Abstract
The main aim of this study is to determine a Green Star-rated literary museum’s post-occupancy user satisfaction. This research employed a case study survey research design in which a BUS (building use studies) questionnaire was administered to a case to determine the satisfaction of users with the performance of the green building. The data analysis involved the calculation of means for factors of satisfaction, parameters of comfort, determination of tolerance of users with the green building and a comparative analysis with similar buildings from the BUS database. The benchmarking determined whether the study building was better, the same as or worse than similar buildings. Findings of the study indicate the perceptions of occupants regarding the building design rated highest in terms of satisfaction, attributable to the integrative design process of the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) and elements of social design, whereas perceived health rated the lowest. In terms of the factors of comfort, the perceptions of occupants regarding the overall comfort of the building contributed positively, whereas noise was a concern. Findings of the study further indicate that the study building performed better than the benchmark in terms of factors of satisfaction and those of comfort. The occupants of the study building demonstrated tolerance with the building’s environment, which may be attributable to pro-environmental behaviours. This information is beneficial to the facilities managers to enable occupants to exercise more control over the thermal conditions of the building. In terms of future designs and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) control strategies, it would be beneficial to install systems that mimic the desired conditions of the occupants. Building owners and managers should consider introducing noise reduction strategies in traffic areas such as floor padding for noise attenuation. Benefits could arise from a noise awareness campaign and the installation of a visible or audible decibel warning system as additional strategies.
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Rampou, K.M., Dent, S., Crafford, G.J., Crafford, K. (2020). User Satisfaction of a Green Star-Rated Literary Museum in South Africa. In: Scott, L., Dastbaz, M., Gorse, C. (eds) Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44381-8_17
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