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Work onboard ships is widely recognized as both physically and mentally challenging. With the introduction of digitalization and automated processes, work roles are expected to face changes. Crew sizes are expected to decrease, raising work demands upon the remaining crew members. Under such daily conditions, opportunities for rest, recreation, and recovery during off-duty periods become all the more critical. 

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) is a general indicator of the quality of conditions within a space (e.g., air quality, noise, lighting) as well as functional aspects (layout, access to equipment, and adequacy of space for intended activities), aiming to enhance occupants’ well-being. 

This pre-study investigated, from the crew’s perspective, which components constitute well-designed accommodation with high IEQ, with the intention of producing practical design suggestions and supporting crews in identifying the features necessary to foster well-being, targeting improved social sustainability, recruitment and retention, and providing inputs for future ship newbuilds and retrofits. 

Key findings from semi-structured interviews (N=8) were organized into six overarching themes: Privacy (e.g. access to a private cabin and locker-room privacy); Personal Space (e.g. possibility to personalize one’s cabin); Comfort and Homeliness (e.g. noise and vibration reduction, comfortable furniture, good sleep hygene); Social and Recreational Opportunities (e.g. hobby rooms, flexible social areas); Health and Wellness Facilities (e.g. functional gym and sauna facilities); Functional and Technological Aspects (e.g. reliable WiFi, function-based design of common areas). 

These themes and user-defined requirements were translated into conceptual design implications for cabins, dayrooms, wellness areas, service areas and technical infrastructure, and subsequently transferred to professional interior designers. Spatial concepts were then generated, including 2D layouts and 3D visual interpretations for three selected domains: cabins, social/dayroom and hobby spaces, and wellness and fitness facilities. These conceptual outputs demonstrate how crew‑defined requirements can be operationalized into concrete accommodation design proposals, supporting both future ship newbuilds and retrofits.