Analysing the Impact of Interior Design on Indoor Ventilation in Low-Income Housing of Mumbai

The deteriorated indoor environment not only creates thermal discomfort but also coerce the inhabitants to utilize energy-intensive cooling measures. This calls for a design outline to improve the indoor environment in order to sustain good health. Interior design, despite a subject of individual choice and socio-cultural practices, has a spin-off influence on the indoor environment. The objective of this study is to identify and explore the association between interior design parameters and indoor ventilation perception. The study was initiated with a target-group primary survey of 80 low-income households. Information pertaining to the tenement’s room characteristics, fenestration design aspects, occupant behaviour and furniture details were reckoned. Logistic Principal Component Analysis (LPCA) coupled with an ordered probit regression model, were performed to analyse the impact of indoor built-environment on indoor ventilation perception. Results explained that the households with smaller room area, attached to the double-loaded corridor, located at lower floors and with higher household size had a higher proclivity towards experiencing poor ventilation. A strong and statistically significant correlation was also observed between window-related variables, such as number, location, opening schedule with ventilation perception. This study establishes that interior design parameters might strongly impact the indoor ventilation, and hence should be rationally designed for a better future and also should be incorporated in future low-income habitat design guidelines.