Healthy Homes Must Have Lighting and Ventilation Like This

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Natural lighting and ventilation are crucial factors in maintaining the health and comfort of residents. Therefore, the concept of a habitable home is an important matter that needs to be understood, especially amid population growth and the continuously increasing need for housing. “Every person has the right to live in a decent home, a shelter that is safe, healthy, and comfortable for growth and living life,” said the Director of Housing and Settlement Area Technical Development, Syamsiar Nurhayadi, quoted from the Habitable Home Pocket Book, Saturday (09/05/2026). Technically, the area of openings for lighting should be at least around 10 percent of the floor area, while ventilation should be at least 5 percent of the floor area. For example, for a 3 x 3 metre room, at least a glass window with a surface area of 9,000 square centimetres is needed, or a window measuring 90 x 100 centimetres or 60 x 150 centimetres or 50 x 180 centimetres. Meanwhile, a house is a building that functions as a habitable dwelling, a means of family development, a reflection of the dignity and status of its occupants, and an asset for its owner. A habitable home is one that meets building safety requirements, minimum adequate building area, and the health of its occupants. Slum settlements are settlements that are uninhabitable due to building disorder, high building density, and building quality as well as facilities and infrastructure that do not meet the requirements. Besides the lighting and ventilation criteria, there are four other criteria that make a house declared habitable. These include building durability and safety; adequacy of occupant space; access to decent drinking water; and access to decent sanitation. Here is the explanation: 1. Building Durability and Safety The building safety aspect relates to the reliability of the house structure to ensure safety for occupants. The building structure must consist of sturdy components, from foundations, columns, walls, to roof frames.