CHONG YI HUI Final Research Proposal

FLEXIBLE HOUSING: EFFICIENT SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING APARTMENTS IN THE POST-PANDEMIC SETTING IN MALAYSIA

Chong Yi Hui 0324404

March 2021

Research Proposal Proposed Title: Flexible housing: Efficient spatial organization if affordable housing apartments in the post-pandemic setting in Malaysia

Area of focus is: Spatial organization, efficient space, affordable housing apartment, post-pandemic living

Abstract It is suggested by various researchers that the living conditions in affordable housing apartments are largely influenced by the flexibility of the housing layout. However, much of what is known about this topic was done through various studies in the Western region. A particular region of interest that is relatively understudied is the perceived suitable spatial organization in accommodating the post-pandemic setting in relation to efficient use of space. In the Malaysian context, the topic of flexible housing and the more suitable spatial organization has largely been unexplored and as a result, little is known about it in the local context. Because of this, it is important to expand on the understanding of this relationship to the Malaysian context. As a result, a study will be conducted to investigate the suitable spatial organization in relation to efficient use of space in the post-pandemic setting. To aid in data collecting, questionnaires will be used, and a mean analysis will be used to further analyse and elaborate the acquired data to gauge confidence in statistical conclusions, concerning past studies conducted on this issue. The outcome of this study will help to understand the relationship between flexible housing and the suitable spatial organization in relation to efficient use of space in the post-pandemic setting as perceived by the public and in hope will lead to the improvement of new guidelines of flexible housing designs in Malaysia.

1.0 Research Background leading to Problem Statement and Research Question(s) The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the mandatory quarantine of many of the world's population, and by remaining at home. Several functional improvements in residential spaces developed, influencing the house's position as a contributor to humans' productivity amid quarantine demands. As a phenomenon that has caused health and development crises, there is an urgent need to address how Covid-19 has affected our existing perceptions of flexible housing and to consider transforming our current understanding of this typology through adaptation of a post-pandemic design (Leach, M., MacGregor, H., Scoones, I., & Wilkinson, A., 2021). There is an urgent need to comprehend the elements associated with residential apartment flexibility by investigating the need that is expected by occupants post-COVID-19 (Bettaieb, D. M., & Alsabban, R., 2020). According to studies, inhabitants' adjustment to quarantine was mostly accomplished through the arrangement of furniture. Thus, the flexibility of housing layout was more dependent on a shift in people's perceptions than on physical alterations to the site. Evidence found that the lack of design flexibility is connected with the structural, cultural and functional components in construction (Bettaieb, D. M., & Alsabban, R., 2020). Based on an article by BGC Malaysia (2021), the blurring borders between work and our daily life are one of the primary reasons why working from home can lead to burnout. This is due to not having dedicated space for work and living at home during the pandemic. Staying organized, having a clear separation of work and leisure space helps but because of the lack of space in affordable housing apartments, having the flexibility of space is much appreciated by the occupants. Prossack (2020) mentioned that the function of a space is more important than aesthetic during the pandemic in a small apartment because working from home in a tiny apartment means making a workspace in a room that serves a different function.

Recent studies have shown the potential of flexible housing as a solution towards a better and more efficient spatial layout. The first is flexibility through mobility or reconfiguration of the complex parts of the home. The use of lightweight movable fixtures, adjustable floorings and walls are considered a form of technological flexibility. Flexible spades are utilized because of the space constraints that architects are constantly faced with in community housing design which is dependent on the dimensions of the residents and many elements of human existence. Flexible housing design can improve the living situation for the occupants in these congested residences (Kondic, S., ŽIvkovic, M., & Nikolic, V., 2018).

In the Malaysian context, the study of flexible housing as a solution towards efficient use of space has been largely unexplored. A large amount of housing flexibility research discussing the efficient use of space and the adaptability of those spaces were conducted in the western region and much of the variables mentioned above have been studied in that region. The image of flexible housing is still overlooked in the Malaysian context. Due to its impracticality, the

flexible housing proposal presented by Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL) has generated skeptical speculations within the lower income group, implying that the flexible housing standard is misunderstood and simplified (Mohd Fairus Kholid, Puteri Mayang Bahjah Zaharin 2019). The use of smart interior designs such as adjustable furniture and walls impacts the living space as stated by Barbosa et. al. (2016) in his research. Numerous variables was also identified by different researchers that jointly define the largely unexplored potential of flexible housing in the Malaysian context, this study aims to understand the suitable spatial organization in accommodating the post-pandemic setting in relation to efficient use of space in the Malaysian context to better inform local planners of a more suitable flexible housing guideline.

2.0 Aim and Objectives 2.1 Aim To analyse the relationship between the spatial organization and efficient use of space in affordable housing apartments in accommodating the post-pandemic setting in the Malaysian context.

2.2 Objective ●

To determine the factors that define an efficient layout of flexible housing.

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To identify how inhabitants of affordable housing apartments adapt to self-quarantine in terms of functional use of space.

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To evaluate the perceptions of users staying in affordable housing apartments in response to having a more flexible space in the post-pandemic times.

2.3 Research Question ●

What are the factors that define an efficient layout of flexible housing?

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How do the inhabitants of affordable housing apartments adapt to self-quarantine in terms of functional use of space?

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What are the perceptions of users staying in affordable housing apartments in response to having a more flexible space layout in post-pandemic times?

3.0 Literature Review

This research looked at the design quality of People's Housing Project (Program Perumahan Rakyat or PPR) low-cost high-rise apartments built by the National Housing Department (Jabatan Perumahan Negara or JPN) in Kuala Lumpur from 1998. According to the JPN design brief, each unit of high-rise low-cost apartments is for a family of five people, with 130 square feet per person. Thus, providing a 3 bedroom type layout is appropriate and acceptable in the Malaysian low-cost housing standard. Through the study, unit internal environment had become the third important factor influencing the quality of low-cost flats primarily because the occupants were hoping for a house that requires less energy consumption in light of the increase in the rate of electricity bills. Occupants in east-west facing housing units were happy with the internal environment since there is enough natural light and cross ventilation. Among all room functions, the existing kitchen and yard size were considered to be unsatisfactory, leading the occupants to believe that the alternative layout appeared to be more appropriate than the existing layout owing to the increased size. It is strongly advised that the Malaysian government promote innovative design concepts for low-cost high-rise housing systems and housing typology in order to ensure that low-cost housing developments can successfully respond to culture and social needs over time, resulting in a sustainable community living environment.

Figure 1. Standard Unit Layout Plan for 18-storey Low-cost Flat.

Figure 2. Alternative Unit Layout Plan for 18-storey Low-cost Flat.

Retrieved from Tee Goh, Tee, & Yahaya (2011) “Public low-cost

Retrieved from Tee Goh, Tee, & Yahaya (2011) “Public low-cost

housing in Malaysia: case studies on PPR low-cost flats in Kuala

housing in Malaysia: case studies on PPR low-cost flats in Kuala

Lumpur”

Lumpur”

High-rise apartment buildings in Kuala Lumpur have become the most common kind of housing in the city. High-rise apartments were being built to cope with the fast urbanisation and population growth. The purpose of this study was to shed some light on how the spatial arrangement of Malaysian apartments evolved via trial and error in the second half of the twentieth century. It also looked at how home tasks were moved to contemporary dwellings. Malaysia had a long history of conflict over housing and land ownership. The study found that there was a unique connection that governs the entire process of housing evolution in the Malaysian context. As stated by Hashim and Rahim (2010), the new norm of living requires occupants to share walls and has less privacy with unknown neighbours. With the removal of the former designated guest reception room, as well as the absence of a defined boundary between different sex separation from neighbours and visitors were to be lost in the modern cultural residence (Hashim and Rahim 2010). K. W. Seo et. al (2020), used a diagrammatic method to analyse space-activity interaction in apartment buildings in Kuala Lumpur where it seems that the traditional spaces in a house have been merged and omitted into multifunctional spaces. A space-activity interaction through the evolution of housing was done to show the movement of domestic activities in apartment housing in Malaysia and a dominant spatial connection of spaces from the 34 plans researched by K. W. Seo et. al. (2020) was concluded.

Figure 3. Typical apartment unit plan in Malaysia and its graph

Figure 4. Dominant spatial connections in sample plans. Retrieved

representation. Retrieved from K. W. Seo et al (2020) “Relocating

from K. W. Seo et al (2020) “Relocating home activities: spatial

home activities: spatial experiments in Malaysian apartment houses

experiments in Malaysian apartment houses to accommodate the

to accommodate the vernacular lifestyle”

vernacular lifestyle”

The findings of Ravis (2015) acknowledged that with the limitation of space that architects are always confronted with, flexible spaces are utilised as a solution in communal housing based on the dimensions of the occupants and many facets of human life. Flexible housing adapts to the demands of its people throughout time. In other words, it adapts in response to changes in the needs of people and guarantees flexibility in their living conditions. Sliding doors in Japanese traditional architecture serve the function of dividing rooms as well as altering the proportions of

these in the house by opening them up, multi-functional rooms are produced (Shabani, Tahir, Arjmandi, Abdullah & Usman, 2010). The adoption of a modular design method also provides for flexibility since rooms are scaled according to the standard measurements of tatami mats. As mentioned by Schneider and Till (2016), opening large screens can transform two small spaces into a larger room with a completely different functional use. This study researched extra concepts of fundamental spatial organization to structure better practical and efficient guidelines for future flexible house design.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the mandatory quarantine of many of the world's population, and by remaining at home. The amount to which adaptation is made possible while retaining the core role of the home and emphasising its implicit role imposed by present and future conditions, where the concept of changing user requirements is linked to the condition of quick changes associated with remaining at home. The qualitative technique developed concepts connected to housing flexibility from previous studies and inferred the flexibility of housing from the participants' research of 12 families in different locations of Jeddah by analysing the outcomes of targeted interviews. The study's findings indicate that there is a rift in the participants' perception of housing quality and degree of comfort with a house design that changes before and after their quarantine experience. Bettaieb and Alsabban (2020) indicates that the lack of design flexibility is related to the functional, cultural, and structural elements of residential structures,

social and cultural factors. This research gave suggestions for laying the

groundwork for flexible house design and putting it to use in the post-pandemic setting.

Figure 5. The proposed housing flexibility (HF) framework. Retrieved from Bettaieb, D.M. and Alsabban, R. (2020) “Emerging living styles post-COVID-19”

4.0 Methodology and Methods To begin evaluating suitable spatial organization in apartments accommodating the post-pandemic setting in relation to efficient use of space, the study will be conducted based on a content analysis of related literature and analysis of data collected. An examination of the literature will generate thoughts for housing, its flexibility, and the most significant developments in the quarantine situation. Following that, data for this research will be collected via self-administered questionnaires for people who live in an apartment on their experience staying in an apartment during the post-pandemic time and their views on having a more flexible yet efficient layout. A similar analytical and inductive approach was previously done by Bettaieb, D.M. and Alsabban, R. (2020). A questionnaire is a type of data collecting instrument in which questions are provided to respondents to get statistically relevant information on a certain issue. Self-administered questionnaires are designed to be completed by the respondent without the intervention of the researcher collecting the data. A majority of studies concerning this particular topic has been done through the use of questionnaire surveys as a data collection tool since it is mainly a measure of perception and therefore acknowledged as a reliable empirical measure (Carrus et al., 2015).

A questionnaire is primarily a systematic approach for gathering primary data while developing secondary data questions based on a literature review. The ease of use of the questionnaires may assist the responder to answer more properly because they are not compelled to think at the moment, as is typical in interviews and can be easily accessed through online means. There is also the prospect of removing responder bias because there is no interviewer, while simultaneously decreasing human error because the questions have standardised language that aids data analysis.

Figure 6. Methodology

4.1 Data Collection Method To collect the data that is required for this research, a questionnaire will be developed based on the reviewed pieces of literature and past studies on flexible housings and it will be modified to suit the purposes of this study. The questionnaires will be distributed to 100 residents in apartments during the post-pandemic time, with the aim to find out the perception of residents on flexible housing and efficient spatial organization in their apartments. In terms of gender and age range, the study aims to have an equal percentage of respondents across each demographic group.

However, those under the age of 15 will be excluded from this study as their cognitive, memory, communicative and social faculties are still at the development stage and may not be suitable as respondents for the questionnaire.

Gender, age and ethnicity are also taken into consideration as contributing variables towards the perception of residents on flexible housing and efficient spatial organization in their apartments.

The questionnaires will contain three sections. Section one entails the demographic information of respondents such as their age, gender and ethnicity. Section two, where the respondents will be asked to identify what are the factors that define flexible housing and how did they adapt to self-quarantine in terms of work and daily life routine.

Subsequently, they will be asked about their perception of staying in a more flexible layout and how it impacts spatial efficiency in the post-pandemic time. The questionnaires will be adapted from the proposed housing flexibility (HF) framework by Bettaieb (2020) from which it states three different definitions of flexible housing in terms of structural flexibility, functional flexibility and cultural flexibility.

4.2 Analysis Method The data from the questionnaire will be analysed through mean and standard deviation analysis as well as frequency analysis. Standard deviation measures the average distance between the values of the data collected and the mean.

Data points closer to the mean would indicate a low standard deviation, showing a more consistent pattern in the results, while data points that are spread out indicate a high standard deviation that shows a significant difference in the way people think about a particular topic.

Objective To determine the factors that define an

Method

Source of Data

Content analysis of literature

Literatures

To identify how inhabitants of affordable

Questionnaire followed by mean and

People who are staying in apartments

housing apartments adapt to

frequency analysis

efficient layout of flexible housing.

self-quarantine in terms of functional use of space.

To evaluate the perceptions of users

Questionnaire followed by mean and

staying in affordable housing

frequency analysis

apartments in response to having a more flexible space in the post-pandemic times.

People who are staying in apartments

5.0 Significance and contribution of the research As stated by Malakouti et al. (2019), the most prominent qualitative indication relating to flexibility components, quarantine is seen as a crucial experience from which to infer the efficacy of house design through its “performance in use” flexibility. The proper planning of flexible housing is important as it impacts the usage and efficiency of a space, which is the main focus of this proposal. This research is an extension of what little is known about this topic in the Malaysian context. Kholid M. F. and Zaharin P. M. B. (2019) stated the most common perception in Malaysia on flexible housing is that it is underrated, misinterpreted and has received a lot of skeptical speculations for its impracticality. The potential of flexible housing options should not be underestimated, and user awareness of flexible housing should be improved. Bettaieb and Alsabban (2020), stated that functional-use developments differed depending on the interests of the users, as well as the different degrees of their requirements in connection to the nature of the activities. Therefore, it is important to understand how the occupants of the affordable housing apartment utilize the spaces during the post-pandemic times which leads to understanding the factors that contribute most to efficient spatial layouts. Hence, the findings of this research will shed some light on the perceived idea of flexible housing in affordable housing apartments and the efficient use of space to accommodate in the post-pandemic setting. It is a step toward better space planning in Malaysia.

6.0 Limitations and expected outcomes The research would inform designers, planners, and even the general public about flexible housing and its potential effects on future developments. Understanding the factors that influence an efficient layout of flexible housing and, as a corollary, how occupants of affordable housing apartments adjust to self-quarantine will help designers prioritise which components to focus on for future design as well as improve the present ones. It is to be expected that during the study period, there will be limitations and constraints that will impact the data collecting and analysis process. The use of questionnaires is frequently met with poor response rates, which might be less than half of the number of questionnaires given out, which is a regular issue with this approach. To compensate, extra questionnaires would need to be distributed beyond the objective of 100 to guarantee that it is met. Moreover, the area chosen for this study will be in Kuala Lumpur due to a large number of apartment buildings present in the city which leaves room for further studies in other cities in Malaysia. Due to time constraints and also pandemic lockdown sop, the proposed research would not be able to collect data through site visits of apartment complexes in the city to see how the occupants utilize their spaces. The expected outcome of this research is to improve the perception of the public on flexible housing and hope to inform the potential of flexible housing in future developments. The future development of flexible housing should not be limited to experts, but rather allow the general people to participate in the planning and design of their "home."

7.0 Gantt Chart

8.0 References Abd Elrahman, A. S. (2020, December 25). The fifth-place metamorphosis: the impact of the outbreak of COVID-19 on typologies of places in post-pandemic Cairo. Emerald Insight. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ARCH-05-2020-0095/full/html Bettaieb, D. M., & Alsabban, R. (2020). Emerging living styles post-COVID-19: housing flexibility as a fundamental requirement for apartments in Jeddah | Emerald Insight.

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BGC Malaysia. (2021, February 19). How to Stay Positive During Quarantine and Work From Home in Malaysia. https://www.bgcmalaysia.com/blog/2021/02/how-to-stay-positive-during-quarantine-and-work-from-home-in-malaysia Barbosa, J. A., Araújo, C., Mateus, R., & Bragança, L. (2015, September 10). Smart interior design of buildings and its relationship to land use. Taylor & Francis. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17452007.2015.1120187 Goh, A. T., Tee, A., & Yahaya. (2011, June). Public Low-Cost Housing in Malaysia: Case Studies on PPR Low-Cost Flats in Kuala Lumpur. Research Gate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266502429_Public_Low-Cost_Housing_in_Malaysia_Case_Studies_on_PP R_Low-Cost_Flats_in_Kuala_Lumpur

Hashim, A. H., and Z. A. Rahim. 2010. “Privacy and Housing Modifications among Malay Urban Dwellers in Selangor.” Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities 18 (2): 259–269. Universiti Putra Malaysia Press.

Kholid, M. F., & Zaharin, P. M. B. (2019). Micro Housing: Typological study and implementation in Malaysia.

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Leach, M., MacGregor, H., Scoones, I., & Wilkinson, A. (2021, February 1). Post-pandemic transformations: How and why COVID-19 requires us to rethink development. ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X20303600?via%3Dihub Malakouti, M., Faizi, M., Hosseini, S.-.B. and Norouzian-Maleki, S. (2019), “Evaluation of flexibility components for improving housing quality using fuzzy TOPSIS method”, Journal of Building Engineering, Vol. 22, pp. 154-160, doi: 10.1016/j.jobe.2018.11.019.

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Prossack, A. (2020, April 29). Secrets To Working From Home In A Small Apartment. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashiraprossack1/2020/04/26/secrets-to-working-from-home-in-a-small-apartment/?sh=1 f8e42474587 Salama, A. M. (2020, April 16). Coronavirus questions that will not go away: interrogating urban and socio-spatial implications of COVID-19. Emerald Open Research. https://emeraldopenresearch.com/articles/2-14/v1.

Seo, K. W., Ghani, M. Z. A., & Sarkom, Y. (2020, June 26). Relocating home activities: spatial experiments in Malaysian apartment houses to accommodate the vernacular lifestyle. Taylor & Francis. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13467581.2020.1869558 Till, J., & Schneider, T. (2016, September 19). Flexible Housing | Taylor & Francis Group. Taylor & Francis. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315393582/flexible-housing-jeremy-till-tatjana-schneider