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.
Highlights
Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy located in central Southeast Asia, bordering Thailand to the north and Singapore to the south
Space standard can be defined as a set of framework which dictates fixed internal space minimums
The early Malaysia’s Economic Plans in providing low cost housing was a profound strategy to include the rural Malays to migrate to urban areas
Summary
Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy located in central Southeast Asia, bordering Thailand to the north and Singapore to the south. It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres with the estimated population of 29.90 million people [1]. After the British Colonisation period, the Malaysian government played its vital role in devising and creating various national policies to improve the economic development, political stability and social welfares of the nation. Among the most well-known national policies in Malaysia are the Five Yearly National Development Plans, a comprehensive economic development blueprint where the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department is being entrusted with the task of preparing it. The early Malaysia’s Economic Plans in providing low cost housing was a profound strategy to include the rural Malays to migrate to urban areas
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