The Dynamics of a Home: Spatial Adaptations in Malaysia’s Multi-Ethnic Row Housing

Abstract

To gain a deeper understanding of “home” and “housing”, qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews and mental mapping, were employed to examine how Malay, Chinese, and Indian households in Malaysia adapt to contemporary row housing and the factors that motivate them to modify spaces within their original housing layouts. The findings reveal the unique practices of ethnic households and the emergence of adaptive spaces. Rather than presenting cultural practices as fixed or essentialised, we interpret the household spatial adaptations as everyday tactical responses to the constraints of standardized housing forms. These tactics are shaped by lived experience, individual choice, intergenerational values, and socio-religious meaning-making, in line with De Certeau’s notion of spatial practice and Lefebvre’s triadic conception of space. The paper concludes with a culturally informed design framework that illustrates how diverse households negotiate and define their concept of home, driven by lived experiences and everyday spatial practices.