Applying Social Return on Investment (SROI) to the built environment

Abstract

The effective measurement and dissemination of the impact of design on building users requires an evaluative shift away from measuring building performance towards measuring the outcomes experienced by people. This agenda shares considerable overlap with the emerging concept of ‘social value’ and it is proposed that social impact valuation methods could fill the post-occupancy quantification gap. A review of the social impact sector identifies Social Return on Investment (SROI) as the most developed method with a robust framework for implementation. SROI generates monetized results, anticipated to enhance transferability compared with typical post-occupancy evaluation summaries and facilitate the dissemination and usefulness of findings within the design and construction industry. An in-depth account is presented of a study that trials the six stage SROI method in three non-clinical healthcare buildings; interviews, focus groups, user surveys and financial valuation techniques are used. The SROI results are summarized and the discussion provides a critical reflection on the application of SROI to the built environment: the technical challenges faced, the modifications made as a result, and the lessons learnt from this process. The conclusion offers practical recommendations for future applications of SROI to the built environment.