Informed Design: A Post-Occupancy Evaluation Toolkit for Courthouses

Abstract

Courthouses are a unique building type. Justice architects and planners are tasked with ensuring courthouses meet the functional and security needs of many different user groups, including the entity that owns the building, court staff, judges, litigants, attorneys, public visitors, jurors, and those in custody, among others—each with distinct concerns, requirements, and expectations for the building. Courthouse planning guidelines have become more comprehensive and available (Judicial Council of California/Administrative Office of the Courts 2011) and, at the same time, courts must adhere to strict building performance and efficiency standards (California Natural Resources Agency 2016). One way to discern whether or not courthouse features are responsive to these needs and requirements is to evaluate the courthouse’s performance by conducting a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) during its occupancy. While a building performance evaluation (BPE) covers the entire life-cycle of a building, the POE focuses on the phase following building occupancy, as detailed in this chapter (Preiser and Schramm 1997; Preiser and Vischer 2005; Preiser et al. 2015).