Public acceptance and user satisfaction of a prototypic housing unit in Blacksburg, Virginia

Abstract

The Hillside Fourplex, a structurally innovative housing unit which won a HUD competition “Building Value Into Housing”, was conducted in Blacksburg, VA, in 1982. The purpose of this study was to evaluate public acceptance of the unit as evidenced at open house sessions, to evaluate user satisfaction as evidence of livability, and to make recommendations for design changes before replication. An 80 item questionnaire, with a five point acceptable/non-acceptable range, was used to assess public acceptance. User satisfaction was assessed with a self-administered questionnaire containing sections related to residents’ opinions of exterior characteristics, interior characteristics, innovative features, and design decisions. The questionnaire, a modification of the one used to assess public acceptance (with the addition of a five point not important/important and a five point dissatisfied/satisfied range), was administered to student residents–as a pre-test (before occupancy), as an initial post-test (after 4 weeks occupancy), and as a second post-test (after 20 weeks occupancy). A matrix was created to combine responses to unimportant-important and dissatisfied-satisfied ratings. Descriptive and statistical analysis indicated a general acceptance of and satisfaction with the fourplex; however, problems were noted with the heating systems and audile privacy.