• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.33-44
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• 2015

Malaysian modern housing typologies (such as bungalows, semi-detached houses and terrace houses) are influenced by international style and constitute unique regional characteristics because they are modified in accordance with climatic conditions and unique social, ethnic housing cultures. This research identified unique characteristics and planning principles of how rooms and spaces of a house are related and organized into coherent patterns of form and space. For the analysis, we surveyed twenty-two residential precincts that identified twenty-five unit plan types for landed properties built in Ara Damansara, Malaysia. The methodology adopted in this study consisted of a document review and field surveys. It is difficult to find unique characteristics of space organization (except for the location of bathrooms) because the form of terrace houses is standardized and limited in design from the aspect of space organization. However, the organization of bedroom space and kitchen space has strong regional characteristics that have become stereotyped for semi-Ds and bungalows. General guideline for areas of unit plans are proposed based on the results of area analysis. We also found that the areas of L + D and MB increase as the total area of the house increases; however, the remaining rooms do not increase in area as long as they satisfy appropriate standards due to the addition of multi-purpose extra rooms. This study only examined limited cases in Ara Damansara and it is difficult to generalize the findings of other new towns in Malaysia. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to collect and systematically organize data according to typologies. Finally, the authors were able to understand the unique regional design factors to be considered for landed property housing planning in Malaysia.