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The purpose of this study is to examine the adequacy of incrementally constructed government assisted self‐help housing in addressing the needs of residents of the Workers’ Housing Estate, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

A quantitative method and the survey research approach were used. Data were collected from randomly selected 156 household heads in this housing estate with structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive and factor analyses.

About 50 percent of the respondents felt that housing environment in the estate was adequate in meeting their needs. Adequacy of housing unit characteristics was higher than that of housing services, social infrastructure and management of the housing estate.

Incremental housing construction strategy can provide adequate housing for low and middle‐income public sector workers in the developing countries; and this can be enhanced through measures that ensure rapid upgrading of housing units and access to housing services and basic infrastructure by the residents.

The adoption of government assisted incremental construction strategy has great potentials in facilitating access to housing by low‐income urban residents in the developing countries.

A pioneer study on the adequacy of housing provided using the incremental construction strategy in Ogun State Nigeria. Findings may not be generalised, but they have implications for social housing in the developing countries.

Customization is a paradox in architecture, providing necessary modernization for buildings but potentially damaging their architectural integrity. In this paper, the authors introduce the Inhabitant-Driven Customization approach for avoiding this paradox; this approach lets inhabitants design the customization from options created by architects that safeguard architectural rules. As a first implementation of the Inhabitant-Driven Customization approach, the MyChanges tool is presented. The authors assess whether the approach avoids the customization paradox by a qualitative stakeholder evaluation of the MyChanges tool and by a comparison of the Inhabitant-Driven Customization approach with existing approaches to housing customization.

MyChanges is a shape grammar-based design tool developed to enable inhabitants of the Álvaro Siza Vieira Malagueira housing complex to customize their houses in accordance with the architectural language of the complex. In this study, the authors qualitatively evaluated MyChanges with architects and other professional stakeholders. MyChanges is used in this paper to assess if the Inhabitant-Driven Customization approach avoids the paradox of customization. The initial reception of MyChanges produced diverging outcomes, suggesting that Inhabitant-Driven Customization is also unable to avoid the customization paradox. For analyzing this possibility further, this paper describes the main existing approaches to housing customization, including the Inhabitant-Driven Customization approach, formulates nine conditions for these approaches, and provides a qualitative comparative assessment of the approaches.

The customization paradox is demonstrated in the outcomes of the interviews with professional stakeholders on the MyChanges customization tool for the Malagueira housing complex. An argument is given that makes plausible that the Inhabitant-Driven Customization approach avoids the customization paradox by creating a co-design process in which inhabitants and architects alternately shape customization.

The originality of this paper lies in the introduction and discussion of the paradox of customization in housing. The paper identifies the conditions advanced in architecture for assessing housing customization approaches. Additionally, the authors propose a new customization approach and a design tool that to a large extent fulfills those conditions and avoids the customization paradox.

Emerging states confront staggering shortages in adequate housing stock. In response, governments have sought various supply-based solutions to mitigate growing housing deficits. While many of these mass housing efforts have not produced the desired outcome, the Republic of Korea’s Two Million Housing Drive (TMHD) was a comparatively successful intervention with its implementation from 1988 to 1992. The five-year initiative exceeded its objective with the construction of over 2.1 million units – of which two-thirds were built by the private sector. The purpose of this study is to analyse Korea’s relatively effective supply-based affordable housing approach and then extrapolate best practices and lessons learned with applications for real estate markets in the developing world. Comparative understanding of the TMHD can help promote greater access to adequate housing in the developing world, especially for the many who continue to live in impoverished conditions.

The research uses content-based and quantitative methods to analyze the case of the TMHD in Korea toward informing improvements in corresponding supply-based housing policies and programs in developing states.

While there were challenges with the TMHD, the program repositioned Korea’s urban housing market with greater access to affordable housing in cities for the lower-income and vulnerable. The TMHD enabled the subsequent effectiveness of demand-based housing policies.

There are research limitations in fully understanding the complex relationships between mass housing programs, economic growth and government policies. The abductive reasoning used in this case study enables in-depth analysis of the TMHD with generalizable inferences for middle-range theories with applications for emerging markets.

The experience of the TMHD can promote policy harmonization by helping optimize corresponding mass housing efforts in the developing world with the potential to similarly close quantitative housing deficits and expand access to adequate housing for lower-income and vulnerable households.

Deeper understanding of the TMHD can lead to reforms of other mass housing initiatives in emerging markets to make adequate housing more accessible and economical for the benefit of underserved segments of society.

The Korean experience with the TMHD can inform the optimization of other similar large-scale policies and programs seeking to sustainably overcome shortfalls in adequate housing that have become all too common in the developing world.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and validate user requirement related building performance attributes and sub attributes for performance evaluation of government residential buildings.

User requirements in a building were listed from ISO 6241-1984 (E). Seven building performance attributes were identified through literature review and linked with the user requirements. Three more attributes not directly related to building performance but that could influence user satisfaction were also identified. The attributes were grouped into physical, environmental and external factors to suit the intervention strategies proposed to be implemented by maintenance agencies to enhance user satisfaction. The need for amplifying the attributes for better comprehension by occupants was felt; hence, characteristics of each of these attributes were listed based on literature survey and review. In total, 42 such sub attributes were identified to amplify ten attributes. To validate the adequacy of these attributes, an online survey was launched to garner feedback on first adequacy of the attributes and secondly to confirm whether there is a necessity for amplification of attributes for better comprehension by occupants. In total, 200 responses were received through the online survey, and the data received were categorized as per gender, location, sector, profession and finally civilian/military.

The outcome of the survey revealed that 84% of the participants felt that the attributes were adequate enough to assess building performance and 75% of them agreed that amplification of attributes through sub attributes as essential for better comprehension and to avoid ambiguity in response. Also the seven identified attributes were ranked from 1 to 7 with 1 being the most important. Weights of each attribute in the scale of 1 were also arrived at based on the responses. Similar exercise was carried out for all sub attributes.

Present research is confined to government residential buildings that are constructed and maintained through public funds and hence individual occupants are not constrained by economics. Other type of building infrastructure used for training, sports, storage, medical, etc., will have certain more specific performance parameters in addition to the ones identified in this paper for residential buildings. Economics also become a factor from users' perspective in case of private residential buildings which does not form part of the scope of this paper. However, as a future scope, the number of attributes can be escalated depending upon the type of building being surveyed, keeping the identified attributes as core attributes.

This paper links the end user satisfaction with building performance and the outcome of surveys will provide useful insights to the behaviour of buildings as well the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing maintenance management systems. Survey based on these attributes and sub attributes will enable the facility managers to ascertain the satisfaction level of occupants with respect to building performance, satisfaction with respect to external factors such as accessibility, amenities and societal issues other than building performance. It will enable the facility managers and decision makers to prioritize their maintenance according to importance, availability of funds, etc. It will also provide a data bank over the years that can indicate the changing aspirations of occupants of government residential buildings. This will enable policymakers to review specifications, authorizations and scales.

This paper links user requirement with building performance. ISO 6241-1984(E) forms the basis for user requirement. Survey based on these user requirement related building performance attributes shall enable facility managers prioritize their maintenance efforts in management of facilities.

The aim of this study was to investigate the dimensions of housing adequacy evaluation by residents in public housing with a view to identifying how government and construction professionals can deliver adequate housing facilities.

The research is based on household surveys involving 517 respondents selected from nine public housing estates constructed between 2003 and 2010 in Ogun State Southwest Nigeria. The data were collected using structured questionnaire administered to the residents by the researchers through visits to the housing estates. A total of 33 variables derived from the review of the literature were used in measuring housing adequacy. Descriptive statistics and factor analyses were used in analysis of the data.

The study reveals that residents perceived their housing situation as inadequate. They evaluated housing adequacy based on four key dimensions: ambient condition of interiors spaces, security, utilities and neighbourhood facilities; social infrastructure; level of privacy and size of sleeping; and living and dining areas in the residences. These dimensions of housing adequacy evaluation were found not to be exactly the same way experts conceived housing adequacy in the literature.

The concept of housing adequacy can be used to examine occupants’ housing preferences and their standard of living, the quality of housing and the performance of mass housing projects.

The paper makes practical suggestions to government and construction professionals on how to improve adequacy levels of public housing. Specifically, in the areas of giving more attention to ambient condition of interiors, security, utilities and neighbourhood facilities as well as privacy and sizes of main activities areas in dwelling units in the design, construction and management of public housing projects.

The study identifies dimensions of housing adequacy evaluation by residents in public housing and compares these with experts’ conception of housing adequacy.

Present research on assessing performance of residential buildings is done for specific purposes and not holistically. The indicators, factors and attributes considered for evaluation are not consistent and are broadly based on knowledge base of the author. The purpose of this research is to identify building performance attributes based on user requirement.

With ISO 6241-1984(E) as a basis for universal acceptance, user requirements have been listed and based on these user requirements, related building performance attributes have been identified. End-user satisfaction is of primary importance to gauge performance of a facility. A quantified approach in evaluation of performance of a facility will enable a facility manager to assess the efficacy of the present policies pertaining to operation and maintenance of the facility. It will also provide valuable inputs to policy makers in initiating measures toward the goal of achieving desired user satisfaction. Performance measurement is done to measure the value created by the services, to justify the investment made in creating the facility or to determine if any additional investments are required for improvement of the facility.

In this literature review, an attempt is made to identify user requirements based on an internationally renowned standard ISO 6241-1984 (E), as a base and group building performance attributes on these requirements. The identified attributes are grouped into physical, environmental and external factors for ease of garnering user satisfaction and subsequent flexibility in assessment of data based on requirement of the surveys carried out for evaluation.

The identified list of user requirement-related building performance attributes is limited to government residential buildings. The research needs validation through a full-fledged user satisfaction survey.

It provides a comprehensive list of attributes for assessing performance from physical, environmental and external factors, enabling wholesome assessment of the performance of buildings. Moreover, as a universally accepted document ISO 6241-1984 (E), forms the basis of the paper, its application is not limited to a region.

Lot of research is happening in the field of assessing building performance. User satisfaction by virtue of being difficult to quantify, it has not found much favor till now. This attempt is to furnish a comprehensive list of building performance attributes that will enable a multipurpose survey which will not be based on perception of the researcher but on a universally accepted document. The premise of research is that end-user satisfaction is of primary importance to gauge performance of a facility.

This study aims to explore the innovation deployment of construction contracting firms through exploratory–exploitative learning and organisational ambidexterity.

Firstly, a literature-based conceptual framework was developed to explain innovation implementation through exploratory–exploitative learning and organisational ambidexterity. A prominent Hong Kong construction contracting firm was then selected as the case study to explore its innovation deployment at different organisational levels (i.e. firm and project levels). Qualitative data were attained by conducting 12 semi-structured interviews with industry experts and document analysis. The thematic analysis using NVivo 12 software was adopted to analyse data.

Findings reveal that the case study firm successfully fosters innovation when ambidexterity is achieved through the balance between exploratory (i.e. radical innovation) and exploitative learnings (i.e. incremental innovation).

Establishing uniform ambidexterity (i.e. 50:50) at the firm or project level is not mandatory to deploy innovation successfully. The ratio can vary based on the characteristics and requirements of construction firms.

This paper shall motivate construction practitioners to adopt radical–incremental innovation ambidexterity in firms and ultimately enhance the productivity and efficiency of the construction industry.

Previous construction innovation research has frequently explored firm or project-level innovation separately. This study identified a multi-level focus on innovation. Through the lens of exploratory–exploitative theory, different forms of innovation ambidexterity for different levels are suggested rather than one specific ambidexterity.

This study examines the effect of housing environment on residents’ satisfaction and happiness using the data collected from selected residents of Gurugram, an urban locality in India.

Using the convenience-cum-judgmental sampling technique, data was collected from 321 residents of 17 gated private housing estates and tested by performing factor analysis and partial least squares – structural equation modeling.

The results revealed that maintenance service at housing estates significantly influences residents’ satisfaction followed by social infrastructure, dwelling attributes and residential amenities, whereas the accessibility aspect has no significant impact on residents’ satisfaction and happiness. Results also show a significant impact of social infrastructure on residents’ happiness, and most notably, residents’ satisfaction has a significant influence on their happiness.

The findings of this study are likely to provide valuable insight into housing stakeholders (government officials; real estate developers; property and construction professionals, i.e. planners, architects and maintenance managers) to improve the attributes in urban housing setting and neighborhood facilities to upsurge the residents’ satisfaction and happiness level toward the housing estates and townships, which leads to quality and happiness in residents’ life.

According to the authors’ knowledge, the present study is the first to provide an inclusive way toward showcasing the key antecedents of residents’ satisfaction and happiness in the Indian urban housing context. Authors anticipate that future researchers will find present research as a valuable contribution to the residents’ satisfaction and happiness in urban housing planning and revitalization of urban locations.