DEVELOPMENT OF A POST-OCCUPANCY EVALUATION TOOLKIT FOR STUDENT HOSTEL

By

Author

Presented To

Department of Environmental Design

ABSTRACT
The culture of assessing the quality and performance of buildings greatly increased in recent years and have become widely practiced in developed countries. In that regard several Post-occupancy protocols and toolkits have been developed for different building types and purposes. However these Post-occupancy toolkits cannot be fully utilised in developing countries. Instead the question arises about global similarities and differences, especially in building users’ attitudes and preferences. With these in mind this research sought to develop a Post-occupancy toolkit for evaluating student hostels specific to the Nigerian Environment by answering the research question, 'How can all user groups be included in the evaluation of on-campus student housing facility in Nigeria?' The method involved observation of the activities and interactions within the student hostels and interviews of both students and staff. This process produced themes that were validated using structured questionnaires. The results of the questionnaires based on users feedback produced key areas (strategic value and functional performance requirements) the developed Post-occupancy toolkit addressed. Findings from the questionnaire show that all user groups considered security as the most important student need in the hostel facility in Nigeria. Furthermore the research established that, the room as a design space according to all users is the most important space in the design of a hostel facility. The research concluded by developing a Post-occupancy Evaluation toolkit solely based on the feedback of the user groups on what was considered most relevant in the student on-campus housing and which captures all stakeholder opinion in evaluation of hostel facilities. The research recommends that security be given topmost priority in the design of hostel facilities in Nigeria. In addition, functional requirements such as adequacy of space, environmental quality, aesthetic appeal, routine maintenance, privacy, serenity, comfort, health and safety, population density, handicapped accessibility should be considered in the design of all spaces in the hostel facility. Finally the research recommends that the management of Ahmadu Bello University and similar institutions in Nigeria through design, should ensure that the hostel facilities create an environment where academic performance, fostering mutual interest, intellectual stimulation, inspiration, institutional loyalty, cooperation, contact with others, unity and character development needs of the student are met.