Chun-Ling Hsu (Vanya), HGA, October 2023
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Project Overview
This report details the post-design research of the HGA project by Chun-Ling Hsu (Vanya) and other team members. HGA is a national interdisciplinary design firm rooted in architecture and engineering. Working in teams to bring insights and engage collaboratively with clients to facilitate discovery, research hypotheses, and advocate for meaningful change.
A post-occupancy evaluation of the rehearsal building was conducted in September 2023 and consisted of an online questionnaire. The questionnaire asked participants to reflect on their use of the building, satisfaction with the physical aspects of the building, and to respond to statements about their experience based on key goals of the design strategy.
Executive Summary:
Post-occupancy evaluation results showed that the building is much loved and appreciated by its occupants. It has achieved the goal of supporting music in a functional and environmentally responsible way and will continue to be a valuable resource for the community for many years to come.
Compared to other buildings in the area, this building improved the experience of music rehearsal and occupant well-being.
Research Goals
This project supports the holistic design approach and evidence-based design to discover insight into informed design solutions. The aim of this research is to assess whether the musical rehearsal building was constructed for musicians to practice, preserve music collections, foster community gathering, and promote sustainability.
Procedure and Methodology
In the 146 survey invitations, 33% of usable responses were conducted in the post-occupancy evaluation using Qualtrics. Evaluation constructs and topics were developed by our team with input and guidance from the project leaders, and the evaluation was conducted with the support of the building manager. Descriptive summaries of quantitative data and thematic analysis of qualitative responses were conducted and compiled in this project, along with comparisons between groups and other buildings.
Analysis
65% of the respondents were musicians and 35% of the respondents were staff. Descriptive analysis was conducted for demographics, connection with the building, and building use purposes. Satisfaction and agreement scores were analyzed and the relationship using proportion, t-test, correlation and other hypothesis testing. Recording qualitative responses and using thematic analysis to further understand the pain points of occupants. These findings have important implications for businesses and organizations seeking to improve the satisfaction and well-being of their occupants.
Findings & Recommendations
The following section overviews our major findings.
The new building was rated as a significant improvement over the former building in all aspects that were asked.
Specific challenges have been reported in the physical attributes and acoustic characteristics.
The limitation between occupancy, operation and the architecture construction could be observed in the evaluation.
Respondents have positive feedback on the archive library to preserve and secure the music collection.
Sustainability, functionality and flexibility are successful in occupants perspectives.
The report was presented to the internal firm, aligned with the AIA Framework.
Key takeaways:
Pre-occupancy evaluation could be conducted to fully picture the occupants' experience.
Different instruments and musicians are crucial for a rich acoustic experience, making further exploration beneficial.
Occupant experience research can inform future design solutions.
Music performance seasons need to be considered in the research recruitment process.
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