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This is an analysis of modern office buildings with high energy efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to focus on how such buildings affects usability for the organizations occupying the buildings.

The analysis combine results from studies of two case projects with a literature review. Case studies include qualitative interviews with key informants, internal post-occupancy evaluations and annual reports from the user organizations. The two buildings are Norwegian pioneers regarding energy efficiency.

The new buildings provide a high degree of usability for the user organizations, including user satisfaction, efficiency and effectiveness. The case projects illustrate the potential in combining improvements for energy efficiency and the usability of buildings. There are synergistic effects in a mutual process of development for the buildings and organizations based upon strategic business goals. Management of the process is crucial in order to succeed.

The study applies the approach of usability to an analysis of energy efficient buildings. Two case projects exemplify potentials and challenges.

Office buildings can be developed to a high degree of energy efficiency by considering the many aspects of usability for the user organizations. Integrating constructing projects into organizational development processes is crucial for the result.

This study contributes to the emerging field, analyzing effects on usability for the organizations occupying energy efficient office buildings. The study also adds to the young field of analyzing the integration of the development of buildings into processes of organizational development by enlightening the potential regarding buildings with high energy ambitions.

This paper aims to gain insight in how the involvement of facilities management (FM) and clinical employees are practiced in new Norwegian hospital projects and to study the benefits and lessons learned from the involvement.

This study is conducted by cross-sectional case studies of eight hospital projects by using a literature review, interviews and document studies of FM and clinical employees and project leaders (PLs) among Sykehusbygg.

The service design approach with a structured interaction between the PL’s of Sykehusbygg, and the different disciplines of clinical employees and FM specialist was rewarding and efficient. The facilitator role of Sykehusbygg is essential to manage such a broad and complex involvement process using a wide range of various techniques at the different stages of the projects (dialogue meetings, review meetings, workshops, post-it notes, 2-D drawings, mock-up and 3-D models, as well as virtual reality (VR) and Building Information Modeling technology). The clinical employees’ framework is stronger and much more structured than the involvement of FM competences through the different stages of the projects. The property management competences were involved at the early concept phase and design phase, whereas the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) competences were getting involved through the construction and commissioning phase. The value of FM involvement in all stages of the project is seen beneficial, particularly when the FM specialist become a part of the design team and located physically at the same place. The main reported benefits of early FM involvement are cost-effective technical solutions and installations, less design flaws and improved functionality, as well as a stronger ownership and mutual respect between the clinical and FM disciplines. However, not all hospital organizations see the benefits of the FM involvement of all stages, as they are driven by reducing capital cost. In one of the new projects, other ways of involving the FM competences were tested. Additionally, particularly for the O&M competences, a dialogue meeting with a clear focus of sharing experiences with different technical solution was found rewarding in terms of cost benefits.

This study does not consider the social impact of the choices made in the design phase. The findings also indicated a certain development of the FM involvement. This is not studied in two of the newest projects where they are still in the design phase and the FM role was not interviewed.

The PL role is important as a facilitator role of the involvement process.

A dialogue meeting with a group of O&M people was found rewarding and valuable for knowledge sharing. This methodology can be further developed and tested, as this group of stakeholders is not always available for giving input in the project.

The value of this study is the description of the interaction between the PLs and the hospital organization in the eight projects and lessons learned by the involvement of FM competences and clinical employees.