USER SATISFACTION WITH INFORMAL SPACE EFFICIENCY IN SELECTED OFFICE BUILDINGS IN LOKOJA KOGI STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

End users participation in the design of informal spaces in office building is not always included as most of the decisions are made by the professionals and the management. Suitability of users need is the main expectation of any spatial design. Office environment is evolving with changing nature of working condition and the growth in technology. Hence the use of informal spaces in office environment to strike a balance between work time and leisure becomes necessary. Despite this development, informal spaces have been observed to be relegated to the background in office building provision. The problem therefore is that users of these spaces are finding it increasingly difficult to perform their duties conveniently due to the degree of adaptation they could adjust to within the building. The aim of this research is to examine the user’s satisfaction with the efficiency of informal spaces in office buildings. The research adopted the mixed method with the use of structured questionnaire and observations schedule. The data was analysed using descriptive satatistics tool on SPSS-21 software and the results transferred to tables and charts using Microsoft Excel-2010. The results show the dissatisfaction of the users of informal spaces in office building. It also revealed that informal space efficiency will improve user satisfaction with office buildings. The paper concluded that to achieve informal space efficiency in offices there is need to reorganize and increase the sizes of these spaces coupled with proper spatial differentiation.