Appraising the performance of long span sportshalls and swimming pools in Greece

This research investigates the problem of selecting the best performing constructional system-among a diverse selection of alternatives-for long spanning (25-60m) sports halls and swimming pools in Greece. Deciding the most appropriate constructional system, is difficult in this sector. The literature indicates that most building appraisals terminate at the level of data analysis and draws conclusions on the individual aspects they investigate. Usually, these approaches focus on a fraction of the problem, examining it deeply and theoretically. Their drawback is a loss of comprehensiveness, inability to draw conclusions at an overall level and, consequently, being inapplicable to the conditions which prevail more generally. Research on an inclusive level is sparse. This paper focuses on the problem of performance appraisals for long span buildings and, particularly, on selection of the constructional system. An inclusive appraisal approach is adopted using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data which identifies three main variables: resources, human-user .satisfaction and technical. Case studies on existing buildings are employed to assess the ritual performance of various constructional systems. A quantification model is developed which is important to aid solution of the problem of incompatibility of data, determination of overall relations of findings and drawing holistic conclusions. This model facilitates the construction of an overall index of performance by measuring the performance of each building as a whole through aggregation of performances of its components and comparison to the other buildings in the sample. The paper presents the findings of the research appraisal to a sample of differently constructed building types.