Design quality assessment of campus facilities through post occupancy evaluation

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad A. Hassanain ◽  
Muizz O. Sanni-Anibire ◽  
Abubakar Sadiq Mahmoud
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Design Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Post Occupancy Evaluation ◽  
Air Ventilation ◽  
Academic Buildings ◽  
Surrounding Areas

PurposeThis study aims to present the design quality assessment of facilities on a university campus in Saudi Arabia.Design/methodology/approachForty-nine standardized design quality indicators (DQIs) have been adopted for the study. These were classified into relevant categories including: “Indoor Environment, Safety and Maintenance,” “Furniture, Utilities and Spaces” and “Privacy, Appearance and Surrounding Areas.” A web-based survey was used to obtain responses from 207 respondents. The survey was designed based on a Likert scale of satisfaction and was analyzed to obtain the satisfaction indices (SI) as well as Design Quality Scores (DQS).FindingsOccupants were dissatisfied the “level of noise generated from within the space,” “amount of natural light from daylighting systems” and “ease of control of air ventilation systems” among others. The DQS revealed that residential buildings had the highest design quality in terms of “Indoor Environment, Safety, and Maintenance” and “Privacy, Appearance and Surrounding Areas.” Administrative buildings had the best design quality in terms of “furniture, utilities and spaces.” Academic buildings had the lowest design quality in terms of “Indoor Environment, Safety and Maintenance” and “Privacy, Appearance and Surrounding Areas.”Originality/valueUltimately, the study demonstrated how the adoption of a standard set of DQIs could facilitate the standardization of design quality evaluation in the property sector as well as identify best practices through comparison and benchmarking.

An analysis of indoor environment evaluation for The Springs development in Dubai, UAE

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuloh Jung ◽  
Jihad Awad ◽  
Naglaa Sami Abdelaziz Mahmoud ◽  
Muna Salameh
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Sick Building Syndrome ◽  
Living Room ◽  
Design Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Housing Projects ◽  
Wide Range

Purpose This study aims to evaluate The Springs’ indoor environment, one of the iconic townhouse-type residential buildings in Dubai, more efficiently for the integrated evaluation of the indoor environment with the weights of indoor environmental factors such as thermal, indoor air, lighting and acoustic. Design/methodology/approach The weights of the indoor environment factors were derived for the integrated evaluation to reflect the residents’ preferences. Based on the post-occupancy evaluation (P.O.E.) survey, the weights according to the gender, age group and indoor spaces followed a comparison and analytical processes. Findings This paper had found the priority of residents’ needs for each space in The Springs project. In summer, thermal comfort was the most important factor for living room and the master bedroom. In winter, the priority for living room and kitchen was the indoor air quality. Research limitations/implications As it is the first research survey for housing project in Dubai, it needs to be extended to other housing projects in Dubai. To increase the reliability of the weights calculated through this study and the applicability of the integrated indoor environmental evaluation, more in-depth P.O.E. survey is needed with wide range of survey participants. Social implications This paper will help developing guidelines for future renovation based on the comparative analysis among thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, lighting comfort and indoor air comfort. Originality/value This paper is the first attempt to analyze the condition of early housing projects in Dubai. The data can be used to increase not only the design quality and marketability of housing projects in Dubai but also the condition of residents’ health status to avoid sick building syndrome from approximately 20 years old buildings.

Post-occupancy evaluation of research and academic laboratory facilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 797-810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad A. Hassanain ◽  
Muizz O. Sanni-Anibire ◽  
Abubakar Sadiq Mahmoud ◽  
Wahhaj Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Research Laboratory ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Satisfaction Index ◽  
Post Occupancy Evaluation ◽  
Performance Requirements ◽  
Laboratory Facilities ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Technical Features ◽  
Academic Laboratory

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the post-occupancy evaluation (POE) of academic and research laboratory facilities. This is based on the premise that the performance of such facilities is directly connected to the productivity, health and wellbeing of its users. Design/methodology/approach The paper was carried out in two phases, first, the performance requirements for academic and laboratory facilities were identified through the extant literature. Furthermore, a questionnaire survey was developed to carry out a POE of existing academic and research laboratory facilities in a university campus in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was designed using a Likert scale of one to five. Finally, the satisfaction index was computed, and rates of satisfaction with the various performance requirements were determined. Findings The paper resulted into 74 performance requirements grouped into three categories. The respondents showed general satisfaction with most of the performance requirements. However, dissatisfaction was observed in performance requirements related to technical features and the availability of sustainability features. Such findings suggest the growing importance of such technical and sustainable features in modern-day laboratories. Originality/value Though few studies have employed POE in assessing the performance of academic facilities, there is still a gap regarding its application to the laboratory facilities. Thus, the originality of this study is evident in its presentation of a set of performance requirements and its further application as a case study.

Quality assessment of a campus medical facility: a users' perspective approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 585-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad A. Hassanain ◽  
Ammar H. A. Dehwah ◽  
Muizz O. Sanni-Anibire ◽  
Wahhaj Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Quality Of Healthcare ◽  
Medical Facility ◽  
Design Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Healthcare Facilities

PurposeThis study aims to evaluate the quality of an on-campus medical facility at a leading university.Design/methodology/approachPublished literature was consulted to review knowledge areas on the usability and quality performance requirements of healthcare facilities. Quality indicators were, thus, developed from the extant literature and verified by a walkthrough of a case study medical facility. Then, a quality assessment survey was developed and administered to obtain feedback from users of the medical facility. Additionally, a focus group meeting was conducted to obtain more qualitative feedback on the issues identified through the questionnaire survey.FindingsThe results show that users were generally satisfied with the identified evaluation categories, indicating moderate quality. Potential quality issues related to the exterior and interior finishes, furniture and the indoor air were noted through focus group meetings. The study proposed a number of recommendations to enhance the design quality of the medical center.Originality/valueThe importance of this study is evident in the fact that the quality of healthcare facilities has a direct link to the performance and overall well-being of its intended users, as well as the overall success of its host organization. The study demonstrates the value of users' feedback on the quality of a built facility. It re-emphasizes the point that buildings can only be judged to be of high quality if the users' are highly satisfied.

Sensory and physiological assessment of spatial transient thermal environment changes at a tropical university campus

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Dalilah Dahlan ◽  
Amirhosein Ghaffarianhoseini ◽  
Norhaslina Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environment Changes ◽  
Thermal Environments ◽  
Transient Thermal

PurposeRecent studies have found that the high demand for air-conditioning usage in tropical countries has affected the thermal adaptability of building occupants to hot weather, and increased building energy consumption. This pilot study aims to investigate the effects of transient thermal environment changes on participants' sensory and physiological responses.Design/methodology/approachThe change of thermal perceptions, skin temperatures and core temperatures when exposed to transient thermal environments (cool-warm-cool) from 10 college-aged female participants during a simulated daily commute by foot to class in a tropical university campus were investigated. Subjective measurements were collected in real-time every 5 min.FindingsThe main finding suggests that participants were acclimatised to cool air-conditioned indoor environments, despite exhibiting significant mean skin temperature differences (p < 0.05). In addition, exposure to uniform air conditioning from 17 to 18°C for 20 min was thermally unacceptable and reduced concentration during given tasks.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focused on thermal comfort conditions in a uniform air-conditioned lecture hall, and the findings may not be applicable for residential and other private building spaces. The distinct temperature difference between indoor and outdoor in the tropical built environment resulted in high dependence on air-conditioning usage. The building occupants' well-being and energy conservation implications of the findings are discussed.Practical implicationsThis study provides the platform for discussion on the dynamics of occupants' comfort level and adopting a more variable thermal environment in tropical spatial transient thermal environments among architects and building management system managers. The findings from this study may contribute to the Malaysian Standards for Energy Efficiency and Use of Renewable Energy for Non-Residential Buildings (MS1525).Originality/valueA knowledge gap in adaptive thermal comfort due to exposure from transient conditions in tropical university campus for energy efficiency revision has been investigated.

Perceived quality of built environment, service, satisfaction and value in use, in the context of residential buildings

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Benetti Corrêa Da Silva ◽  
Marina Giacometti Valente ◽  
Angela Petroli ◽  
Deonir Detoni ◽  
Gabriel Sperandio Milan
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Perceived Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Company ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Post Occupancy Evaluation ◽  
Multifamily Buildings

Purpose Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) demonstrates relevance nowadays. Because of the wide competition between construction companies, it is necessary to be assertive, so satisfied clients bring new clients through communication amongst the users. This paper aims to assist a construction company, evaluating apartment owner’s perceptions regarding the built environment, the perceived quality of services, the satisfaction and the value in use, in the context of multifamily buildings. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents quantitative research of POE, applying confirmatory factor analysis and multiple linear regression. These methods analyse how the attributes behave in each theoretical dimension and evaluate the relationship between the dimensions of the built environment and services including customer satisfaction and value in use. Findings The results demonstrate that the constructs associated with management aspects such as service, cause higher levels of satisfaction and, therefore, higher value in use. The results become guidelines for constructors, supporting management and project decision-making. Research limitations/implications This study’s limitation is related to the number of questionnaires applied. The survey was applied to the apartment owners in all five buildings from a constructor, considered as the entire population of the research. For that reason, there were not used a sample. Further studies are required to improve the results, even more, using the present research in a larger sample, seeking a better generalisation. Also, future studies might evaluate other types of constructions and environments. Originality/value This paper used marketing constructs related to satisfaction, value in use and service, applied in the construction field of multifamily residential buildings.

scholarly journals Post occupancy evaluation of thermal comfort and indoor air quality of office spaces in a tropical green campus building

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurul Hayati Yong ◽  
Qi Jie Kwong ◽  
Kok Seng Ong ◽  
Dejan Mumovic
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Post Occupancy Evaluation ◽  
Green Campus ◽  
Campus Building

Purpose As suggested in many previous studies, good thermal comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ) played a significant role in ensuring human comfort, health and productivity in buildings. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the thermal comfort and IAQ conditions of open-plan office areas within a green-certified campus building through a post occupancy evaluation. Design/methodology/approach Using the field measurement method, environmental dataloggers were positioned at three office areas during office hours to measure the levels of thermal comfort parameters, CO2 concentrations and the supply air rates. At the same time, questionnaires were distributed to the available office staff to obtain their perception of the indoor environment. The findings were then compared with the recommended environmental comfort ranges and used to calculate the thermal comfort indices. Findings Results show that the physical parameters were generally within acceptable ranges of a local guideline. The neutral temperature based on the actual mean vote at these areas was 23.9°C, which is slightly lower than the predicted thermal neutrality of 25.2°C. From the surveyed findings, about 81% of the occupants found their thermal environment comfortable with high adaptation rates. A preference for cooler environments was found among the workers. Meanwhile, the air quality was perceived to be clean by a majority of the respondents, and the mean ventilation rate per person was identified to be sufficient. Research limitations/implications This study focussed on the thermal environment and air quality at selected office spaces only. More work should be carried out in other regularly occupied workplaces and study areas of the green educational building to allow a more thorough analysis of the indoor air conditions. Practical implications This paper highlights on the thermal comfort and air quality conditions of the air-conditioned office spaces in a green-certified campus building and is intended to assist the building services engineers in effective air conditioning control. The findings reported are useful for thermal comfort, IAQ and subsequently energy efficiency improvements in such building type where adjustments on the air temperature set-point can be considered according to the actual requirements. This study will be extended to other green campus spaces for a more exhaustive analysis of the indoor environment. Originality/value There is limited information pertaining to the environmental comfort levels in offices of green campus in the tropics. This study is, therefore, one of the earliest attempts to directly explore the thermal comfort and IAQ conditions in such workplace using both on-site physical measurement and questionnaire survey.

Parameters contributing to occupants’ satisfaction

Facilities ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 411-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Zalejska-Jonsson
Keyword(s):  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Logistic Models ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environment Quality ◽  
Physical Measurements ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Indoor Environment Quality ◽  
The Difference

Purpose – The aims of this paper is to investigate the overall satisfaction of occupants of green and conventional residential buildings and their perception of indoor environment quality (IEQ) and to study factors that may cause occupants’ dissatisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through a survey sent to occupants of comparable green and conventional multi-family buildings. The difference in responses between occupants of green and conventional buildings was analysed using Mann–Whitney (rank sum) test. The ordered logistic models were applied to the data to test whether the overall satisfaction changes depending on the level of acceptance of indoor environment quality and whether the building environmental profile and the apartment tenure affect occupant satisfaction. Findings – The results show that both categories of occupants are very satisfied with their apartments and that there is no statistically significant difference between the stated overall satisfaction of occupants living in green and conventional buildings, although a difference was found in the acceptance level for thermal and sound quality. The research highlights the importance of occupant feedback, user-friendly technical installations and the ability to control indoor environment. This knowledge is important for designers, engineers and developers alike in enabling them to improve dwelling quality and minimize post-occupancy problems. Research limitations/implications – It was not possible to include physical measurements of IEQ parameters; the analysis is based only on occupants’ responses, which may carry a certain subjectivity. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the understanding of IEQ from occupant perspective and to knowledge on green building performance.

scholarly journals Performance Evaluation of Particulate Matter and Indoor Microclimate Monitors in University Classrooms under COVID-19 Restrictions

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7363
Author(s):  
Laurentiu Predescu ◽  
Daniel Dunea
Keyword(s):  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Particle Counter ◽  
Thermal Environments ◽  
University Classrooms ◽  
Academic Personnel

Optical monitors have proven their versatility into the studies of air quality in the workplace and indoor environments. The current study aimed to perform a screening of the indoor environment regarding the presence of various fractions of particulate matter (PM) and the specific thermal microclimate in a classroom occupied with students in March 2019 (before COVID-19 pandemic) and in March 2021 (during pandemic) at Valahia University Campus, Targoviste, Romania. The objectives were to assess the potential exposure of students and academic personnel to PM and to observe the performances of various sensors and monitors (particle counter, PM monitors, and indoor microclimate sensors). PM1 ranged between 29 and 41 μg m−3 and PM10 ranged between 30 and 42 μg m−3. It was observed that the particles belonged mostly to fine and submicrometric fractions in acceptable thermal environments according to the PPD and PMV indices. The particle counter recorded preponderantly 0.3, 0.5, and 1.0 micron categories. The average acute dose rate was estimated as 6.58 × 10−4 mg/kg-day (CV = 14.3%) for the 20–40 years range. Wearing masks may influence the indoor microclimate and PM levels but additional experiments should be performed at a finer scale.

Smart practices in HEIs and the contribution to the SDGs: implementation in Brazilian university

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liane Dalla Gasperina ◽  
Janaina Mazutti ◽  
Luciana Londero Brandli ◽  
Roberto dos Santos Rabello
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Infrastructure Management ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainability Research ◽  
Development Goals

Purpose Smart campuses can be seen as the future of higher education efforts, especially for their contributions to sustainability and to encourage innovation. This paper aims to present the benefits of smart practices in a Higher Education Institutions and highlights its connections to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Design/methodology/approach The methodology is divided into three steps: first, an international search and assessment of smart practices at universities; second, the identification of smart practices in a university campus in southern Brazil; and third, the presentation of the benefits of smart practices and their relationship with the SDGs. Findings The results showed that globally, the area most covered by smart practices in universities is the environment and, specifically, focused on waste reduction. in the context of this case study, the benefits of implementing smart practices mainly reach SDGs 4 and SDG 9, especially due to aspects of teaching technologies for the new classroom models and the optimization of campus infrastructure management. Practical implications The study encourages other universities to implement smart practices in their campuses, to becoming smart campuses while they also collaborate in achieving the SDGs while raising the discussion on the importance of committed actions taken on a university campus with the UN SDGs, to leverage synergies on campus operations at universities. Originality/value This paper presents a set of smart practices that universities are applying both globally and locally (in southern Brazil). In addition, it contributes to sustainability research by showing how smart practices have the potential to promote SDGs in universities, especially through campus operations.

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