Buildings constitute a substantial percentage of most educational institutions' assets, user needs and operating costs. The performance level of this resource is therefore very critical to educational effectiveness. However, despite the crucial role of this resource in the education and construction sectors of the economy, evaluation of building performance is not a mainstream activity in Africa, particularly Nigeria. Presently, there is limited or no research/data in Nigeria to assess how extensively the use of or lack of building performance evaluation techniques affect teaching, learning spaces and overall organisational performance. The aim of this research was to develop an appropriate model for building performance evaluation in higher education institutions based on performance indicators, for improved awareness, understanding and practice. The research primarily focused on "user needs/requirements" within the organisational context. The methodology employed in the study included a review of the relevant literature and multiple case-studies conducted on four Federal Government universities in South East Nigeria. The target universities constituted the units of analyses and therefore provided opportunity for in-depth examination of the links between users, building facilities and organisational processes as established in the literature review. Epistemologically, the research is objectivist and paradigmically positivist. However, some qualitative aspects of data were relevant to the study and therefore used in a complementary manner. The case approach utilized mixed methods by applying a range of data collection techniques and evidence from multiple sources. The sampling technique was sequential involving both purposive and stratified random sampling. The study reveals apparent lack of a systematic mechanism for evaluating the success or performance of completed and occupied buildings and so the interaction between users and buildings did not add value to learning and working experiences in the target institutions. The bespoke methodology and conceptual process model developed in this research constitute an innovative and pioneering contribution to building performance evaluation as a developing field of knowledge. The study has established a basic level of awareness and understanding among construction practitioners that building performance evaluation can be used as a tool for delivering strategic objectives in the management of educational buildings. The study strongly advocates the inclusion of building performance evaluation as part of the building procurement process. The proposed model in the study provides a useful guide needed by the institutions to navigate to future competitive success in higher education built asset/facilities management.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:9683 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Okolie, Kevin Chuks |
| Publisher | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Doctoral, PhD |
| Format | xv, 304 leaves, pdf |
| Rights | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University |
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