Implementation of Social Criteria in Atrium Design of Commercial Buildings in Malaysia

The studies of social aspect in atrium design are still lacking compared to the environmental aspect. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify social criteria in atrium design and their application in commercial buildings located in Klang Valley, Malaysia. There are two research methods conducted, namely the literature study and the qualitative descriptive research. A list of social criteria in atrium design had been made based on the previous studies. Four commercial buildings in Klang Valley that have atriums were examined via the qualitative descriptive method. The checklist of the social criteria listed from the first method was referred in examining the implementation of these criteria at the selected atriums. The findings of the study show that the implementation of social criteria in the atrium design of the selected buildings still need improvement. The atrium space needs to be designed for visual and physical accessibilities by all groups of users. It must also have flexibility to cater for various space functions and activities. The high consideration of social criteria in atrium design will enable the continuous usage of atrium and eventually provide great social benefits to the users. The findings of this study can be used as a reference in designing an atrium in commercial building, especially for the tropical climate.