ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OF TRANSITIONAL SPACES AND STUDENT BEHAVIOUR ON A UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

Transitional spaces (outdoor and semi-open areas) are increasingly used by university students for informal learning and social interaction; however, these spaces are often overlooked in campus planning, resulting in environmental conditions that may not support learning-related behaviours and user satisfaction. This study aims to evaluate the environmental qualities of campus transitional spaces and examine how these qualities relate to students’ behaviours and satisfaction in a tropical university setting. A case study was conducted at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) main campus using on-site observation and a questionnaire survey (n = 300). Environmental quality was assessed across six dimensions (colour, size, temperature, ventilation, acoustics, and lighting), while students’ behaviours were measured through learning outcomes and interactions, together with satisfaction regarding environmental quality. Descriptive and inferential analyses show that temperature and lighting are the most problematic aspects across the study areas and are associated with students’ behaviours and satisfaction. Higher temperatures, unstable thermal conditions, and insufficient lighting are linked to reduced learning outcomes and lower satisfaction in transitional spaces. These findings suggest that improving transitional spaces requires a system-level approach rather than isolated upgrades, and they support planning actions to integrate transitional spaces into campus public realm optimisation strategies for tropical university campuses.