User-centric Student Housing Performance Evaluation Approach: A Case Study in the Netherlands

Abstract

In the Netherlands, the development of student housing has been increasing with the significant growth of the student recruitment in recent years. As such, there is a pressing need for a retrospective reflection of the performance of student housing built in previous years. However, a user-centric building performance evaluation framework (BPEF) for student housing is not available. From the user perspective, this study aims to develop a BPEF to support student housing management. Based on a thorough literature review, 14 building performance attributes (BPAs) applicable to student housing were identified, structured and incorporated into a preliminary three-level hierarchy of BPEF. A focus group discussion, which was conducted to verify the preliminary BPEF, established an improved BPEF that comprises 15 BPAs. A Dutch student housing case was selected to test the established BPEF using the data collected through a survey. The qualitative and quantitative data complement each other to provide in-depth examination of the student housing’s performance, and the survey results prove the validity of the BPEF. This study serves as a pilot case in establishing the BPEF from the user perspective, and the validated BPEF can be used in future research or practical evaluation on other student housing developments.