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The application of Filipino anthropometric data in the design of house rooms

Conference Paper · November 2012

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Charles Ruel Novabos

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Charles Ruel G. Novabosa and Ronald Aaron U. Pob

Abstract— The workstations at home, e.g. kitchen, dining room, passageway, stairway, or other means of exit is not of sufficient
bedroom, are often unsuited to their specific users. Human width or size” are dangerous. Thus the NBCP has required
characteristics like age, gender, and race have to be taken in. In dimensions for doorways, aisles, rooms, and even seats.
the Philippines where rooms and furniture are made in standard
measurements, there is a problem on suitability to Filipino users. This paper aims to establish the appropriate design
This paper aims to establish the appropriate Filipino specifications for rooms and home furniture that correspond to
design specifications for rooms and home furniture. These Filipino body measurements.
dimensions are then compared to corresponding dimensions
stated in the National Building Code of the Philippines to check II. METHODOLOGY
for coherence.
The findings of this study will aid home builders and A. Input
furniture manufacturers in their design of rooms and furniture
for use by Filipinos. Also, the findings will be used to recommend Relevant body dimensions and other design specifications
applicable revisions to the specifications stated in the National of rooms and house furniture were gathered. Actual
Building Code of the Philippines. anthropometric data to match these dimensions were also
gathered [1].
Keywords-anthropometry; house; rooms; furniture;
Philippines; building code B. Process
The anthropometric data gathered were used to establish
I. INTRODUCTION the appropriate Filipino design specifications for rooms and
Anthropometry is the study of the measurement of human home furniture. Then these dimensions are compared with
bodily features in terms of length, width, thickness, and corresponding dimensions stated in the NBCP to check for
circumference, among others. These body measurements are coherence.
commonly referred to as anthropometric data.
In the field of ergonomics, anthropometric data are used in C. Output
the design of furniture, tools, and workstations for ease and The findings of this study will aid home builders and
efficient use by their users. Ill-suited furniture and tools may furniture manufacturers in their design of rooms and furniture
result in injuries, undesired incidents, and ultimately the non- for use by Filipinos. Also, the findings will be used to
use of these tools. Poorly-designed workstations cause the user recommend applicable revisions to the specifications stated in
to assume uncomfortable postures which eventually result to the National Building Code of the Philippines.
physical strain and discomfort.
Unknowingly, we immerse ourselves in the workstations III. RESULTS
found in our own homes every day—the kitchen where we
This section presents the established dimensions of rooms
prepare our food, the dining room where we sup, and the
and furniture using relevant Filipino anthropometric data [1].
bedroom where we sleep in. In the Philippines, rooms and
furniture are designed using international standards. However,
characteristics like age, gender, and race have to be taken in. A. Rooms
The major consideration here is ceiling height. Other
Republic Act 6541, known as the National Building Code dimensions like length and width will ultimately depend on the
of the Philippines (NBCP), provides design specifications of layout and objects in the room.
rooms and structures to ensure their soundness and safety,
including suitability to Filipino users. Section 1.01.08, in The standing height of the tallest Filipino male (95th
particular, states that rooms where “any door, aisle, percentile) is 178 cm. Adding five inches (12.7 cm) to allow
for headgear and 15.75 inches (4 cm) for footwear, the Thus, the standing height for the 5th percentile female is
minimum acceptable ceiling height for rooms is therefore 194.7 used here, 89 cm. Four centimeters is added for footwear
cm. However, the actual ceiling height for rooms will depend allowance. The ideal kitchen countertop would be 93 cm. from
on the size of the desired lighting devices, among other the floor.
fixtures.
F. Single-person bed
B. Doorways Only the single-person beds are considered here since other
The relevant body dimensions here are (1) standing height beds have their standard sizes, i.e. queen size (60”x80”) and
for doorway height and (2) hip width or shoulder width for king size (76”x80”).
doorway width.
The relevant body dimensions here are (1) standing height
The established minimum acceptable standing height of for length and (2) hip width or shoulder width for width. The
194.7 cm can be applied for the doorway height. greatest values are to be used in order to fit the tallest and
stoutest Filipino user.
Comparing data on hip width and shoulder width, the
greatest value is hip width from the 95th percentile male, 54.80 From the available data, the greatest standing height is 178
cm. Two centimeters is added for clothing allowance. Thus, the cm (95th percentile male) while the greatest width is 54.80 cm
minimum acceptable door width is 56.80 cm. (hip width, 95th percentile male). Adding 2 cm clothing
allowances, the minimum acceptable bed dimensions are 180 x
C. Multi-purpose chairs 56.80 cm.
The relevant body dimensions here are buttock width, The average Filipino will fit in a Single Bed which is 75 x
popliteal height, and buttock-to-popliteal length. 39 in. (190 x 99 cm) in U.S. standards.
Buttock width is for the width of the seat. The greatest Table 1 summarizes the established room and furniture
value from the available data is 59 cm, which is from the 95th dimensions based on Filipino anthropometric data.
percentile male. Two centimeters is added as clothing
allowance. The minimum acceptable seat width is 61 cm. IV. DISCUSSION
Popliteal height is used to determine the height of the seat This section discusses the comparison between the
from the floor. Generally, seat height should be low enough so established dimensions and their corresponding dimensions in
as to reduce pressure on the underside of the thigh, which could the National Building Code of the Philippines.
cut blood flow to the legs. The value to be used is 36 cm
coming from the 5th percentile female. Adding four A. Rooms
centimeters for footwear allowance, the ideal seat height is 40
cm. Section 3.01.08 says that “habitable rooms, bathrooms,
toilet rooms and utility rooms shall have a height of not less
The buttock-to-popliteal length is used to determine the seat than 240 centimeters (8 feet), measured from floor to ceiling.”
depth. The lowest value is to be used here in order for the
shortest person to recline on his seat comfortably. The value to From the previous section, the minimum acceptable ceiling
be used is 40 cm. coming from the 5th percentile female. height for rooms is 194.7 cm.
Adding two centimeters for clothing allowance, the ideal seat The stipulated height requirement (240 cm) is greater than
depth is 42 cm. the established minimum height (194.7 cm). The difference of
There are no values for sitting shoulder height which could 49.3 cm must already include the allowance for dangling
have been used in determining the height of the backrest. lighting devices, tall furniture, required airspace per person,
and more importantly, the very few Filipino people who are
D. Dining table extraordinarily tall. (It is worth noting that the room height of
240 cm is the same as the room height requirement in the
The major consideration here is table height. Length and United States.)
width may depend on many factors such as how many people
to fit in the table.
TABLE I. ESTABLISHED FILIPINO DIMENSIONS
The ideal table height is the seat height plus thigh clearance
height. The established seat height (from Section C) is 40 cm. Dimension Measurement
The greatest thigh clearance height from the data available is Room ceiling height (minimum acceptable) 194.70 cm.
16.50 cm from the 95th percentile male. Thus, ideal table height Doorway height (minimum acceptable) 194.70 cm.
is 56.50 cm. Doorway width (minimum acceptable) 56.80 cm.
Seat width (minimum acceptable) 61 cm.
E. Kitchen counter tops Seat height (ideal) 40 cm.
Work performed on kitchen counters, i.e. slicing, chopping, Seat depth (ideal) 42 cm.
stirring, must be done at or slightly below elbow height. For Dining table height (ideal) 56.50 cm.
this, it is practical to design kitchen counters such that the Kitchen counter top height (ideal) 93 cm.
shortest possible person would be able to work comfortably. Single bed (minimum acceptable) 180 x 56.80 cm.
 Since the established value was based solely on VI. RECOMMENDATION
anthropometric data, it does not include other allowances
which may have been incorporated in the required height by  Revise the seat width stated in the NBCP from 45 cm to
the Code. 61 cm to fit the stoutest Filipino male.
Nonetheless, it is safe to say that the average Filipino can
well fit inside a room with a height of 190.7 cm. This would be VII. AREAS FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION
preferable to those home owners who want to keep their room
heights to a minimum to save on air-conditioning and painting  The anthropometric data used in this study are obtained
costs. from Filipino adults. Further studies dealing with the
design of furniture for a specific subset of the population
B. Doorways (i.e. kindergarten stools and tables, furniture for
Section 8.01.07 states that “every required exit doorway retirement homes) will require anthropometric data from
shall be of a size as to permit the installation of a door not less their corresponding users.
than 90 centimeters (3 feet) in width and not less than 200
centimeters (6 feet, 7 inches) in height.”  This study includes only six pieces of furniture and
The established doorway height of 194.7 cm is smaller than fixtures commonly found in Filipino homes. A further
the required height of 200 cm. Thus, it is clear that the required study can include additional objects.
height is sufficient.
 The dimensions established in this study can only
The established doorway width of 56.80 cm is almost half accommodate able-bodied persons. Further studies must
that of the required width of 90 cm. So the required doorway also allow for people on wheelchairs and those needing
width is also sufficient. The difference must have accounted crutches, canes, and walkers.
for the possibility of two persons passing through at the same
time (such as in an emergency situation). But nonetheless, the REFERENCES
width of 56.80 cm is acceptable for the average Filipino.
[1] J. L. Lu, “Anthropometric measurement of Filipino manufacturing
C. Seats workers,” International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics , vol. 37, pp.
Section 8.01.01 states that “the width of any seat shall be 497-503, 2007.
not less than 45 centimeters (1 foot, 6 inches).” [2] A. Freivalds, “Niebel’s Methods, Standards, and Work Design”, Asia:
McGraw-Hill, 2009.
Against the established minimum seat width of 61 cm, the [3] G. Salvendy, “Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics”, New
stipulated measurement is inadequate, i.e. it doesn’t allow the York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997.
stoutest Filipino male to sit comfortably. Moreover, it would [4] W. Woodson, B. Tillman, and P. Tillman, “Human Factors Design
not even fit the average male or female Filipino, considering Handbook”, 2nd ed., New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1992.
the average buttock width for males is 48.45 cm and 47.66 cm [5] C. R. Novabos and J. Malonjao, “Anthropometric and other ergonomic
for females. But strictly following the “Design for all” interventions in the design of the Filipino pedicab,” unpublished.
principle, the minimum required seat depth should be raised to [6] BIFMA International, “Ergonomics Guidelines for VDT Furniture Used
in Office Workspaces,” Document G1-2002, 2002.
61 cm.
[7] Chan Robles Virtual Law Library, “The National Building Code of the
Philippines,” Retreived from
V. CONCLUSION
http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno6541.htm#REPUBLIC%20AC
T%20NO.%206541
After comparing the established dimensions with those [8] CSG Network, “The Standard Bed Size Chart,” Retreived from
stated in the National Building Code of the Philippines, the http://www.csgnetwork.com/bedsizes.html
researcher concludes that the required dimensions by the code
are reasonable and in fact more realistic than the established
dimensions because they already include all the necessary
allowances.

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