Aronoff Center for Design and Art at the University of Cincinnati

Aronoff Middle for Design and Fine art - University of Cincinnati

Wolfgang Preiser, PhD

Wolfgang Preiser, PhD, has a specialty that he has been perfecting for the terminal 3 decades––post-occupancy evaluation (POE). This self-described "building pathologist" researches the means in which people are affected by buildings. He believes information technology is extremely important to assess accurately what happens when a edifice is put to utilize, and to compare the results to its creator's intentions, using physical measurements, interviews, surveys, and observations.

Preiser explains POE as the last of the six "loops" in the overall design perspective of a project, which starts at the project's inception and travels through design, building, and final occupancy. The POE data drove procedure involves several different techniques, including:
-Interviews
-Surveys
-Observations
-Photography
-Archival research

A building performance evaluation rates actual performance against the blueprint's required performance. The typical POE focuses on nine items:
-Top priority: health, condom, security
-Mid priority: role, efficiency, work period
-Last priority: psychological, social, cultural functioning

POEs are classified in iii divisions:
-Indicative (the quickest and least in-depth POE): this may be used as a guide to pursue a more detailed POE
-Investigative: a more detailed and in-depth POE
-Diagnostic: an in-depth POE like to focused enquiry into such topics as stair safety, ambience lighting, and signage. It elaborates on what may be done to rectify shortcomings or poor performances.

Assessing his surround

For his case study, Preiser presented signature architect Peter Eisenman'southward Aronoff Centre for Design and Fine art on the Academy of Cincinnati campus, which has been his academic home for the past 15 years. The Aronoff Centre began to receive design accolades well before information technology was built, and since its completion has proven to be one of the most talked about and controversial architectural works of the 1990s.

Preiser's beginning survey of the building began presently later on it opened in 1996. His group studied the building's health, safety, and security; function, efficiency, and work flow; and psychological, social, and cultural operation aspects. Co-ordinate to Preiser, Eisenman had said he wanted to destabilize and confuse people, and, Preiser suggested, this strategy has proven to be not entirely without merit. "The edifice itself is very interesting as yous move through it," he noted, adding that "the eastward, 'signature' side of the facade, pretends that the building is tilted, but that is merely surface treatment."

Overall, the building itself has not received high marks from the POE investigators or many of the users rating it according to the following criteria:

Wayfinding:

Most people charge per unit wayfinding to and through the edifice as poor. The many kleptomaniacal and skewed elements make it difficult to orient oneself inside the space, and the programme is not always kind to the users. A prime example: Visitors must go out into the elements later parking in the garage to enter the edifice from its almost popular side. Eisenman sited the entrance on the east side of the building, as information technology was hoped that the street it faced would connect to Cincinnati'southward main thoroughfare. While the metropolis ultimately nixed this plan, claiming that it would add to already excessive vehicular congestion, the architect kept the entrance on the e side of the edifice anyway. In Preiser's opinion, this was a fault.

Further complicating matters in the entrance sequence is that signage remains nearly nonexistent. Preiser also pointed out the caulking between the walls and the cavalcade, which stretches inches wide in some places in this very circuitous space.

However, upon reaching the heart of the building, users find a space that Preiser and his investigators believe works very well. The atrium, considered to exist the social hub of the edifice, is where, he said, "everything comes together".

Accessibility:

The builder linked the pattern and chemistry schools with a huge spine and a awe-inspiring outdoor stair, the latter of which, Preiser discovered, goes almost entirely unused. (A notable exception was the center'due south opening day, when a marching band ascended the stairs in full glory.) "I approximate information technology was assumed that the chemists would be running over to visit the designers, and vice versa, but it didn't happen," Preiser mused. Worse still, both outside and in, stairs bar wheelchair users from admission; elevators practice not connect to all levels, and are hard to find. "This is where the building actually falls down," Preiser said. The stairs accept besides generated a rubber consequence––the risers vary tremendously from stride to step in the main auditorium.

Waterproofing:

Steel-formed flying buttresses and other elements of the east side of the construction are clad with an exterior insulating cream organisation (EIFS), which inspired Preiser to quip, "Foam Follows Function". Not funny, however, are the many leaks that have sprung in the edifice's roof and walls.

Natural light and views:

"Views out are missing. There almost are no windows," Preiser said. But people love the atrium, fifty-fifty though an eighth floor blocks almost of the sunlight, he reported. This social hub works very well.

Circulation:

Crits are held in the broad corridors, which is a plus considering it allows students to share work, even though only rudimentary tacking space was provided. The downside is that "noisy groups walk by and drive students in crits crazy," Preiser said.

Maintenance:

Lights in the east archway area must exist changed by workers on cherry-pickers who have to remove railings to get at them. Preiser disparaged the cheap materials, especially, as at $36 million, the building came in with a significant cost overrun. After 1 year, all the leaking skylights had to be replaced, he said.

In praise of POE

Soon, POE is an constituent course for students at the Academy of Cincinnati. The grouping too frequently conducts rigorous performance evaluations for clients, as they are currently doing for 42 canton libraries.

Preiser tin certificate the formal POE process back 30 years in the literature to 1975, when the first article talking nearly its use appeared in an result of the AIA Journal. At present as then, Preiser believes that it is essential for architects to share post-occupancy information freely, and that architecture publications should stop shying away from honest criticism. "If we can't critique, we are in bad shape," he ended.

This piece was previously published past The American Institute of Architects
© Wolfgang Preiser

Wolfgang Preiser pictured with the Aronoff Center for Design and Fine art.

Wolfgang Preiser PhD

Wolfgang Preiser is Professor of Architecture at the University of Cincinnati and Editor of the book Assessing Building Performance.

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Source: https://emerituscollege.asu.edu/sites/default/files/ecdw/EVoice8/Aronoff_center.html

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