Fitness for purpose: a performance evaluation methodology for the management of university buildings

Abstract Purpose – The paper seeks to work out methodologies, procedures and tools to evaluate the fitness for purpose of university buildings, to be used for the brief. Design/methodology/approach – The evaluation methodology is based on an approach comparing people needs with building performances and on an integration of analytical methods with empirical ones. It has been tested on a case study. Findings – The test revealed that building occupants suffered some inconveniences with their activities that conditioned their well-being and their work. It also attested the importance of an exact identification of the needs of the different user groups and the utility of accomplishing parametric controls and dimensional verifications together with user surveys and observation of behaviour in order to verify the fitness for purpose of the buildings. Research limitations/implications – The research theme is part of the more general issue of the evaluation of the quality of public services. Other criteria and parameters would have to be elaborated and applied to buildings with different uses. Practical implications – The paper presents a very useful evaluation model that allows very precise reflection on how buildings are used to determine the real needs and the problems that cause bad service quality and to prompt rehabilitation solutions. Originality/value – This paper fulfils an identified information/resources need and offers practical help to undertake a performance evaluation in the public sector. Moreover, it presents a case of building quality evaluation with user participation, which is quite unusual in Italy. Keywords Buildings, Building specifications, Universities, Italy Paper type Research paper