RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

PRIVACY NEEDS IN
APARTMENT BUILDING
LAKSHMI DAS.P
 PRIVACY NEEDS IN APARTMENTS

TABLE OF CONTENT

1.INTRODUCTION
1.1 AIM
1.2 OBJECTIVES
1.3 SCOPE

2.LITERATURE SURVEY
2.1 PRIVACY AND THEORY
2.1.1 FEELING OF PRIVACY AT DIFFERENT SPACES & DIFFERENCE IN FEELINGS BY PRACTICE
2.2 FACTORS AFFECTING PRIVACY
2.2.1 UNDERSTANDING PRIVACY
2.3 LITERATURE CASESTUDY

3.ANALYSIS
3.1 ANALYSIS FROM CASESTUDY

4.RESULTS
4.1 IDENTIFYING THE FEATURES AND CHARACTERISTICS

5.CONCLUSION
5.1 INFERENCE

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1: INTRODUCTION

Privacy, "that marvelous compound of withdrawal self reliance, solitude, quiet,

contemplation, and concentration” substantially recognized as a human value.. It is
the purpose of this report to make more clearly between these two social inclinations
in relation to man's residential environment. The problems involved in residential
apartment are steadily increasing in number and complexity. No longer are we merely
concerned with "shelter".

Planners are now involved in concepts of housing that seek to fulfill two
oftenconflicting aims: maximum use of land and provision of basic security and
amenity. In order to determine what "maximum use of land" entails, the planner must
first establish in substantive terms exactly what basic securities and amenities are to
be provided. In anyone of the so-called livability features - privacy, aesthetic
appearance, outdoor space, and view - the problems of measurement and standards
become increasingly complex. We are no longer solely concerned with physical factors.
We are not working from a survival standard. Together with the physical setting is the
social environment. People determine what is livable.

The whole question of values must be taken into consideration. In order to propose a
performance standard for privacy as a factor of space and site development, the
planner must first establish an operational definition and framework for this value. In
other words, he must ascertain exactly what it is he wishes to determine, and then
conduct research to find the relevant considerations and evaluations of those directly
affected.

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1.1 AIM
To study the privacy needs in Apartment building to improve the living
of the residents.

1.2 OBJECTIVES
• To study the concept of privacy in residences.
• To understand the difference in physical, visual and acoustical privacy
and to examine design solutions for them.
• To study the level of privacy achieved in various spaces of apartments
and to find out various features and characteristics that influence the
privacy in apartment.

1.3 SCOPE
Current urban scenario encourages to built apartment, due to many
reasons like increasing population density, land value etc. Hence it is
quite relevant to study how to develop better apartment considering
privacy as a major factor. This study is adopted taking into consideration
of the present day scenario where space has its own limitations.

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2: LITERATURE SURVEY

2.1 PRIVACY AND THEORY

In this section, the concept of privacy will be discussed in general. In addition the
most predominant theories concerning the notion of privacy will be presented.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica the term privacy dates back to the 15th century.
Privacy is defined as the quality or state of being apart from company or observation.
As an act, privacy provides freedom from unauthorized intrusion. A second definition
states that privacy denotes a place of seclusion (Britannica Encyclopedia, 2006). A
similar definition is also given by the Webster's Online Dictionary; privacy is the
quality of being secluded from the presence or view of others or the condition of being
concealed or hidden (Webster's Online Dictionary, 2006). The term is correlated with
the word seclusion and contrasted with the words communal, public and social.

Privacy is frequently defined in different contexts and acquires a variety of

interpretations. It has been studied throughout a number of different discourses such
as law, philosophy, sociology, environmental psychology, anthropology, biology,
zoology, architecture, while more recently it has preoccupied the field of computer
science. Irwin Altman and Westin suggest that one of its major functions is to serve
the individual’s selfidentity by creating personal boundaries (Altman, 1975, Westin,
1970). According to Westin “Privacy is the claim of individuals, groups, or institutions
to determine for themselves when, how, and to what extent information about them
is communicated to others. Viewed in terms of the relation of the individual to social
participation, privacy is the voluntary and temporary withdrawal of a person from the
general society through physical or psychological means, either in a state of solitude or
small-group intimacy or, when among larger groups, in a condition of anonymity or

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reserve. The individual’s desire for privacy is never absolute, since participation in
society is an equally powerful desire. Thus each individual is continually engaged in a
personal adjustment process in which he balances the desire for privacy with the
desire for disclosure and communication of himself to others, in light of the
environmental conditions and social norms set by the society in which he lives.

2.1.1 FEELING OF PRIVACY AT DIFFERENT SPACES &

DIFFERENCE IN FEELINGS BY PRACTICE
 Privacy in a restaurant seating

o In restaurant, everybody can see every others eating. But people accepted it by
practice.

o But if two dining rooms of different houses or apartment units are near and seen the
activities people of both the houses feel disturbance in their privacy.

 Bus seating-Congested seating

o In bus travel people accept and do not feel discomfort when a stranger is sitting
close him.

o In some places people feel discomfort when different sex sit beside them separate
ladies seats are provided there.

 Sleeping in a train berth and in a bedroom

o People do not feel comfort when strangers sleeping near their bed. o But in a train,
people sleep in berths and there is strangers sleep around them in second class
sleeper.

 Gents & Ladies Toilets/Their waiting Areas

o In home people do not want separate toilets for Gents & Ladies, but in a public
space they may need according to different locations.

2.2 FACTORS AFFECTING PRIVACY

The five factors derive from the fact that humans communicate with the surroundings
through the mechanism of the senses. Accessibility, visibility, proximity, vocals and

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olfactory are therefore the five parameters directly analogous to the senses of
kinesthesis (muscles and skin), sight (eyes), touch (hands and feet), hearing (ears) and
smelling (nose). Hall analyses all the above factors and proposes that “Man’s
relationship to his environment is a function of his sensory apparatus plus how this
apparatus is conditioned to respond” All five factors affect the way human beings
perceive their surroundings and accordingly the mechanism by which they control
privacy.

2.2.1 UNDERSTANDING PRIVACY

 PHYSICAL PRIVACY can be achieved by arranging different seats, providing single

beds for everybody, huge lobby space, large exists and entries etc. and also include
accessibility.

 VISUAL PRIVACY protects residents’ ability to carry out private functions within
all rooms and private open spaces without compromising views, outlook, ventilation
and solar access or the functioning of internal and external spaces.

 ACOUSTIC PRIVACY is a measure of sound insulation between apartments and

between external and internal spaces. The internal apartment layout is to be designed
to separate noisier spaces from quieter spaces by grouping uses within an apartment
i.e. bedrooms with bedrooms and service areas like kitchen, bathroom, laundry
together.

2.3 LITERATURE CASE STUDY

2.3.1 KANCHANJUNGA APARTMENTS, MUMBAI

Layout: G+27 – The Kanchanjunga is a condominium of 32 luxury apartments of four
different types, varying from 3-6 bedrooms each. The tower has a proportion of 1:4
(being 21ms square and 84 ms High).

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Location: Mumbai

Year of completion: 1983 In Mumbai, a building has to be oriented east-west to catch

the prevailing sea-breezes, and to open up the best views in the city: the Arabian Sea
on one side and the harbor on the other. But unfortunately are also the directions of
the hot sun and the heavy monsoon rains. The old bungalows solve these problems by
wrapping a protective layer of verandah around the main building areas, thus
providing the occupants with two lines of defense against the elements. (an attempt
to deal with the context and climate of Mumbai).

SECTION OF THE TERRACE

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3.ANALYSIS

3.1 ANALYSIS FROM CASE STUDY

3.1.1 KANCHANJUNGA APARTMENTS, MUMBAI

The verandah or the buffer zones are faced to gardens. The two floor terraces acts as
a mediator between the internal and external spaces by becoming the ordering
element of the building. The structure is built around a central service core. In all types
of unit privacy in various spaces has been achieved. Bedroom and study room is placed
to higher level which gives visual as well as sound privacy. Placement of kitchen is in
such a way that it is not visible from living and dining. Balconies are concealed and
terrace garden gives its own green space to relax. Physical privacy is obtained by use
of levels. The internal apartment layout is designed to separate noisier spaces from
quieter spaces by grouping uses within an apartment i.e. bedrooms with bedrooms
and service areas like kitchen, bathroom, laundry together.

In individual apartment placement of windows and balconies is done without much

consideration but in grouped apartment it is considered as it should not overlook
straight to neighbouring buildings windows and balconies. In individual apartment
long corridor space is seen, but is not seen in grouped. In grouped apartment space
has been maintained between buildings whereas in individual setback is considered.
Landscaping is done in grouped for improving privacy but not seen much in individual
apartment. In both case private area like bedroom, toilet are placed outer area of the
plan.

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4.RESULTS

4.1 IDENTIFYING THE FEATURES AND

CHARACTERISTICS
The most important features and characteristics of apartment that will influence
privacy are:

 Topography

 Street alignment

 Extent of gardens and private open space for every inhabitant at every level.

 Landscaping, water bodies and vegetation

 Patterns of use

 Building mass and height

 Layout

 Placement of blocks

 Setbacks

 Circulation

 Vertical movement

 Openings

 Sound insulation

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5: CONCLUSION
5.1 INFERENCE
Provide active fronts to streets and public space and inactive backs to the private realm.
Separate communal open space, common areas and access routes from window of rooms,
particularly habitable rooms.

Visual privacy from outside can be obtained by using solid or semi solid balustrades, recessing
balconies and/or vertical fins between adjacent balconies, using louvers or screen panels and
providing vegetation as a screening between spaces.

In any sort of dense residential situation adequate acoustical infiltration requires to be

minimized in order to achieve a decent quality of life. Provide adequate building separation
within the development and from neighbouring building. Noise disturbance can be reduced by
locating busy, noisy areas next to each other and quieter areas next to quiet rooms

My studies analyzed the apartment arrangement, design methods used for various activities
for receiving privacy and could noted out the various features and characteristics that
influence the privacy and came out with design strategies to overcome the problems. Thereby
could develop privacy. Thus can offer them such a better home, increase quality of life, they
are set to accept it.

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