs after it has been occupied and used. Through observation, documentation, interviews, and analysis, Waldron Planning & Design helps organizations understand what is working well, what challenges have emerged, and where opportunities for improvement exist.
POEs provide owners with actionable information that can support operational improvements, capital planning, facility upgrades, future expansion, and long-term strategic decision-making.
Over time, patterns of use emerge that are difficult to predict during design and construction. Staff adapt spaces to meet needs that weren't anticipated. Programs grow in ways that create new pressures on the building. Circulation patterns evolve.
A POE documents these realities — giving organizations an evidence-based understanding of how their facility actually performs, rather than how it was intended to perform.
A POE can be conducted regardless of who originally designed the facility.
Schools and educational facilities
Synagogues and religious institutions
Community centers and nonprofit organizations
Institutional facilities with evolving operational needs
Organizations planning future renovations, additions, or campus improvements
Any organization seeking an evidence-based understanding of facility performance
We begin by understanding the organization's mission, operational needs, and long-term goals.
Where necessary, we verify existing conditions and develop documentation needed to support the evaluation process.
Through interviews, walkthroughs, behavior mapping, occupancy observations, and operational analysis, we document how the facility performs in practice.
The evaluation concludes with a report summarizing key findings, opportunities, challenges, and recommendations for future action.
Many organizations make facility decisions based on assumptions. A Post-Occupancy Evaluation provides an evidence-based understanding of how a facility actually performs.
The result is a stronger foundation for future planning, capital investments, renovations, operational improvements, and strategic decision-making.
Building & Site Strategy is not limited to future projects. It also involves understanding the performance of existing facilities. Through Post-Occupancy Evaluations, Waldron helps organizations learn from their buildings, identify opportunities for improvement, and plan for what comes next.