Quality in building design: A case study

There is evidence that designers begin the design process with some presumptions about the potential users and their expectations. Therefore, a better understanding of how users perceive their physical environments is essential to provide the right framework for a more user-friendly design. This will provide the means to the effective control of client expectations from the earliest stages of the project. It is hypothesized that more effective user involvement in design leads not only to better adapted spaces, but also to more satisfied users. The aim is that by dealing with both expectations and design output, client satisfaction is more likely. In order to achieve the research aim, the case of classroom design is used as an example for data collection and analysis. An exploratory survey has been undertaken to understand the most important quality characteristics of a classroom, from the users' point of view. Data were collected from both staff and students. Repertory Grid method was used to elicit users' perceptions in nine classrooms. Data were input to Generalized Procrustes analysis to obtain a consensus map where the principal components are the important perceptual attributes. The results of the main study confirm the results of the previous survey.