Post occupancy evaluation of a sports pavilion within an educational establishment

The focus of buildings performance is no longer merely the basic functions of providing shelter or safeguarding human lives and property. Concerns relating to indoor environment quality (IEQ) has increasingly been a topic of interest, mainly in terms of occupants’ comfort and energy consumption. However, these concerns are not often assessed in educational buildings especially sports venues for reasons unknown. This study presents an evaluation of a sports pavilion at University of Reading. IEQ variables, energy consumption and occupancy patterns have been investigated through in-situ measurements which are analysed in comparison with existing benchmark and building energy simulation. The in-situ measurements reflect that the IEQ in the pavilion is considered to be generally satisfactory after comparison with benchmarks. The findings also show that the building has good air-tightness hence high-energy retention. The building was modelled using Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES), a building simulation software. The model verified against metered energy consumption showed a 1.6% deviation. The paper also discussed relevant recommendations to maintain good IEQ and energy efficiency.