Abstract:
Recently, the world has encountered a number of crises such as earthquakes, tsunamis and the effects of global warming. Therefore, a house should be a place that provides safety for its inhabitants. Every country looks for new ways to construct houses which can withstand disasters. Japan, having been greatly affected by disasters, has invented a stronger and safer house called an innovative house. Besides safety, this house also provides its residents with higher living quality, energy conservation, health and comfort. Siam Cement Group has brought this innovation to Thailand under the name of SCG HEIM for those who are interested. According to a preliminary study, it was found that the importer made some adjustments to the house to make it more appropriate for the topography of Thailand. It was hoped that the innovation would be met with enthusiasm; however, the number of those who have shown interest so far is less than expected. Therefore, the researcher seeks to study Thai peoples opinions regarding this innovative house. The objective of the research is to study and analyze the opinions of those who have shown interest in SCG HEIM houses. The researcher compared the Siam Cement Group criteria in selecting certain features of the innovation to be included in SCG HEIM and the opinions of potential buyers of SCG HEIM. The research found that the main factor influencing those who came to see the model house in deciding what features were most necessary was the expense. They considered their primary necessity to be their health and the main features involved were ventilation and insulation. Their secondary concerns were living comfort, after-sales service, ability to control the budget and innovation. What they think were unnecessary innovations were earthquake-safety, insulated double pane glass to keep heat away and durable ceramic tiles. Their reasons were that these features are not appropriate for the climate and topography of Thailand. The research proposes that Siam Cement Group should keep such features as earthquake-safety, insulated double pane glass and ceramic tiles as options. This is because those who are interested in buying SCG HEIM will build it on their own land with their own contractor and this will allow them to choose what they want, better serving the consumers needs. It was also found that a large number of people were interested in the house but were concerned with the expense. The researcher thinks that there should be an opinion survey of people who actually live in the house. This will be beneficial for both those who are interested in SCG HEIM and the operator of SCG HEIM.