Transformation of Residential Spaces Design After the

Pandemic in Sultanate of Oman

Rania A. Osman 1, Eatezaz A. Mustafa 2, Noshaba K. Maryam 3

1
Assistant Professors, Oman College of Management and Technology, Oman
2
Assistant Professors, Oman College of Management and Technology, Oman
3
Lecturer, Oman College of Management and Technology, Oman

Abstract. In great crises there are always opportunities. The pandemic COVID -19 led to
many changes in buildings. In the Sultanate of Oman, users' perceptions of their homes were
affected by the lockdown. The aim of this research is to understand the impact of the pandemic
on the design of residential Spaces in Sultanate of Oman. A literature review is included to give
an overview of the perception of socializing activities and privacy throughout history and dur-
ing the COVID-19 lockdown in the Arab region with special emphasis on Sultanate of Oman.
The pandemic has resulted in more time being spent at home, which presents new challenges
and greatly changes the perception of users in their homes. A survey was conducted to under-
standing the users' perceptions of home design after the pandemic. Research findings regarding
post-pandemic architecture and residential design include changes in the perception of privacy,
additional space requirements, natural light and natural ventilation requirements, more indoor
plants, storage rooms, entrance lobby with toilet and sanitary areas, office, and printing facili-
ties, quit zone for reading and relaxing, balconies, inner courtyard, terrace, farming yard and
other spaces that should be integrated into residential building design.

Keywords: Transformation, Residential Spaces, User perception, COVID-19, Privacy.

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1 Introduction

COVID -19 Virus was confirmed in the Sultanate of Oman on February 24, 2020.
The highest number of cases was in Muscat. It was the most affected state accounting
for more than 70% of all cases in Oman. In April, the entire Governorate was placed
under lockdown. The lockdown was extended twice and lifted on June 29. Omani
families had to spend more time in their homes because of the quarantine period. As a
result, many residents had grave doubts about their residence, feeling that their homes
were obviously lacking many amenities that would have made them more suitable if
they had been designed differently. Residents experienced numerous problems during
the lockdown due to the design which lack essential amenities. The majority of Arab-
Islamic families value privacy, which leads many designers to build housing units,
with spaces were small and cramped, the designs were rigid, windows and openings
are minimized so as not to reveal the interior spaces of the houses, although there are
many ways that can be followed by the designer, so as not to deprive residents of the
view and natural light, while maintaining family privacy.

Oman since 1970 has witnessed a significant development in almost all aspects of
the public as well as the private sector. Many policies have been issued and imple-
mented in all Governorates (equivalent to States) of Oman. It aims to provide a suffi-
cient supply of housing as well as housing that is adequate for Omani households
which are classified as low income. (Ministry of Information 2013). Assessing the
housing adequacy and supply/demand seems to be essential in examining the success
or failure of housing projects in Oman. The fact that such a study is needed was iden-
tified by (Alndabi, 2010) where he has recommended the need for more ―studies in-
volving low-income residents in order to develop housing patterns that meet needs of
low-income population in the community‖. The main objective of this study is to
analyses the users' perceptions of home design after the pandemic and to study the
impact of the pandemic on the design of residential Spaces in Sultanate of Oman. This
study also investigated if there are significant differences in occupant satisfaction of
residential space designs before and after the pandemic and will study the major mod-
ification needed to increase this satisfaction rate.

2 Literature Review

2.1 Greater Muscat:

Greater Muscat is based on a diversified economic base. It is absorbed by Barak
and revolves around a financial, knowledge and innovation-based economy, including
the logistics and tourism sectors. The city is at the forefront of the Gulf Cooperation
Council as its natural features attract people to live, work and recreate together. Mus-
cat is known as a world-class city of development and progress, with outstanding
modern features and a rich heritage built on a solid foundation of cultural traditions
 3

and original Omani values. The city of Muscat has evolved into a metropolis firmly
based on Oman's traditional cultural values, enhancing its status as a capital city. New
urbanization patterns are developing medium and high density, creating a unique
heritage area.

2.2 Historical Background about Housing in sultanate of Oman:

According to Shaykh Muhmud bin Zahir al Hina‘(an eminent expert on historical

buildings and vernacular building techniques.) the master builder was traditionally
responsible for designing houses for ordinary people. Figure one shows the houses
belong to the elite which designed to large extent by the owner themselves. Examples
of houses built for Shaykhs still survive in my towns. Once the plan of building was
determined and marked out on site, the foundation trenches were dug. The majority of
traditional Omani houses Consisted of only two storeys. The Roof area was often
used as living area and was enclosed by a 1- meter-high parapet. Slanted openings are
set into the wall, some sloping downwards and designed for shooting at people at
below.

Fig.1 Illustrates of traditional housing in Oman, Ref. (Damluji, 1998)

The Main reception area is terms (sablah); this room was designated for entertain-
ing guests, its importance indicated by its position next to the main entrance and its
generous proportions. The First Floor is names the (sufaf), the second and third floor
are known as (ghuraf), from (Ghurfah) meaning ‗room‘ . the room on the top floor of
house, used as a space for seclusion, is known as the (gharabiyyah). The (dahriz) is a
semi-covered area preceding the (Suffah) on the ground or first floor or loggia, pre-
ceding the room on the first and second floor and running directly above (dahriz) is
known as the ‗ (arshah) to differentiate it from (dahriz). The aesthetic quality found
in vernacular settlements, towns and cities across the Arab and Islamic world is the
result of skills practiced in the design of buildings; the social, economic, cultural,
political factors that defined the function of those spaces; and a sensitive response to
the surrounding environment. Traditional Islamic culture, in general, was based on a
system of well- designed geometric and cultural concepts that were acquired through
research, accumulated knowledge and wisdom.
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2.3 Sociability factors in Omani Houses:

Oman is one of the few countries that are still tightly linked to its traditional identity
and does not compromise cherished traditions and social values; this is reflected in
both architectural façade of many different houses and in the house layout. Residents
were live in many types of houses such as single-family, twin villas, traditional Arab
courtyard houses and apartments. However, apartments are more common among
expatriates who cover 58% of the population in Muscat. While resident live in the
newly developing district where single-family villas dominate (Wolfgang , 2021)
The term density, regarding population per spatial unit and buildings in terms of
floor space and plot coverage, reflect to the local cultural and climatic conditions and
has to be, in the time of the pandemic, be critically reviewed. The prevailing building
type of a single-family villa for new residential areas were reduce further the average
building and population density (Wolfgang , 2021) multi-storey apartment blocks
might not lead to the desired outcome when housing needs and housing preferences of
the local population are not considered Even though the maximum building height in
MCA is limited by the building code to eight floors. ( Al Gharibi, 2014)

Household size, age group and social needs:

The average household size of between 5–9 members, which is in line with the cur-
rent average household size according to the last population census in 2018 (NCSI,
2021), Affordability decreases in importance with growing household size while a
garden/yard and a number of sleeping rooms become more important for larger
households. The age group 30–39 years inform most of the family in Oman, more
important therefore is a significant Separate entrance between males and females. The
gender role socialization of housework, the routine and occasional tasks that are nec-
essary for the maintenance of the home, presents a common household activi-
ty(Wolfgang, 2021). The obligation dictated by Governments responding to the
COVID-19 pandemic to stay at home added new value to domestic spaces. spatial
organization of the house linked to psychosocial outcomes such as social isolation,
social control, and psychological distress ( Evans et al., 2003).

2.4 Privacy in Omani Houses.

Privacy is a kind of use and control-based right justified authority over specific
items – like a room or personal information (Moore, 2010). it has extended beyond
their original concern—threats to private space, particularly the home—to encompass
personal security, self-fulfillment, and identity, including the organization of family
life and relationships (Roessler, et al., 2015) with the five discrete dimensions are:
physical and psychological integrity; decisional. the kinds of privacy rules found in
different cultures will be dependent on a host of variables including climate, religion,
technological advancement, and political arrangements which relate to the autonomy
and normative agency of individuals.
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The nature of housing settlements in many Omani cities, including Muscat, reflects
elements like those in other Islamic and Arab cities, particularly in the Arabian Penin-
sula. Many cities are surrounded by walls and are usually entered through city gate.
Settlements are usually densely populated and sometimes include palm gardens irri-
gated by the Aflaj, the predominant water distribution system. The houses are low and
usually have only two or three stories. A house is ―a reflection of cultural and envi-
ronmental relations, and it provides a window to see how different cultures relate to
their physical environments. The house is assumed to be the most private place and
has a greater value to women in Islam as the place where women should feel free to
be informal, remove their Hijab. A traditional Omani house is a house that expresses a
historical style, has its own basic elements and unique architectural decorations, and
is found in urban areas. Many elements have been used in Omani‘s houses to achieve
privacy such as: the courtyard, the Mashrabyah, the narrow entrance, high fences, and
linear narrow window. Figure two shows some features of Omani cities.

Muscat city gate Aflaj irrigation system Oman Mashrabiya

Fig.2 Features of Omani cities and houses, Ref. (Damluji, 1998)

Standards were set up by the planning authorities to attain maximum privacy be-
tween housing units. Standards thus use privacy as a design priority set by the build-
ing code and suppose the building position to be central on its plot, with a limited
built-up area for each plot of 40% (Al Gharibi, 2014)

2.5 The Contemporary Omani dwellings.

Housing in Oman is mostly based on national plans set by the ministry of housing
and urban planning. The plan of 2025 target is to distribute 23,000 units, 4000 already
distributed. generally, social housing units where many attached one-story houses
were built on governmental land and offered to low-income Omani citizens.
Social housing policy in Oman provides three different programs: Residential
Units Program, Housing Assistance Program, and Housing Loans Program. While the
first program aims to build and provide new housing, the second and the third offer
financial support to low-income Omani people to purchase or build new housing or
even to renew or expand their old residential units.
The Residential Units Program has been implemented under the social housing
policy in Oman. It has been applied since 1973. It is a governmental grant that pro-
vides free housing units to Omani households with monthly income of 400 OMR or
less (Ministry of Housing, 2011). The Ministry of Housing is the housing agency
which takes the responsibility for choosing locations, designs, constructors, number of
6

storeys, as well as number of rooms for each housing unit. Generally, this social hous-
ing is built together as attached housing in one location as a project or as one detached
house. All cities in the Sultanate have various locations of this housing.
These houses are provided, normally, with bedrooms, living room, majlis (place
for visitors), kitchen, toilets and yard. Although they mostly have one basic design,
not all units have the same numbers of bedrooms and toilets. The family size is taken
into consideration. Families that have one or two persons are provided with a one-
bedroom unit, while families that have three to seven people are provided with a two-
bedroom unit. On the other hand, families with eight people or more are provided
with a unit that has three or four bedrooms. Figure three shows two samples of hous-
ing design implemented by the Ministry of Housing in Oman.

One bedroom housing 3 Bedrooms– 2 stories Housing

Fig.3 Samples of housing Plans of Oman. The Ministry of Housing, Ref. researchers

2.6 COVID-19 impact on residential building Design

In history, much of modernist architecture can be understood as a consequence of

the fear of disease. Le Corbusier lifted his houses off the humid ground to avoid con-
tamination. Architects collaborated with progressive doctors to build other sanatori-
ums across Europe. ―Tuberculosis helped make modern architecture modern. As tu-
berculosis shaped modernism, so covid-19 and our collective experience of staying
inside for months on end will influence architectures near future. Spending so long in
one place might require an environment that can change more freely so that we don‘t
get bored, Acoustic divisions have become more important while the family is
crammed in together all day long, Personal spaces need to be both virtually connected
and physically enriching even during social distancing. All these considerations will
be taken into account as they assess their home in the future.
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3 Methodology

The study was based on primary data collected through a designed questionnaire.
This data was interpreted through simple statistical analysis that include basics results
about detailed consideration of satisfaction rate. Studying the phenomenon, the
emerging problem, and the targeted solutions, the impact of the emergence of the
pandemic was carried out, by describing, inductive methods, by reviewing the previ-
ous literature related to the research problem. The analytical methods lie in analyzing
the collected information, and exploration method to explain the resident satisfaction
in the lock of COVID-19, Sultanate of Oman, and a written questionnaire was used in
the study. The determination of sample size 200 samples in Oman college manage-
ment technology OCMT, Sultanate of Oman interior design department students to
gain access to the study subjects and the population can be stratified factors sam-
ple using c electronic mail. the closed-ended questions require the respondent to
choose from among a given set of responses, and the set of questions asks respondents
to make self-assessments.

4 Result Analysis

Subject‘s participants in the study were students of the interior design department at
Oman College of Management and Technology. The study is based on 200 responses
to a circulated questionnaire. The number of female participants 22% higher than that
of males (122 female subjects and 78 male subjects). An equal representation of the
two genders was not achieved due to the ratio of female to male in the interior design
department in the college of Oman. Most of the questionnaire participants were be-
tween 20-25 years old. 51% of them are living in single family detached houses,
while the other 49% is living in high rise buildings. 17% is living in a building with 2-
4 floors and 32% is in 5-10 floors building. Only 1% of the studied sample is living in
an area less than 150 square meter. 33% is living in an area of more than 150 and less
than 350. The other 66% is living in an area more than 350 square meters.

Fig. 4 Studied sample sex, housing type and housing total area. Ref. researchers.
8

Samples satisfaction with their homes during COVID-19 lockdown:

More than 51% of the subjects indicated that they were not satisfied with the build-
ing layout and the spaces arrangement. The rest of the sample consist of 31% satisfied
and only 18% was very satisfied. 59% indicated that they re-arranged their houses
during the lockdown. The main modification mentioned were arrangements of furni-
ture‘s, additional dividers for visitors, additional plants, and waste disposal areas.
Figure 5 summarizes the respondent‘s satisfaction for all aspects of Interior design
related to summer indoor air quality, winter indoor air quality, natural ventilation,
noise, natural daylight, views from inside the building to outside, landscape setting,
and indoor plants. Among these major aspects, the study found highest dissatisfaction
with the summer indoor air quality (59%), Landscape (58%), Indoor plants (58%),
and the views from inside the building to outside (57%).

Fig. 5 Studied sample satisfaction rate of Design aspects. Ref. researchers.

The highest rate of dissatisfaction was recorded in the satisfaction rate of the stor-
age facilities (63%), and the office working area (62%).

Fig.6 Studied sample satisfaction rate of working are, and storage area, Ref. researchers.
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5 Discussion and Recommendation

The summary analysis gives an overview of the survey questions results which en-
sure that more than 50% of the subjects were not satisfied with the building layout
and the spaces arrangement. The plans of the housing units shown in figure three
demonstrate that spaces are small and layouts include a staircase that's next to the
door, adjoining bedrooms, and no views from bedrooms or living rooms to outside.
Storage spaces and working areas were not adequate, this was confirmed with the
lower rate of satisfaction recorded for the storages and office working area (44%).
Overall, occupants in two villas and in apartments were both not satisfied with the
level of natural daylight penetrating spaces and this can be confirmed by the ratio of
opening area in comparison with the building envelope area in the housing plans
which show a very narrow windows. Occupants in villas were more satisfied with the
view from outside to inside, noise, and garden.

To obtain a better satisfaction rate, this recommendation should be taken into consid-
eration:

5.1 Architects should investigate the major modification needed to increase this
satisfaction rate of residents in their residential unit especially after COVID-19.

5.2 Client engagement should be taken into consideration and suggested modification
by respondents need more study to be incorporated into housing design.

5.3 A change in the perception of privacy is an essential concept which needs to be

applied by architects to ensure proper indoor air quality and adequate natural light to
the spaces.

5.4 Additional spaces are required in housing units like (Indoor plants, storage
rooms, entrance lobby with toilet and sanitary areas, office, and printing facilities,
quit zone for reading and relaxing, balconies, inner courtyard, terrace, farming yard
and other spaces that should be integrated into residential building design.

5.5 In the future, this study will continue to survey more buildings, in an effort to
build a substantial database that may be useful in developing an building design for
residential units in Oman.

The outcome of this research provides guidelines to Ministry of Housing in Oman

to adjust and improve the building plans provided after COVID-19 to increase the
users satisfaction rate and allows the building users to change their behavior or use
habits, to improve the occupants' satisfaction, comfort, and productivity.
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6 Conclusion

This study explored residents' perceptions of the layout of residential units in build-
ings. Therefore, the research focused on understanding the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on the design of residential spaces in Oman. This study successfully ad-
dressed the research questions posed by an imperial investigation. Researchers found
that residents' perceptions are changing regarding privacy, additional space require-
ments, natural light, and natural ventilation. Furthermore, residents expressed deep
concern about indoor plants, storage rooms, a toilet lobby, and sanitary areas. Having
lived through COVID-19, residents are concerned about the extra space needed for
utilities. Accordingly, the findings of the present study provide valuable insights into
building design in Oman. This study provides a foundation for future research. This
research serves as a guideline for developers and designers of buildings so that their
clientele voices are heard. The outcomes of this study are therefore relevant to build-
ers and the real estate industry. By considering the customers' needs in their plans, the
study provides guidance for the industry to solve customer problems by identifying
residents' problems and presenting them as part of the literature.

7 References:

1. Moore, A. D. (2010). Privacy Rights. Moral and Legal Foundations. Penn State
University Press.
2. Wolfgang Scholz (2021). Appropriate Housing Typologies, Effective Land Man-
agement and the Question of Density in Muscat, Oman Sustainability 13(22),
12751; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212751
3. (Alndabi, 2010)
4. Damluji Salma (1998). The Architecture of Oman: Garnet.
5. Al Gharibi, H. (2014). Urban Growth from Patchwork to Sustainability Case
Study: Muscat. Ph.D. Thesis, TU Berlin, Berlin, Germany, Google Scholar
6. Beate Roessler, Dorota Mokrosinska (2015). The Social Dimensions of Privacy In
book, Privacy in the Family chapter, Cambridge University Press.
7. NCSI (National Center for Statistics and Information). Oman. Muscat—Average
Household Size—Omani—Total. Available online : https :// data.gov. om /wnewgpb/
income- expenditure?tsId=1041130 (Accessed on 18 August 2021).
8. Ministry of Information, 2013. Available online: HTTPs://mitci.govmu.org/Site
Pages/Index.aspx. (Accessed on 18 August 2021).
9. Ministry of Housing, 2011 Available online: HTTPs:/ /eservices. hous-
ing.gov.om/eng/Pages/default.aspx. (Accessed on 18 August 2021).