Open research questions in Facilities and Workplace Management

What the literature leaves open

• Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made: 1. Architects and planners should prioritize user‑centered design by incorporating the specific needs and daily living requirements of residents, rather than relying solely on generic or cost‑driven design approaches. 2. Mass housing units should be designed with adaptable and dedicated recreational spaces, particularly for children, to improve household functionality and support healthy living conditions. 3. Local building codes and planning regulations should include provisions that encourage the integration of user‑specific needs and flexible design principles in mass housing developments, ensuring that future housing is responsive and better suited to residents’ lifestyles.

  User initiated design modifications with pandemic protocols implementation in mass housing schemes during lockdown: a case study of Abuja · 2026 · DOI

• { "background": "Municipal infrastructure asset management (IAM) is critical for sustainable urban development, yet its systematic adoption across Tanzanian local government authorities remains poorly quantified and understood from a methodological perspective.

  A Multilevel Regression Analysis of Municipal Infrastructure Asset Management Adoption in Tanzania: A Methodological Evaluation, 2000–2026 · 2026 · DOI

• Because this study measured adoption at the category level, it could not determine whether lower adoption was caused by the ana- lytical domain itself, such as IAQ or energy simulation, or by plat- form-specific usability issues associated with particular tools such as Revit Insight, Rhino-Grasshopper workflows, DesignBuilder, IES VE, or other software platforms.

  Adoption of indoor environmental quality and energy simulation tools in interior design practice: an extended Technology Acceptance Model approach · 2026 · DOI

• This section presents recommendations derived from the findings of the study and insights gained from the reviewed literature. It proposes practical and context-sensitive strategies aimed at improving zoning and circulation systems in teaching hospitals. These recommendations are intended to guide architects, planners, and stakeholders in designing more efficient, functional, and user-centered healthcare facilities.

  Evaluation of Smart Design Strategies for Efficient Zoning and Circulation in Selected Teaching Hospitals in Lagos. · 2026 · DOI

• Based on the empirical findings and theoretical analysis, six categories of recommendations are advanced. First, emerging economy governments should prioritise anti-corruption reform within building regulatory agencies. Evidence from Singapore's regulatory transformation suggests that technology and governance reform must proceed together to achieve compliance improvement (BCA, 2022). Second, regulatory inspection capacity building should be treated as a public investment with measurable returns. The regression finding that inspection frequency is the strongest quality predictor (β = 0.617) implies quantifiable defect cost avoidance benefits justifying sustained budgetary commitment. Third, digital construction monitoring platforms should be promoted through procurement requirements and professional development mandates. Mandatory BIM specification in public projects above defined value thresholds could accelerate the adoption convergence trajectory. Fourth, professional regulatory bodies in emerging economies require capacity enhancement to exercise genuine disciplinary authority. This includes sufficient funding of disciplinary processes, development of specialist technical assessment capacity, and development of regional practitioner licensing equivalence frameworks to support mutual recognition of professional qualifications.

  EVALUATING REGULATORY COMPLIANCE, CONSTRUCTION QUALITY, AND LEGAL ACCOUNTABILITY IN CONTEMPORARY BUILDING PROJECT DELIVERY ACROSS EMERGING AND DEVELOPED ECONOMIES · 2026 · DOI

• Based on the findings, the following recommendations are proposed to improve building performance and sustainability in public housing estates: i Institutionalise Responsive Maintenance Systems: Public housing authorities should establish structured maintenance response frameworks with defined timelines, tracking mechanisms, and accountability measures to ensure prompt resolution of building defects and service issues. ii Adopt Performance-Based Estate Management Benchmarks: Estate management evaluation should include measurable indicators such as response time, complaint resolution rate, and service reliability to promote efficiency and continuous improvement. iii Strengthen Capacity of Estate Management Personnel: Regular technical and managerial training should be provided to estate officers to enhance their ability to manage building systems, coordinate maintenance, and engage effectively with residents. iv Decentralise Decision-Making at Estate Level: Allowing estate managers limited operational autonomy can reduce bureaucratic delays and improve the speed of maintenance interventions and service delivery. v vi Promote Proactive Rather than Reactive Management: Routine inspections and preventive maintenance schedules should be prioritised to detect issues early, reduce long-term repair costs, and maintain environmental quality within estates. Integrate Residents’ Feedback into Management Processes: Establishing formal communication channels for residents’ feedback can help management identify performance gaps and respond more effectively to users’ needs. 114 African Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development | ISSN: 3027-2718 Vol. 4, Issue 1 (2026) | www.ijaar.org REFERENCES Akande, O.K., Olubajo, O.O. and Ibraheem, Y., (2024). Quality and perception of public housing provision in Nigeria and implications for low-income earners. Journal of Salutogenic Architecture, 3(1), pp.164–181. Atoro, T., Yoade, A. and Popoola, O., (2025). Assessment of residential satisfaction in public in Iponri Housing Estate, Lagos State. PLASU Journal of housing estates Environmental Sciences, 2(1), pp.78–94. Chukwuma-Uchegbu, M.I. and Aliero, M.S., (2022). The nature of post-occupancy modifications of selected low-income housing estates in Nigeria. Journal of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, 8(1), pp.012–017. Creswell, J.W. and Creswell, J.D., (2021). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. 6th ed. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks. Hair, J.F., Page, M. and Brunsveld, N., (2022). Essentials of business research methods. 5th ed. Routledge, London. Ibiyeye, A.I., Suleman, N.E., Shamang, K.J. and Duniya, D.S., (2024).

  Estate Management Responsiveness and Sustainable Building Performance in Public Housing Estates in Lagos State, Nigeria · 2026 · DOI

• The results also call for further research into user satisfaction with outsourced FM services in multi-tenanted office buildings and further research on the use of the in-house strategy on other types of buildings to ascertain whether the dissatisfaction with FM is due to other factors such as the choice of FM strategy, the property type etc.

  A post-occupancy evaluation of in-house facilities management service quality and user satisfaction in multi-tenanted office buildings in Ghana · 2023 · DOI

• In fact, a lack of standard rules for recording work order data across all campuses within an organization is a hindrance to validating the effects of using BIM and COBie data for FM.

  Effects of BIM and COBie Database Facility Management on Work Order Processing Times: Case Study · 2019 · DOI

• Practical implications Although the FM practitioners may feature a slightly more strategic content of functions than their non-FM counterparts, the edge is insufficient to add significant value to clients’ business as postulated in literature.

  Comparison of strategic content of facilities managers functions with other building support practitioners in Lagos, Nigeria · 2018 · DOI

• Originality/value In addition to adding to the relatively limited data on employee energy-saving behaviors in the university workplace, this study provides initial evidence that the ABC model is pertinent to this behavioral context.

  Workplace energy conservation at Michigan State University · 2017 · DOI

• On the basis of the findings, there is scope for further research on a larger scale, perhaps involving structured samples, quantitative data collection methods, and comparisons of the UK with a country where PFM choice is wider, such as the USA or Australia.

  The significance of flexibility in improving return on property investment: the UK perspective · 2006 · DOI

• Although the identification of emotional state as a moderating variable is conceptually informative, the current dataset is insufficient to quantify its effect magnitude.

  Analysis of the Coupling Effects of Built and Environmental Factors on Researchers’ Psychological Satisfaction with University Research Spaces Based on the Sparse Identification of Nonlinear Dynamics (SINDy) Algorithm · 2026 · DOI

• This oversight has significant yet under-studied effect: poor architectural design can increase operational energy loads through reliance on mechanical systems.

  A data driven decision-making framework for architectural design quality: Enhancing well-being in multi-family housing · 2026 · DOI

• As such, the findings should be interpreted as a preliminary contribution to a relatively underexplored domain within man- agement and quality sciences, and as a basis for the formula- tion of more targeted research questions in future studies on managerial issues.

  The role of spaces in managers’ perception of workplace quality · 2026 · DOI

• educational to use by assessors, technicians, or facility managers. Through this sequence, the instruments are not only conceptually robust but can also be adjusted to the operational building of maintenance.

  A Conceptual Framework for Condition and Maintenance Risk Indicators for Educational Buildings · 2026 · DOI

• Despite the plethora of knowledge on lean management, its application within the context of public building maintenance in the developing world remains unknown.

  A comprehensive assessment of lean management practices for public buildings maintenance in Ghana · 2026 · DOI

• The paper contributes to a gap in knowledge regarding the physical and psycho-social features of furniture that influence healthcare staff’s physical and mental health and raises awareness about using interior design to create healthy, safe, and comfortable hospital environments.

  Evaluation of Healthcare Staff Satisfaction Regarding Furniture Design for Working and Resting Spaces · 2025 · DOI

• Finally, the conclusion highlights that the sustainable energy management is an open question and the output of discussion linked to the research suggest that the hospitals' energy efficiency must be seen as under constant development and re-interpretation.

  Digital innovation government: organizational and energy analysis in Italian hospitals · 2023 · DOI

• Originality/value The novelty of this study is the ranking and synthesis of practitioner priorities with regard to high-level information management issues which is lacking in the literature, with a focus to-date on case-specific technical integration.

  Information management in the facilities domain: investigating practitioner priorities · 2022 · DOI

• Originality/value Although several studies have been conducted on SHFs, studies that mainly focussed on prioritising SHFs security and safety measures are lacking.

  Evaluation of on-campus student housing facilities security and safety performance · 2020 · DOI

• A post occupancy evaluation study to assess the adequacy of this facility is still lacking because previous studies have generally focussed on class rooms and work spaces in the education sector.

  Comparing user satisfaction of older and newer on-campus accommodation buildings in Australia · 2020 · DOI

• This research suggests that not only human-centric smart building research should be prioritised over energy or space-based themes but also large-scale private sector collection of occupancy data may be imminent, and its potential should be examined.

  An intelligent hot-desking model harnessing the power of occupancy sensing data · 2017 · DOI

• Previous studies have proven that a close relationship between the residents and the management team is vital to enhance the performance of maintenance services, but limited studies have been geared towards the influence of communication on the performance of maintenance services.

  HOW DOES COMMUNICATION INFLUENCE THE PERCEIVED PERFORMANCE OF MAINTENANCE SERVICES IN MULTI-STOREY PUBLIC HOUSING? · 2014 · DOI

• Originality/value The paper fills a gap in research about teleworking in home offices by integrating research from two related areas: homeworking and conventional office environment.

  Teleworker's home office: an extension of corporate office? · 2010 · DOI

• Research limitations/implications Future research could focus on further analysis of the list of KPIs in order to generate a more concise list of easily measurable indicators that exhibit wide applicability and valid categorization.

  Establishment of KPIs for facility performance measurement: review of literature · 2010 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Facilities and Workplace Management

• The effect of office concepts on worker health and performance: a systematic review of the literature · Ergonomics · 2004 · 323 citations
• Establishment of KPIs for facility performance measurement: review of literature · Facilities · 2010 · 117 citations
• An integrated framework for sustainable and efficient building maintenance operations aligning with climate change, SDGs, and emerging technology · Results in Engineering · 2024 · 90 citations
• Coworking spaces: Understanding, using, and managing sociomateriality · Business Horizons · 2020 · 78 citations
• Relocation to an activity-based flexible office – Design processes and outcomes · Applied Ergonomics · 2018 · 67 citations
• After the fire · Facilities · 2010 · 63 citations
• Mitigation and Benefits Measures as Policy Tools for Siting Potentially Hazardous Facilities: Determinants of Effectiveness and Appropriateness · Risk Analysis · 2001 · 60 citations
• Generic Method of Grading Building Defects Using FMECA to Improve Maintainability Decisions · Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities · 2011 · 52 citations
• Workplace energy conservation at Michigan State University · International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education · 2017 · 48 citations
• Coworking spaces in urban settings: Prospective roles? · Geoforum · 2020 · 41 citations

Most recent work

• Making place for disconnection: The material and symbolic production of post-digital hospitality in coworking spaces · City, Culture and Society · 2026
• Measures to promote sustainable facility management practices in Ghana: insights from public hospitals · Facilities · 2026
• A comprehensive assessment of lean management practices for public buildings maintenance in Ghana · Property Management · 2026
• Human Geographies – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography · HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography · 2026
• Satisfaction with Work Quality and Mental Well-being on the Impact of Hospital Design among Healthcare Professionals: A Cross-sectional Study · Annals of African Medicine · 2026
• A qualitative study of out-patient ward design elements to reduce stress in medical staff · Facilities · 2026
• A performance-based perspective on sustainable interior design (SID) as a catalyst for hotel’s performance effectiveness · Facilities · 2026
• Long-term changes in the lifespan of buildings at the national level: A case study in Japan · Energy and Buildings · 2026
• A Multilevel Regression Analysis of Municipal Infrastructure Asset Management Adoption in Tanzania: A Methodological Evaluation, 2000–2026 · Open MIND · 2026
• IMPACT OF REMOTE WORK POLICIES ON CORPORATE FINANCE: A SURVEY-BASED STUDY ON COST REDUCTION, PROFITABILITY, AND FINANCIAL FLEXIBILITY · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026

Related topics in Psychology