STATE OF THE NATION REVIEW

Many existing, new and retro-fitted buildings exhibit large gaps between design aspirations and in-use performance. To meet policy objectives and meet the needs of building owners and occupants, in-use performance needs to improve rapidly and radically.

While many people are now aware of performance gaps for energy use and CO2 emissions, fewer people are aware that issues are also evident in technical performance, occupant satisfaction, operating costs, environmental impact and importantly the health of the occupants.

Data is the key to understanding whether we are making the right choices throughout the lifecycle of the building. The UK suffers from a disjointed building performance evaluation sector, where data are inaccessible, study methods are not clear or shared, and decisions are often made on poor or limited data.

As a direct result of these issues, a new initiative has been established, the Building Performance Network (BPN).