Are users more tolerant of 'green' buildings?

Are buildings designed for lower environmental impacts better from the occupants' point of view? Based on methodology developed in the UK by Building Use Studies and used for the Probe series of post-occupancy studies, the paper explores sources of occupant dissatisfaction, and whether or not green buildings are perceived as better by their users. Occupant surveys from 177 UK buildings are used for statistical comparisons between conventional and green buildings. Findings point to improvements in some areas, such as image and how needs are met, but green buildings are in danger of repeating past mistakes, especially if they are too difficult to manage. Users tend to tolerate deficiencies rather more than they do with more conventional buildings. There are also methodological problems. Findings based on more general, 'summary' questions tend give a more optimistic picture for green buildings than those which dig deeper. It is thus vital to back up statistical descriptions with detailed accounts of context so that rounded conclusions are obtained.