Exploring Heritage: An In-Depth Performance Evaluation of Kenadsa’s Office Building through User Perceptions and Behaviors

Abstract

This research focuses on the evaluation of a heritage office building in the town of Kenadsa in the Southwest of Algeria (a famous oasis in the arid regions of the country). Emphasizing user’s perception as a metric key for performance assessment, this study aims to investigate the users’ perception and behaviors of a heritage office building on an oasis settlement. The research was conducted in 2023, and employing a multidimensional approach, both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, along with agent-based modeling, were integrated. One qualitative methodology is based on a series of field surveys and the other quantitative methodology relies on in situ measurements of the physical dimensions of the environment. The quantitative aspect involves an agent-based modeling framework, simulating user interactions by incorporating physical dimensions, spatial layout, historical context, and user behavior. The main findings of this study, examining perceptions and behaviors under varying luminous and thermal environments, show that this integrated approach provides insights into user satisfaction, spatial utilization, and the identification of user behaviors and productivity in each office.