SPACE UTILIZATION � STUDY OF �SEAT-CHOPING � BEHAVIOUR IN LEARNING SPACES ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

Abstract

Building space is a resource that should be managed and utilized effectively. The availability of space does not increase along with the life cycle of a building and the world is moving at an increased speed. The advancement of technology is constantly introducing new facilities and systems that requires spaces. Whereas globalization is changing the trend, social norm, space preference and human behavior within the spaces. In the recent years, the self-centered culture gives rise to issue about ‘seat-choping’ behaviour in Singapore and it had led to numerous discussions and impact. Derived from local slang, this behaviour can be defined as seat reserving or seat hogging by placing belongings at the space. As a result, the space will be under-utilized which leads to energy waste, O&M costs and lost in opportunity with the wasted floor area. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the significance and impact of ‘seat-choping’ in Higher Educational Institutes (HEI) as space is a crucial asset for students’ learning. By adopting the seat sweeping method, a total of 75 datasets were collated over 12 days in 4 study zones. From this dataset, the result revealed that an average of 47% of the study space was utilized with 30% of these spaces lost due to seat-choping at every hour. The lost space contributes to 4229kWh energy wasted every semester and the space area is equivalent to having another study zone to cater to students’ needs. Therefore, further studies on the environmental psychology of ‘seat-choping’ should be carried out to mitigate the root cause and reduce consequences due to space under-utilization.