Application of building forms and elements in enhancing users' comfort in naval conference Centres: Adaptive architectural strategies for maritime facilities

This study evaluates the application of building forms and elements that enhance users' comfort in the design of a Naval Conference Centre and Suites in Abuja, prompted by the rising demand for such facilities to host naval leadership while safeguarding occupant comfort. Conference facilities play a crucial role in the administrative, training and strategic operations of military and paramilitary institutions, yet Abuja، Nigeria's administrative capital، currently has no purpose-built Naval Conference Centre designed with a clear integration of comfort-enhancing forms and elements. Adopting a mixed-methods design, the study administered questionnaires to 60 respondents، naval officers and personnel, administrative staff, facility managers and built-environment professionals attached to relevant military formations، and combined these with an extensive review of the literature. Analysis in SPSS assessed four objectives: the forms and elements known to respondents, their level of integration, the barriers that inhibit integration, and the success factors that enhance it. High-quality artificial lighting was both the best-known (Mean = 3.67) and most-integrated (Mean = 3.90) element, and environmental comforts، lighting, air, thermal comfort, sensory control، dominated both measures, while spatial strategies such as biophilic integration, acoustic zoning and clarity of circulation were least recognised. Design by committee and risk aversion (Mean = 3.63) led the barriers, and comfort-led flexibility (Mean = 4.30) led the enabling factors. The findings inform best practice for the design of Naval Conference Centres and Suites in Abuja, underscoring the value of integrating climate-responsive, comfort-oriented architectural forms and elements.