Performance assessment of buildings via post-occupancy evaluation: A case study of the building of the architecture and software engineering departments in Salahaddin University-Erbil, Iraq

Buildings are established to meet the needs and desires of users. The purpose of a building is defeated if its users are not satisfied by the overall building performance. This study determines whether the users of the building of the architectural and software engineering departments at Salahaddin University-Erbil are satisfied with overall performance attributes. Assessment using users as a benchmark shows that the potential for improving the performance of a building is tremendous. This paper develops a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) framework that integrates building performance attributes for university buildings and facilities in the Iraqi Kurdistan region based on users' satisfaction. The objectives were to identify the concept of POE in relation to building performance, to determine the performance level of an existing building, and to determine correlation between building performance and users' satisfaction level. Results showed that 88% of building performance attributes is highly correlated with users' satisfaction. The compelling correlational results confirmed the relevance of POE as a building performance tool. The thrust of the findings indicates that the indicators and variables used in assessing the level of building performance are significant in determining levels of users' satisfaction in university buildings and facilities.