The provision of affordable housing is important to the low- and middle-income populations. A fit form of house will not only fulfill a basic human need for shelter, but it also contributes to the physical and psychological well-being of the occupants. Excellent quality and affordable housing is an indication of high quality of life. While writings exist on various aspects of the quality of affordable housing in Malaysia, discussion regarding space 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 frameworks that 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 the case of strata housing). Its interest is in internal space as an aspect of housing quality. It can be concluded that one of the ways forward will be to find the balance between providing adequate minimum spaces for resident satisfaction and having economic values for housing developers. This paper may be used as a valuable reference for authorities and policymakers to better address the best housing space design standards that would benefit not only the occupants but also the local government and developers alike.