An Analysis on Building Orientation and Occupants Satisfaction in Malaysia Low-Cost Housing

Abstract

Thermal comfort is an important factor in ensuring a house's good thermal condition, affecting people’s productivity. People spend almost 90% of their time inside the house than outside. Since most people spend most of their time indoors, there is constant and complex contact between the inhabitants and their surroundings, affecting them physiologically and psychologically. Therefore, the thermal comfort in a residential building must be considered carefully. Several thermal comfort parameters need to be measured to understand the current indoor thermal situation of typical low-cost single-storey detached houses in Malaysia. This paper aims to identify the effects of the thermal comfort condition and orientation towards occupants’ satisfaction in low-cost detached houses. The research objective was achieved through questionnaire survey distribution to the respondents in low-cost detached houses in Bachok, Kelantan. Questionnaire survey has been distributed to occupants with different housing orientations: north, east, south, and west. A five-point Likert scale questionnaire was distributed face-to-face to 280 respondents occupying low-cost detached houses, and 233 (83%) were returned. The data gathered from the questionnaire were analysed using SPSS version 23. The finding on the occupants’ satisfaction towards thermal comfort condition indicates that their satisfaction depends on the orientation of the house and result for the last objective. There is a relationship between thermal comfort condition, building orientation, and occupants’ satisfaction. However, there is still a lack of research on the building orientation towards occupants’ satisfaction. Finally, it is hoped that this research can contribute to the thermal comfort knowledge, especially focusing on the occupants in low-cost housing.