Identifying the importance level: green retrofit features in existing university science laboratories

Abstract

As concerns about climate change continue to rise, sustainable practices in all sectors, including higher education, are highly considered within the scope of green retrofit. Retrofitting is the solution to decrease the adverse effects of climate change. Universities are the main public areas that hundreds of people use daily for different purposes. In terms of conducting studies for scientific purposes, science laboratories have to consume energy and produce waste due to conducting studies in energy-intensive and resource-intensive environments. Green retrofit decisions might be made to increase the sustainability of science laboratories. Findings are related to considering users’ ideas about the interiors. Users’ choices for their working environment are crucial. This study highlights the users’ preferences in selecting the importance level of green retrofit features for science laboratories. This paper provides an overview to show the selection of the essential factors for laboratory users to reduce energy consumption in science laboratories. Thirty users who used science laboratories conducted the research as a pilot study at Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey. Statistically, the users' most crucial green retrofit choice in science laboratories is helping save energy (electricity, gas, etc.) to make science laboratories more sustainable as a green retrofit approach.