Users` perspectives on spatial configuration and privacy provision of houses in precinct 9, Putrajaya, Malaysia

Abstract

One of the vital issues in housing satisfaction is regarding residents’ privacy satisfaction with the provided privacy inside the house. However, contemporary houses in Malaysia are going through a series of changes in terms of planning and designs, resulted from the mass production of housing, modernization, and technological advancement. Apparently, it has also influence on how designers and users identify, interpret, and perceive privacy, thus causing in the manifestation of housing designs that are departing from what Islam and Malay’s culture and tradition has recommended. This incoherency of human needs and preference of privacy with what were provided has caused dissatisfaction and had led to social problems and psychological distress. Therefore, this research proposes to assess residents’ privacy satisfaction in contemporary housing and to study the influence of spatial configuration on the privacy provision of the residents in contemporary houses in Presint 9, Putrajaya, based on occupants’ perspectives. This research covers a wide range of literature related to theoretical aspects and issues of privacy, including from the Islamic perspectives and inside the culture and tradition of the Malays. Quantitative and qualitative methodology of collecting and analysing data were employed in this research in order to achieve conclusive result. This study attempts at examining the level of privacy satisfaction using questionnaire survey. Then, case study and informal interview were carried out for the purpose of identification and verification of factors that influence privacy satisfaction, which would be used to recommend a proper spatial configuration, for better privacy management in the house. After the field work, all the collected data were analysed and discussed descriptively. The findings showed that space configuration and physical elements in housing design led to privacy dissatisfaction. In conclusion, this study has identified planning strategies and privacy regulation which are to be considered during the stage of planning and design of contemporary houses in Malaysia. The strategies involve in privacy management and provision, which may increase and satisfy residents’ biological, physical, and psychological needs.