Design Element
Design Elements come second with the relative importance of 34 per cent (see Figure 17). The architects play a major role in producing efficient layout and innovative design for low-cost flats in order to meet the ceiling cost of the low-cost flat without compromising on the quality and comfort of living in the flats. Among all rooms function, kitchen, yard and bath are the three most important rooms in determining the quality of low-cost flats. It is found that existing kitchen and yard size were at the unsatisfactory level (see Figure 6). Of the 50 respondents, 70 per cent of the respondents believed that the alternative layout (see Figures 6 & 7) has appeared more appropriate compared with the existing layout because of the increase size of kitchen and yard. Hence, various improvement plans at the typical standard unit to increase degree of satisfaction for existing low-cost flats have been identified and listed as follows:
Unit Room Size:
1. To have bigger kitchen;
2. To have wider yard;
3. To have bigger bathroom; and
4. To increase minimum floor to floor height from 2800mm to 3000mm
Unit Room Layout:
1. To avoid direct view to Living and dining area from common corridor – Privacy;
2. To enhance natural day lighting and cross ventilation by
3. To prevent smoke from cooking to enter the house by having a separation between cooking area and food preparation area;
4. To prevent odour from toilet or bath entering kitchen and cooking area;
5. To have yard next to living act as drying area cum relaxing corner;
6. To avoid odd corner in layout; and
7. To have storage space near entrance door
Unit Window Details:
1. To have reinforced concrete copping cantilever 300mm from the external wall located on top of window opening at external façade; and
2. To avoid copping at bottom of louvers window frames.
Unit Bath and Toilet Details:
1. To have doors overlapped the wall by at least 25mm at 3 sides to prevent water splashing out from the toilet or bathroom to living or dining area; and
2. To have toilet and bathroom floor finished level at least 25mm lower than finished floor level of living or dining area.