Evaluating the performance of government office buildings from the users' perspective : a case study of the ministry of foreign affairs headquarters building in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

It is the intention of this research to develop and test a systematic post occupancy evaluation tool suitable to the unique society of Saudi Arabia. The purpose of this study is to present a systematic approach to evaluate buildings designed for use in Saudi Arabia. A conceptual model is presented to evaluators as a guide in collecting and analyzing data on office environments. A number of relationships suggested by that model have been examined using data from a case study of a new government office building in Saudi Arabia. Findings show that private offices are viewed more favorably by people occupying them than by workers in other types of offices. The aesthetic quality of the work space is the most important factor associated with work station satisfaction even after taking into account the workers' ratings of specific work space attributes. It also demonstrates that people's feeling about the ambience of a setting within which they work and the architecture of the building influence their reaction to the immediate work space. It is suggested that space planners and designers who want their work to be appreciated by the users should concern themselves with the details of work space as well as with the larger scale environment.