Rethinking Space Design Standards Toward Quality Affordable Housing In Malaysia

Abstract

Abstract. Provision of affordable housing is important to low-and middle-income population. A fit form of house will not only fulfil a basic human need for shelter, but it also contributes to physical and psychological well-being of the occupants. Excellent quality and affordable housing is an indication of a high quality of life. While writings exist on various aspects of the quality of affordable housing in Malaysia, discussion regarding space and design standards has scarcely been given any serious academic attention. Standards concerning residential development usually cover different aspects or stages of the development process. They can include planning standards, design standards, space standards and technical construction standards. The main concern of this paper is on space and design standards specifically. Space standard can be defined as a set of framework which dictates fixed internal space minimums. Meanwhile, design standard indicates design guidelines to ensure the functionality, comfortability and habitability of the house. This paper is concerned exclusively with indoor spaces of a house excluding external circulation spaces and service facilities (in case of strata housing). Its interest is in internal space as an aspect of housing quality. It can be concluded that one of the way forward will be to find the balance between providing adequate minimum spaces for resident satisfactions and having economic values for housing developers. This paper may be used as a valuable reference for authorities and policy makers to better address the best housing space design standards that would benefit not only the occupants, but also the local government and developers alike.

Re-Adaptation of Traditional Malay House Concept as A Design Approach for Vertical Dwellings Malays

“…Most homes are very basic with less satisfactory quality in the housing, family, comfort, social, cultural and religious needs [14]. Therefore, the balance between providing adequate minimum room quality for resident satisfaction at the same time has an economic value for private developers [15]. The term housing quality not only meets the basic human needs but also contributes to the physical and psychological well-being of the occupants life.…”

Housing Spaces in Nine European Countries: A Comparison of Dimensional Requirements

“…According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the home, in terms of living space, must be large enough to comfortably accommodate people of different ages, must guarantee sufficient space to fulfill the privacy needs of the occupants, and must be accessible and usable for external users [ 5 ]. The availability of sufficient space in the home, which guarantees the these requirements, is a fundamental aspect in the evaluation of housing quality [ 6 ].…”

“…This not only meets a basic human need for shelter, but also contributes to the physical and psychological well-being of the residents [ 6 ]. Although several authors [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ] have dealt with various aspects of the quality of affordable housing in different countries, the discussion on housing standards and space planning is still rather open and leaves room for some considerations [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

“…For the reasons described above, the reflection on living spaces, over the years, has expanded in the health sector [ 3 , 10 , 14 , 17 , 19 , 27 , 39 ], but also in the technical and economic sectors [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 15 ], due to the need to offer an adequate and sustainable housing supply.…”

“…Considering the issues described above, this paper, as part of a debate on housing’ dimensional requirements interesting different countries [ 6 , 7 , 15 ], analyses and compares housing condition indicators of some European countries and their housing dimensional standards to evaluate their ability to answer population needs in terms of health and affordability and to define updated indication for Italian regulation.…”