Application of Quality Function Deployment Method to Design Affordable Houses in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

The demand for affordable housing has increased in the United Arab Emirates over the last decade. The government plays an essential role in developing the United Arab Emirates housing sector by providing housing incentives and allocating lands for deserving Emiratis. This research aims to study the relationship between customer requirements and designing characteristics to achieve affordable housing concepts. The quality function deployment method has been used to identify and prioritize customers' expectations. A survey of a sample of 1180 customers was collected from four of the main governmental housing entities in the United Arab Emirates. The results showed that building compound projects are the most critical functional requirement to achieve affordable houses, followed by the cost of building materials and suitable designs for future expansion. Low-cost houses were the most important customer requirement, followed by flexible and expandable designs and reduced construction time while targeting high building requirements and achieving sustainability principles carried the lowest importance weights. Overall, both Sheikh Zayed Housing Program and Abu Dhabi Housing Authority showed a high commitment to achieving the customer requirements, followed by the Directorate of Housing and Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Establishment. This research is needed to provide the decision-makers and housing program implementers with the customer needs to improve design processes.