Visual privacy and family intimacy: a case study of Malay inhabitants living in two-storey low-cost terrace housing

The authors report on a study of visual privacy, family intimacy, and building elements of two-storey low-cost terrace housing in an urban area in Malaysia. They examine behavioural and physical regulating mechanisms used to achieve privacy among Malay Muslim inhabitants of the housing units studied. They also look at the consequences of the lack of privacy on the inhabitants over a period of time. Their findings support the premise that cultural values influence housing and that religious understanding influences mechanisms used to regulate visual privacy and intimacy.