On the study of the effects of sea views, greenery views and personal characteristics on noise annoyance perception at homes

Noise annoyance has caused significant adverse impacts on human beings and numerous efforts have been spent on mitigating annoyance problems. Natural greenery has been shown to be able to moderate annoyance problems at home but this conclusion was drawn without properly controlling the potential confounding factors. Furthermore, few have explored the moderation effect of a sea view. Accordingly, this study formulated a multivariate model to examine the impacts of natural views as well as personal characteristics on annoyance perception. A housing estate was selected in Hong Kong as the survey site for which some of the residents were exposed to greenery views, sea views, or both from their homes. Eight hundred and sixty-one responses were collected via questionnaire surveys and analyzed using an ordered logit model. The results suggest that both a greenery view and a sea view can moderate annoyance responses. Several individual’s personal characteristics are found to affect individuals’ annoyance perception. The duration of time spent daily at home is shown to have an influence on the moderation impact exerted by a greenery view, while the age of an individual is shown to have an influence on noise moderation effect exerted by a sea view.Department of Building Services Engineerin

Re-branding libraries to embrace open space and aesthetic reflections: a case of USIU-Africa as a benchmark of Kenyan libraries

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the strides taken by academic libraries in Kenya to match the standards of modern library buildings while highlighting ensuing impact on user satisfaction. It will give an insight and provide a comprehensive comparison between Kenyan modern libraries and other modern libraries in the world which are considered best library designs, to show progressive development of library design and equipment. Design/methodology/approach: The paper takes a viewpoint approach after studying the history and development of the current library buildings in Kenya. This paper will answer the following questions: How far are Kenyan university libraries in embracing open space and aesthetic reflections? What is the impact of artistic modern library designs to user satisfaction? What are the effects of colorful interior design and décor on libraries? In addressing these and other related questions, the design of new academic libraries in Kenya over the past eight years is traced. Findings: Libraries in Kenya and other developing countries have stayed in the right path of revolution by adopting the modern library designs and giving library users more reasons to cherish their libraries as not only reading facilities but also destinations for relaxation, discussions and hangouts. The United States International University (USIU) Library has been touted as the pioneer modern library building, and its standards have been replicated and bettered by other libraries in Kenya today. This is a big stride for Kenyan libraries in the wake of dynamism in libraries. Originality/value: The value of the paper is that it gives an insight on the development of library buildings in Kenya, providing a comprehensive comparison between Kenyan modern libraries and other modern libraries in the world which are considered best library designs, thereby showing progressive development of library design and equipment