Built Environment & Spacial Sciences
http://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/5087
2024-03-28T04:09:44ZRethinking of the Adaptability in Mass Housing for Pandemic Situations
http://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/5175
Rethinking of the Adaptability in Mass Housing for Pandemic Situations
Kudasinghe, KSKNJ; Lakmali, RGN; Nawaratne, NMRAT; Premarathna, MLNH
Pandemics spread due to poor
housing conditions. Diseases have resulted in
inducing the concept of mass housing, evident
from housing projects initiated after the Great
Plaque in London. Current pandemic, i.e., the
spreading of the COVID-19 virus affected
physical health of humans at alarming rates. The
relationship between the spread of pandemics
and living environments is unexplored. The study
intends to bridge the gap in literature, and
explore methods that could be implemented to
mitigate situations in future scenarios. The
parameters by the WELL Building Standard®, of
air, water and light have been considered. Results
explicitly prove mechanical systems of
residential housing units need a (MERV) of 8, as
70-85% of particles can be captured. Relative
humidity between 40%-60% can limit spreading
of COVID19 within housing interiors. Pressure
difference between corridor spaces and rooms
will prevent air circulating from source to
another in hospitals, minimising spreading of
pathogens. Similar strategy can be adopted into
the housing context via mechanical ventilation
systems. The most effective method to limit
spreading of pathogens from room to room in
hospitals is to design a buffer space. This can be
adopted in the housing context, such as powder
rooms in apartments. Airborne viruses that
contain single-stranded RNA are reduced by 90%
with a low dose of UV light and is eliminated
through building glass layers. A set of adaptive
guidelines have been derived, to be applied in
designing mass housing and also in managing
Built Environment in similar situations.
2021-01-01T00:00:00ZContribution of Architecture on Juvenile Rehabilitation Process in Sri Lanka
http://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/5174
Contribution of Architecture on Juvenile Rehabilitation Process in Sri Lanka
Abeywardhane, HMYM; Gayantha, DWK
The process of reintegrating
juveniles to society from juvenile rehabilitation
facilities is as important as the process of
rehabilitation. If the rehabilitation process is not
conducted properly it would rather be difficult to
control the reconvicted/recidivism rates. Hence,
the rehabilitation methods must adhere to
certain attributes relating to the rehabilitation
process, one key aspect being the built
environment of the rehabilitation facilities.
Humans by nature have an undeniable
connection with their environment through
physical, mental, emotional and spiritual means.
This connection helps to keep a balance within
ourselves. Most of the time, unlike adults,
juveniles commit crimes or become victims
without their own will. It is of paramount
importance that this is understood and they are
attended with the required special attention in
the rehabilitation process. At the stage of
admission to the rehabilitation facilities, these
youngsters are more likely to be in a very weak
state of mind, with the need of protection, selfvalue,
freedom, and to obtain the sense of
belongingness in the society as they are
reintroduced. This requires improvement of
interpersonal and intrapersonal skills before
leaving the correctional facility to avoid
reconviction/recidivism. The rehabilitation
process influenced by architectural attributes
was followed in this research would be to
understand by location and site planning, spatial
organization, provision amenities, supervision
and security and visual character. In the Sri
Lankan context, it shows that most of the
juveniles from facilities that have considered
these architectural attributes show comfort
when reintegrating with the society as adults
whereas others from contradicting facilities
show difficulties when reintegrating with the
society as adults.
2021-01-01T00:00:00ZUse of Urban Pockets to Enhance Walkability in Office Neighbourhoods in Colombo Urban Context with Special Reference to Fort, Colombo
http://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/5173
Use of Urban Pockets to Enhance Walkability in Office Neighbourhoods in Colombo Urban Context with Special Reference to Fort, Colombo
Premaratne, PDJD; Premarathna, MLNH
Urban pockets have been recognized
as resourceful collective spaces for urban
functions in a modern-day city. Also, urban
design and planning of major developed cities
incorporate the walkability concept in order to
minimize traffic, environmental, and health
problems. Colombo is considered the commercial
capital with a high density of office
neighbourhoods that attract high density of
vehicular movement. Fort is recognized as office
neighbourhoods in the Colombo area where the
traffic congestion is higher. Previous research
considers the physical factors of the street in
order to enhance walkability. They lacked
consideration of the walking behaviour-flow,
junctions, and small urban spaces in the process.
The study aims to identify the undefined urban
spaces that can be used as urban pockets by
studying public behaviour patterns regarding
walkability in office working hours in Colombo.
In order to identify the possible urban spaces that
can be developed as urban pockets, the research
indemnify the current walking patterns and
walkability of the area. The identified walking
pedestrian flow laid over the identified leftover
spaces which have the possibility to develop
without changing the current urban context.
Overall images for study area were developed
with the existing and possible urban pockets
based on walking patterns and the lack of
walkable routes in order to enhance the
walkability of office neighbourhoods.
2021-01-01T00:00:00ZCompact City as a Response to the New Normal: Designing Resilience to Encounter Pandemics
http://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/5171
Compact City as a Response to the New Normal: Designing Resilience to Encounter Pandemics
Sanjunee, SMM; Munasinghe, H
The Coronavirus is a pandemic that
defined the greatest crisis of the modern world,
and it is the most critical challenge that the world
has faced since World War II. Considering the
effect and the scale of the outbreak, WHO
declared Covid-19 as a global pandemic and
identified the epidemic as an unprecedented
socio-economic crisis and not just a health
challenge. From early 2020, most of the countries
in the world have been in lockdowns to prevent
the spread, and these lockdowns critically
restricted mobility resulting in empty cityscapes.
The critical problem of the present is the
incompatibility of the city forms to cope with the
pandemic triggered by the inability to locate the
‘New Normal’ concept in the field of Urban
Design. Non-resilience of cities is not a unique
case to this pandemic but was common in the
pre-pandemic world too. Modern cities being
dependent on auto-mobiles had created an urban
crisis, and the desire of the designers to initiate
sustainable alternatives was always defeated by
automobile transportation. The pandemic has
however created a temporary momentum
towards active transportation restricting cartravel,
and the study identifies the necessity of
concreting these temporary trends for the long
run. Analysing the initiatives that the cities of the
globe have taken, three main concepts could be
identified as cycling, Avoid-Shift-Improve
paradigm and 15-Minute city. The latter part of
the study brings these concepts to the city fabric
of Colombo and concludes by stressing the
compatibilities of adapting these concepts to
Colombo city.
2021-01-01T00:00:00Z