Identifying children’s perception of interior space to the earthquake disaster: A case study of elementary school students in Jakarta

Earthquake disasters affected several physical damages and left traumatic experiences to sensitive groups, especially children. This kind of damage results in after-effect risks from the earthquake. Associated with this condition, the United Nation has published that the number of countries with disaster risk reduction strategies starting in 2015 should be increased. This research is aimed to identify children’s perceptions after the earthquake disaster through virtual settings. The framework used a literature review and a simulation of 3D virtual model testing on a group of elementary school students in Jakarta using a certain model type of room and aperture (window). Colour and window size are the main parameters for data showing the children’s preferences. Potential parameters are expected to be produced as guidance and recommendations on the post-disaster (earthquake-specific) in the future design decision. The parameters are aimed to help decision makers and designers to reach disaster risk reduction, in relation with SDGs on social aspect for the future sustainable development of resilient infrastructure, communities, and cities.


Introduction
Natural disasters frequently occur in Indonesia.According to data from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), 10,792 earthquakes have occurred in Indonesia in 2022.Indonesia was struck by 41 earthquakes in total during the first two days of February 2023.Due to Indonesia's location at the meeting point of four tectonic plates, it frequently experiences earthquakes.The Indo-Australian, Eurasian, Pacific, and Philippine Sea Plate are the names of these tectonic plates.Indonesian earthquakes and tsunamis may result from active plate tectonic activity [1].As a result of an earthquake, damage can occur.Damage can be grouped into damage to the natural landscape, living creatures, and physical buildings.Damage to physical buildings includes residential buildings, public service buildings, places of education, places of worship, roads, and bridges.All this damage will affect the social and economic lives of the population [2].The picture below shows that the damage and impact of an earthquake disaster are not solely based on the recorded magnitude scale; the quality of the building and the condition of the surrounding environment also play a significant role.This severe damage to houses and schools certainly had a profound psychological effect on the sensitive group of victims and survivors, especially children.In this case, the traumatic impact experienced by children is not only caused by damage that results in fatalities.This impact can also be seen in children's responses to aftershocks in safety areas or refugee camps.The impact of physical damage to this building is closely related to users' perceptions.In this case, the lack of ability to read the situation in the artificial environment inside the building can also cause high levels of damage, even loss of life.This loss was not caused directly by the earthquake but was based on multi-casual factors [3].In post-disaster conditions, children who are also victims often see family members experiencing stress and tremendous anxiety.They were forced to live in temporary shelters and experienced many changes to their routine and environment.In general, children who are victims of disasters carry out their daily activities in emergency tents.With limited space and equipment, the situations become uncomfortable for children.This condition makes the traumatic recovery process take longer.In the event of an earthquake, many facilities and infrastructure were damaged.They were disrupting daily activities, including living areas such as bedrooms, study rooms, and playrooms.Florence Halstead, a human geography researcher from the University of Hull, said earthquakes can cause high anxiety levels and emotional trauma for children.The condition can lead to changes in the child's behaviour, including temper tantrums, insomnia, loss of appetite, and social withdrawal [4].The feelings of deep sorrow experienced by victims after experiencing a disaster cause deep trauma.The victims experience a maladaptive reaction that occurs after experiencing a traumatic experience.This maladaptive reaction may last for months or years and may only appear several months or years after exposure to a traumatic event.However, for most individuals or victims who have a traumatic experience of psychological distress to some degree, not all trauma victims develop the characteristics of acute stress disorder (ASD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Efforts to deal with victims of natural disasters are needed, which are still ongoing.In general, the definition of trauma is related to physical injury, tissue damage, injury, or shock.Meanwhile, psychological trauma is defined as severe and sudden anxiety due to events in a person's environment that exceed the limits of their ability to survive, overcome, or avoid [5].From these observations, the research team saw a hypothesis in the form of the possibility that reading traumatic elements in the spatial context that occurred in children could help in future planning for post-earthquake preparedness and recovery.This is based on the risk factors for the large number of victims caused by earthquakes, namely human behaviour towards the natural resources around them, community knowledge and preparedness for emergencies when disasters occur, as well as mitigation of these disasters, the ability to control themselves when facing disaster situations, and recovery post-disaster [6].This category includes development growth factors that are not adaptive to an environment prone to earthquake disasters.Apart from ensuring the quality of the building in terms of strength and resistance to earthquakes, sensitivity to reading the environmental situation by space users can increase awareness and become a means of education on disaster preparedness.This is done to improve the ability to mitigate (prevent) and adapt (post-disaster adjustment) to earthquake disasters.This sensitivity can be built by identifying the user's spatial experience through visual capabilities.Knowledge of pictorial depth cues has enriched spatial experience within given structural boundaries [7].Therefore, this research wants to be a medium for experimentation to identify the relationship between children's perceptions of space and the tendency for space to provide a sense of security and comfort after an earthquake.This issue holds the social and psychological aspect of children's perception and is related to how a community could grow and survive in the future by affording the suitable design decision of post disaster space that is child friendly.These aspects also bounded to an in line with the "2030 Sustainable Development Goals" adopted by the United Nations (UN), especially for goals related to the reduction of disaster risks represented in goals no.9: build resilient infrastructure and goals no.11: sustainable cities and communities.There are several things to pay attention to when explicitly talking about the psychological and social aspects of children, referring to the elements that make up interior space, such as colour, size, and other elements related to interior space.

Method 2.1. Framework
This study identifies what elements can capture the perception of space for children and their relation to earthquakes.These elements are identified in the form of data and digital visualization to make it easier to understand, as seen in Figure 2. The data in this study was obtained through literature studies (based on books, journals, and other reading sources, including news articles from news channels reporting the earthquake around Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, and Bekasi).All data collected from various sources are then analyzed and mapped to categorize the elements that make up spatial perception to find elements in space that can build awareness of earthquakes.Collected data was then tested on elementary school-age children (10-12 years) research subjects.Field research was conducted on 60 participants of grade 5 students at the elementary schools in West Jakarta.Participants, consisting of male and female students, were presented with several questions related to the earthquake disaster.In addition, participants were also given a simulated picture of space that provides a particular atmosphere presented in the form of 3dimensional visualization in a 360-degree format.This research is limited to experimentation and controlled by variables that represent perception of space for children.In some scientific publications, space perception is discussed as closely related to elements of a space, such as construction and material selection [8], size and shape [9], dimension/perceived spaciousness [10], pattern [11], colour [12], and lighting [13,7].Perception is essential in this study because there is a theory of Embodiment that states a figurative or abstract representation of the human body in an architectural context will enhance sensations considering its relation to the architectonic environment [14].Concerning earthquakes, damage due to deformation can occur on weak floors, known as soft stories, and a soft-story effect is caused by the wide openings on a certain level [15].Using inappropriate materials far from the stiffness, strength, and ductility principles will only shorten the building's integrity under the earthquake [3].In the presentation of the space simulation, variables such as colours and openings will be used to determine the perception of child users of space.

3D Model Set Up and Simulation Setting
The 3D Model setup refers to the minimal standard space for housing [16].The model represented a room without any spatial intervention and consisted of walls and a flat ceiling in light and dark colours (Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b).A different window wall ratio (WWR) was modelled in the building façade.At the same time, the space is set in a north-south orientation with no opening constraint.(Fig. 3c and Fig. 3d).Eon XR, open-source software for virtual reality with an Oculus, is used for modelling and measurement results of children's perception.In this simulation model, numerous assumptions were not included, such as sky condition, window glazing type and furniture.While the reflectance properties are acquired from material properties used in the interior surface, such as glass and colour for the space, the assumption is mentioned in Table 1.In addition, we took the children's perception measurements through the questionnaire to see the different preferences of space that were affected after a disaster.

Discussion
Data was collected on grade 5 elementary school students in West Jakarta aged 10-12.The majority of students are students who have experienced an earthquake at least once.As many as 77% of 60 child respondents had experienced an earthquake, as shown in Figure 4a.More than half (about 83%) of the participants were also quickly reminded of their feelings when experiencing an earthquake in the room.To have a depiction of the children's perception in the room, students are presented with a spatial simulation with measurements that have been designed: light-coloured space (Fig. 5a) and darkcoloured space (Fig. 5b).Each space is given a variable as predetermined, namely the intensity of light entering the room with artificial and natural lighting.Each assessment measures participants' interest and comfort in the space.
(a) (b) The results showed the tendency of participating students to be interested in spaces that have large openings and lighting intensity.The first room simulation with light-coloured rooms in Fig. 5a shows a trend of interest in spaces with large and multiple windows compared to rooms with smaller openings and without windows (relying only on artificial lighting from lights).As illustrated in Figure 6a, participants' responses to simulated lighter-colored spaces.More than 50% of participants felt more comfortable in a room with large windows compared to a room with less light intensity.Although the bar chart does not show a significant comparison between the three variables, from the general trend, it can be seen that more participants feel attracted and comfortable in a room with windows than in a room without windows.Similarly, the responses are shown by participants to darker-coloured rooms.The data displayed in chart (Fig. 6b) illustrates that participants feel more interested and comfortable in a room with greater lighting intensity from a window.Participant responses in Fig. 6b showed that none felt comfortable in a dark room without windows.In contrast, 70% of participants felt comfortable and interested in a dark room with large windows and lots of them.

Conclusion
Children have their perception of feeling comfort or in a 3D model setting visualization.Without overriding their taste as a subjective decision, the 3D model visualization offers options for the children that they are interested in.From the data, we know that approximately 35% of participants felt comfortable in a light-coloured room with no windows or small windows.In contrast, the number of participants who felt discomfort in a room without with small windows was much more significant in darker-coloured rooms.Participants' responses to space simulations with this variable were close to half of the total respondents.In general, it can be seen that a room with a lighter colour provides a greater sense of comfort and attraction to participants than a room with a darker colour.This sense of comfort and interest is seen even though the room with a lighter colour does not have a window.Colour, lighting, and view directing are strongly recommended for design practitioners to consider such elements to produce traumatic-safe spaces for children in post-disaster (earthquake) situations.We can conclude that brightness of colour, lighting intensity, and ability to see outside from within play a role in children's perception of a room.The brighter the colour of a room, the more interested they were.This also applies in terms of lighting aspect and view direction.The more intense lighting or access to view outside they obtain, the better feeling they will be affected.
This research produces results of experiments that possibly help designers and decision makers to reduce the disaster risk, in relation to earthquake disaster and children perception.Risk in this term refers to willingness and comfort within the space for children.Therefore, the results of this research can be used widely to guide further post disaster design (shelter, schools, or safe buildings for community).The results are associated with the social aspect for the future Sustainable Development Goals of resilient infrastructure, communities, and cities, in terms of education and guidance for further development, the quality of wellbeing, resilient infrastructure, and resilient community.Further research of these results still needs to be explored to reveal the potential of implementation.

Figure 3
Figure 3 (a) Light colour space and (b) Dark colour space simulation room without any opening while (c) Space with WWR 2% (d) Space with WWR 7%

Figure 4 .
Figure 4. (a) Response of participants related to their experience of the earthquake, (b) Participants experience remembering certain situations when the earthquake occurs.

Figure 6 .
Figure 6.(a) Result of Room Simulation with light colour, (b) dark colour