Using end‐user surveys to enhance facilities design and management

Purpose This study aims to focus on the use of a survey questionnaire to inform a sustainable lighting design modification of an existing university library on the campus of a large land‐grant university in the Mid‐Western USA and also aims to suggest that a similar methodology may be useful in other facilities' design applications. Design/methodology/approach A 40‐item questionnaire was developed, which sought to evaluate the effect of the existing lighting design on end‐users' perceptions and opinions at the university library and to gather general opinions regarding sustainability from library end‐users. The self‐administered survey asked respondents how much they agreed or disagreed (on a five‐point, Likert‐type scale) with a set of statements about sustainability, their use of the library, and their understanding of and reaction to its existing illumination. Findings A total of 183 respondents completed and returned questionnaires, the majority of whom indicated that they were undergraduate students enrolled at the university. The survey results indicate that the respondents were aware of sustainability and sustainable lighting; that they were dissatisfied with the library's existing lighting; and that they suggested that these issues be addressed by the university to reduce the library's environmental footprint. Research limitations/implications The study fills a gap in the literature since it documents the application of citizen participation theory to solicit input from stakeholders in an institutional setting to influence facility design. However, the research is limited by the fact that the sample comprised mostly of female undergraduate students. Originality/value End‐users influenced the design development of a university library's lighting renovation. This renovation is ultimately anticipated to lower the energy consumed to illuminate the facility, to increase the end‐users' perceptions of the facility's sustainability, to meet new university guidelines, and to reduce the facility's environmental impact. There are potential applications for the procedures described herein for other facilities in the integration of stakeholders in renovation projects.