Post Occupancy Evaluation of the Ahanta Hall of Takoradi Polytechnic, Ghana

Background: Most public tertiary institutions in Ghana are faced with the challenge of providing suitable on-campus accommodation for their large number of students. This paper is a Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) of the students’ residential environment in Takoradi Polytechnic. The objectives of this study were to investigate the physical conditions of the infrastructure and facilities provided in the hall as well as to determine the level of the occupants’ satisfaction with the hall of residence.

Methods: The population of the study was the 130 students resident in the Ahanta hall of the main campus of the polytechnic where refurbishment works have been carried out in recent years. Based on the Krejcie and Morgan table for sample size determination, 98 respondents were randomly selected to fill questionnaires. On-site observation and measurement of spaces were also used to collect data.

Results: Findings showed that the hall did not have the following facilities: study rooms, kitchen, laundry and car park. Of those facilities provided, twice the number of the residents (40.48 %) rated their sleeping areas below average as compared to those who ranked them above average conditions (20.23 %). The overall mean score for user-satisfaction was 2.48 which indicate that residents are ‘dissatisfied’ with the hall.

Conclusions: Some recommendations include the provision of access for persons with disabilities and provision of washrooms and kitchens for the residents on each floor.