User-Centered Performance Evaluation of an Educational Building: A Case Study of the Faculty of Architecture at Bursa Uludağ University

Building Performance Evaluation (BPE) is a systematic process applied to determine how well a building meets the needs of its users. This process is particularly critical for educational buildings, which play a significant role in educating future generations. This study aims to evaluate the performance of the Faculty of Architecture building at Bursa Uludağ University based on student satisfaction levels. The Faculty of Architecture is considered both as a space where architecture students are educated and as a building that contributes to shaping the built environment. The performance evaluation was conducted through surveys and semi-structured interviews, focusing on the building’s environmental and functional aspects. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS Statistical Data Analysis Program. The findings reveal that the building has certain shortcomings in areas such as thermal comfort, functionality, and the use of social spaces. However, the courtyard-based spatial organization was found to enhance user satisfaction and have a positive impact. Students particularly emphasized the importance of social spaces, such as courtyards, in an educational building. Conversely, conducting both theoretical courses and studio studies in the same space was identified as a functional challenge. This study highlights the importance of user-centered design in educational buildings while offering recommendations to improve comfort and functionality in future educational building designs.