PurposeThis paper explores the historical development of POE in order to provide a contextual backdrop to current discussions.Design/methodology/approachThis paper attempts to establish what POE is and does, and explores POE methodologies.FindingsThis paper concludes that the fact that this topic is extensively discussed highlights a growing frustration with the lack of progress toward POE becoming a mainstream activity in the process of building procurement. Other findings include POE's exclusion from professional curricula; who pays for POE? And issues with professional liability and its contribution to this lack of use.Practical implicationsThe paper presents the benefits accrued by stakeholders in the building procurement process, and the barriers to the adoption of POE that need to be addressed.Originality/valueThis literature review suggests that despite the trials and tribulations, POE has progressed from a one dimensional feedback process to a multidimensional process that, as an integrated element, can help drive the building procurement process forward. The paper presents an objective overview of literary discourse around POE, its potential and limitations.

Zambian cities are experiencing a massive influx of people from rural areas resulting in high demand for housing and the growth of squatter settlements. Insufficient use of low-cost traditional construction techniques in the Zambian residential construction industry has resulted in expensive housing stock for the majority of the poor. There is therefore an urgent need to assess alternative building materials and techniques that are both affordable and sustainable. This research examines the viability of earth as a building material and associated construction techniques for urban housing provision in Zambia. Attitudes towards earth building among end-users, designers, contractors and government regulators were assessed using quantitative and qualitative research approaches. The study concludes that urban residents associate earth houses with poverty and low socio-cultural status; construction professionals are reluctant to specify and select earth materials due to their technical and performance limitations; and government regulators acknowledged that there are currently no appropriate earth building standards and codes in place. Nevertheless, Zambian designers and contractors expressed their willingness to use the material if its performance is improved. Furthermore, government reported that new codes of practice and standards could be developed if stimulated by research findings.

This article reviews the current state of housing for people with dementia by exploring housing choices available to this group, and identifying potential issues with design of care homes. Older people who wish to age in place are faced with the challenge of adapting their domestic environment to ensure independence, accessibility, and social connectivity. This is even more challenging for people with dementia who continue to live at home, given the risks of self-harm and getting lost. More imaginative and inclusive forms of collective housing are needed. For people with dementia, a move to a new environment is often a stressful experience that causes shock, withdrawal, and anger. Hence, more research is needed to develop more fitting long-term housing options for people with dementia. This article presents a brief review on housing choices and housing design for people with dementia. Interviews with managers of 22 care homes were conducted to explore housing choices and design issues. Results show that the main housing choices available to people with dementia offer different levels of care. The choice of care homes relates to the atmosphere of a home as some occupants favor a homely or relaxing environment and others prefer dynamic settings. A combination of appropriate level of care, a good atmosphere, and design quality within the care home are elements that lead to a more enabling environment. Design of a successful caring environment also requires appropriate care and a positive therapeutic and domestic-looking environment.

Users who downloaded this article also downloaded: (2006),"What has architecture got to do with dementia care?: Explorations of the relationship between quality of life and building design in two EQUAL projects"If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This study seeks to appraise the design of nursing and residential care homes for people with dementia in Northern Ireland using the design audit checklist developed by the Dementia Services Development Centre -DSDC. Design/methodology/approach -The appraisal used postal questionnaires, based on the DSDC essential design criteria, that were sent to facility managers. This was conducted in order to establish the level of compliance with these criteria to achieve a dementia-friendly home, and to ascertain whether there are any noticeable differences between nursing homes and residential care homes. Findings -The study identified the types of homes that were seen as failing to meet most of the DSDC design criteria and, in particular, which criteria are not met according to their managers. Results from this sample suggest that nursing homes align better with DSDC criteria than residential care homes. The study concludes that the majority of managers perceive their care homes to meet over 50 percent of the essential criteria, with just over 5 percent below the 50 percent mark. Research limitations/implications -Given that this study used postal questionnaires more research is needed in order to validate results. Behavioral and policy implications are crucial aspects that will be the subject of future research which will involve post-occupancy evaluation. Practical implications -More attention to dementia-friendly building design needs to be taken into consideration by residential care homes, and more improvement would still be required by nursing homes not meeting all criteria. Originality/value -The paper highlights the importance of dementia-friendly building design and the requirements for more care in designing and fitting care environments for people with dementia.

This paper examines the behaviour of users of a large central courtyard in a hospital with the aim to develop an understanding of the activities and the space use patterns of patients, staff and visitors. Video-based and direct observation, as well as behaviour mapping, were employed to investigate how different types of users interact with the courtyard garden. This study reveals that significant differences existed in the way different user groups utilised the courtyard garden on a daily basis and this was found to be highly influenced by the physical environment, the hospital opening hours and the courtyard micro-climate.eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v3i8.1413