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Properly allocating an organization's activities within a building is vital to reducing the relational complexity arising from process–environment interactions. Multiple relationships are mapped, and certain interferences are only identified after these have been processed. The method/software employed for this task is Mapping Activity Environment Allocation (MAEA). However, data input and interpretation of results depend on the usability conditions of the organization's agents. This paper presents MAEA's usability test results.

Test sessions and interviews were carried out with seven agents registered at a University Hospital. Participants were instructed to think aloud during its use, and immediately afterward, responded to semi-structured interviews. Test sessions were audio recorded and screen captured.

Participants found the software easy to use and pointed out valuable implications for professional and academic use. In addition to relationship, priority and parallelism data, customized visualizations were created, including organizational charts, flowcharts and activity flow routes on the floor plan.

MAEA's simplicity allows non-designers to conduct evidence-based assessments and decisions. It allows designers to test their proposals during the programming and outline proposal stages.

A more detailed definition of design requirements from the beginning increases the conditions to successfully achieve project goals.

The ability to map the allocation of activity-spaces in the pre-design phase of building architecture allows for early identification of interactions, aiding in the development of more robust project requirements during programming.

The city of São Paulo, as one of the World’s mega‐cities, has considerably increased the quantity of commercial floor space recently, with around 160,000m² added in this sector in 1998 and another 400,000m² planned for 1999. For this post‐occupancy evaluation (POE), the building chosen was a recently designed office building, considered to be high‐tech which has a total of 34 floors including six underground levels, 1,033m² of useful area per floor and circulation of more than 3,000 people per day. The unique situation of the different users, with their particular layouts, is an area that has still not been analyzed in POEs in Brazil. This paper will present the results of a pilot POE applied to four floors occupied by the headquarters of a manufacturer of domestic appliances, focusing on the methodological approach.

An interaction between emerging technologies (ETs) for facility management (FM) activities and stakeholder skills is necessary to promote the optimization of FM performance. Previous studies do not show strategies for the selection of ETs in FM considering the technological competencies of stakeholders. Thus, this study analyzes the interactions between ETs and FM from the perceptions of Brazilian professionals, identifying the most appropriate and effective technological solutions, based on a broad literature review.

The steps of the methodology are as follows: systematic literature review (SLR); detailing the ETs for FM; online questionnaire based on SLR findings; sample of Brazilian FM professionals; statistical treatment; and discussion.

Results indicate wireless sensor network, Internet of Thing, building information modeling and Big Data as ETs in FM with greater potential for optimization in the performance of FM activities, from survey respondents.

The scope of possible findings may have been biased, considering the small number of research participants and current transformations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g. changes to standard operating procedures).

The results ensure greater security to facility managers in the effective implementation of ETs in FM activities.

The research explores the published studies and the consultation with Brazilian FM professionals in the selection of ETs.

Presents an innovation in surveys and consulting activities in the performance evaluation of work environments in Brazilian cities such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro by means of selected and specific examples in the financial sector. Large office buildings, as intelligent enterprises, are still in need of efficient tools for quality control of production processes, use, operation and maintenance, besides the concerns for diverse agents involved in this design with aspects such as advanced technology, automation and security. Two case studies have been chosen in the financial sector – one of the fastest growing service sectors in large Latin American cities – where methods and evaluation techniques were applied, with a focus not only on technological aspects, but also on the collection of functional parameters and indicators of occupation, security and automation, which is aimed at productivity and satisfaction for the users and occupants of these office buildings.

This paper aims to present the results of a post‐occupancy evaluation (POE) in a complex hospital building, and also to discuss a system for analyzing and diagnosing those results.

The POE was aimed at establishing adequate use and maintenance of the building. The main approaches of the study consisted of two basic performance features, namely, physical accessibility and fire safety.

The importance of the pre‐design evaluation (PDE) might also be recalled as well as the usefulness of the POE for new designs and for remodeling existing buildings, because these instruments aid in the constant updating of directive plans of occupation, especially in the case of large complexes such as health care facilities. One indication of this importance is the relatively low number of problems detected during the POE, when one considers the complexity of the work of renovation and the dimensions of the IPq facilities.

The paper presents the results of a POE and recommendations that would make it possible to quickly identify the points where there is need for improvement, and the degree of importance or priority to be given.

The paper describes the purpose of and strategies for conducting post‐occupancy evaluations (POEs) as a method for assessing school building performance. Set within the larger context of global efforts to develop and apply common indicators of school building quality, the authors describe research conducted within the newest generation of São Paulo's schools.

The various methods of POE, including expert walkthroughs, physical measurements, observations, behavioral mapping, user interviews, focus groups, and survey questionnaires were applied within a purposefully selected case study school.

The POE carried out at Fernando Gasparian High School revealed limitations in the building's design, particularly in light of the neighborhood context, thus raising significant concerns about safety and security. Users gave the construction quality of the building, a generally positive evaluation, however, there were some important aspects of the building design judged as deficient. In particular, researchers observed a significant mismatch between the building design and the realities of the surrounding community. This sort of incongruity introduced important challenges to principals, teachers, and staff, as they worked to ensure the safety of students who attend the school.

The research explores the effectiveness of POE methods in capturing user and expert assessments of overall building quality, as well as the degree to which building designs assist educators and community members in realizing Brazil's larger educational reform goals.