Architecture Research 2013, 3(4): 68-73 DOI: 10.5923/j.arch.20130304.03 Evaluation of Design Requirements for Prospective Luxury Homeowners in Kano State, Nigeria O. F. Adedayo * , P. Ayuba, H. I. Audu, S. A. Oyetola Department of Architecture, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria Abstract The features that surrounds a location often characterize a luxury home, be it natural or manmade facilities ranging from rock view, mountain side, water front, parks, golf course, school districts or downtown districts. Other classification criteria include customization levels, historical or architectural importance and also absence of crime, commercialization and industrialization. However the design requirements for these facilities vary according to the location of the region and the needs of the final user. The basic design consideration for luxury homes has been space, materials and aesthetics; much attention has not been paid to user’s requirement, this has led to continuous post-constructional transformation of these buildings. This paper evaluates the design requirements for prospective luxury homeowners in Kano state, Nigeria through identification and analysis of their requirements and variations. This study is also part of a user participatory research carried out in housing customization and data was collected from the aforementioned study area through administering questionnaire and this collected data was analyzed using SPSS and MSExcel. The results are presented in tables and charts. The paper will conclude by showing the design requirements of prospective house owners in luxury homes that will enhance user participation in luxury home designs. Recommendations are made for architects to embark on user survey before design so that the final homeowners can adhere to design decisions taken by the architect. Keywords Design requirements, Homeowners, Luxury homes, Post-constructional changes, Satisfaction 1. Introduction Over the years, housing has remained an important part of human need; it is valued alongside other basic necessities such as clothing and food. It is also one of the primary means of measuring human development both socially and economically. However the problem associated with housing has remained its insufficiency, which is led by increase in urbanisation and population growth, as[1] has stated that the need for housing in Nigeria can only be met, when five hundred to six hundred thousand units are erected per annum based on an occupancy ratio of four people per room, without which there will exist continuity in dwelling unit shortage, overcrowding, exorbitant rents and poor urban livelihood. The public and private sector have nonetheless remained incessant, in trying to meet up the issues of housing demand, supply and affordability. The challenges faced with the delivery of this housing is that, it has been impaired by high cost of building materials, strict mortgage loan and imposed government policies, which has also left a gap of housing quality as an index to living standards. Most problems tackled by home providers have been * Corresponding author: arcadedayo@gmail.com (O. F. Adedayo) Published online at http://journal.sapub.org/arch Copyright © 2013 Scientific & Academic Publishing. All Rights Reserved basically on its supply, no attention has been paid to the need and desire of the final home users, therefore the designs provided are generic, and its redundancy rate is on the high side. The housing market in Nigeria is a fast growing one based on the demand for housing by the populace. This demand has seen a lot of people getting involved and government has provided an enabling environment towards meeting the housing deficit in the country. The cost of a house is a combination of the initial cost of building the house and the additional cost of getting the house to meet the needs of the house owners. The additional cost spent by the house owners are not usually factored housing developers. The major contributing factor for these changes is the lack of available data for which housing developers through their architects make design decisions. The import of this lack consideration to the needs of houses owners usually leads to housing modification in the housing estates be it luxury or mass housing estates. In Nigeria for instance, design requirements are often subjected to architects decisions. Final home designs drafted only retain communal space type with other designs, especially in residential cases. Most modification and differences appears in space sizes, arrangement and finishes. Luxury home designs apart from its classification of been located in proximity to rockview, mountain side, water front, parks, golf course, school districts or downtown districts and also based on their customization levels, historical or