Effects of Dormitory Design Factors on Migrant Workers’ Mental Health in Singapore

Migrant workers face vulnerability and unique mental health challenges in their host countries. Housing designs may affect the residents’ mental health, yet few studies have investigated this relationship in the migrant worker dormitory context. In this study, we investigated this question by surveying the design factors of migrant workers’ dormitories and their mental health states measured by the short version of the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). We found that those migrant workers’ mental health is correlated with whether one has a pleasant window view, defined as green, blue (water feature) or long-distance view. The findings suggest that the elements of nature in architectural design to residents’ mental health are important in the context of migrant worker dormitories. It is vital to incorporate more elements of nature in the design and renovation of migrant worker dormitories, especially the quick-built dormitories, to improve workers’ mental health. This study is especially timely in informing regulations on the standard of dormitory design by drawing attention to the mental health considerations of such designs and highlighting the importance of elements of nature in improving migrant workers’ mental health.