T H E S R I L A N K A N A R C H I T E C T : 
Safeguarding the Quality of the Built Environment in the 
Current Socio - Economic and Political Environment 
r 
p^oaa. - - _ 
A d i s s e r t a t i o n s u b m i t t e d to t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f M o r a t u w a , S r i L a n k a , " w ^ " 
as a p a r t i a l f u l f i l l m e n t o f t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s fo r t h e degree o f M a s t e r ° ' 
o f Sc ience i n a r c h i t e c t u r e a n d e x e m p t i o n f r o m R.I .B.A. p a r t I I . 
C h a n d i m a V i k u m D e v a s i n g h e 
2000 0 7 4 1 0 0 ^
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niiiiniininiiiiiiniigiiiii \ " 
University of Moratuwa 
74100 
A K N O W L E D G E M E N T S 
I w a s ab le to s u c c e s s f u l l y c o m p l e t e t h i s 
D i s s e r t a t i o n o n l y because of t he k i n d 
h e l p a n d g u i d a n c e o f m a n y ; 
D r . R . D a y a r a t h n e , Dr . L.S.R.Perere a n d 
D r . D . W a d u g e , s e n i o r l e c t u r e r s o f t he 
U n i v e r s i t y o f M o r a t u w a - F a c u l t y o f 
A r c h i t e c t u r e , fo r t h e i r i n v a l u a b l e g u i d a n c e . j 
M y p a r e n t s a n d b r o t h e r for t h e i r 
U n c o n d i t i o n a l s u p p o r t & e n c o u r a g e m e n t 
g iven to m e , n o t O n l y i n t h i s exerc ise , 
b u t t h r o u g h o u t m y l i fe. 
i 
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I 
Chandima Vikum Devasinge 
2 0 . 0 5 . 2 0 0 0 
CONTENTS 
A c k n o w l e d g e m e n t s i 
C o n t e n t s ii 
List o f p l a t e s iii 
A b s t r a c t iv 
I n t r o d u c t i o n 01 
1.0 Q u a l i t y o f t h e Bui l t E n v i r o n m e n t in Sri Lanka 0 8 
1.1 S t a b i l i t y a n d the Q u a l i t y o f the B u i l t E n v i r o n m e n t 0 8 
1.2 Q u a l i t y o f t h e B u i l t E n v i r o n m e n t a n d t h e Q u a l i t y o f 
A r c h i t e c t u r e 11 
1.3 S t a n d a r d i s a t i o n o f t h e B u i l t E n v i r o n m e n t 12 
1.4 Q u a l i t y o f t h e B u i l t E n v i r o n m e n t i n S r i L a n k a 13 
2 . 0 C a u s e s for t h e d e c l i n i n g q u a l i t y o f t h e Bui l t 
E n v i r o n m e n t in Sri Lanka 1 9 
2 . 1 Des igne rs o f t h e B u i l t E n v i r o n m e n t 2 2 
2 .2 A r c h i t e c t s 2 3 
2 . 2 . i . E c o n o m i c p r e s s u r e 2 5 
2 .2 . i i . Soc ia l p r e s s u r e 2 6 
2 . 2 . i i i . Po l i t i ca l p r e s s u r e 2 7 
2 .3 O t h e r s ( non -p ro fess iona l s ) 2 8 
3 . 0 S a f e g u a r d i n g t h e Qua l i ty o f t h e B u i l t 
E n v i r o n m e n t in Sri Lanka 2 9 
3 .1 S t a b i l i s i n g t h e B u i l t E n v i r o n m e n t a r o u n d 
a N a t i o n a l Sty le 29 
3 .2 T h r e a t s A g a i n s t a N a t i o n a l Sty le a n d 
the Q u a l i t y o f t he B u i l t E n v i r o n m e n t 3 1 
3 .3 E l i m i n a t i n g t he t h r e a t s A g a i n s t a N a t i o n a l Sty le a n d 
t h e Q u a l i t y o f t he B u i l t E n v i r o n m e n t 3 4 
C o n c l u s i o n 3 7 
B ib l iography 3 9 
L i s t o f P l a t e s 
1. I s l a m i c s ty le a n d i t s b a c k d r o p - T u r k e y 0 8 
2 . K e e p i n g i n w i t h t he t r a d i t i o n s - E u r o p e 0 9 
3. H o u s i n g c o m p l e x by Raj Rewa l - I n d i a 10 
4 . K e e p i n g i n w i t h t he t r a d i t i o n s - E u r o p e 10 
5. Geof f rey B a w a - L u n u g a n g a 16 
6. Geof f rey B a w a - L u n u g a n g a 16 
7. Geof f rey B a w a - T r i t o n b e a c h h o t e l 16 
8. M i n n e t t e De S i l va - C u l t u r a l cen te r , K a n d y 17 
9. M i n n e t t e De S i l va - C u l t u r a l cen te r , K a n d y 17 
10. U l r i k P lesner - H o u s e a t P o l o n t h a l a w a 17 
1 1 . S u m a t h i C o u r t - K o l p i t y 2 0 
y 
A B S T R A C T 
A b s t r a c t 
T h e b u i l t e n v i r o n m e n t of a c o u n t r y is a n e x t r e m e l y s e n s i t i v e 
i n d i c a t o r o f i t s s t a t u s a m o n g the c o u n t r i e s of t h e r e s t of t he w o r l d . 
A h i g h q u a l i t y b u i l t e n v i r o n m e n t i n d i c a t e s the q u a l i t y o f the c u l t u r e 
o f t h a t n a t i o n , t h u s the q u a l i t y o f i t s people . I t a l so i n d i c a t e s t h e 
s t a t u s o f t h e p h y s i c a l d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h a t n a t i o n , for h i g h e r 
d e v e l o p m e n t is i m p o s s i b l e w i t h o u t a c h i e v i n g a n d m a i n t a i n i n g a 
h i g h q u a l i t y b u i l t e n v i r o n m e n t . 
A r c h i t e c t s have the p r i m a r y r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of a c h i e v i n g a n d 
s a f e g u a r d i n g the q u a l i t y o f t he b u i l t e n v i r o n m e n t o f a c o u n t r y . 
T h o u g h t h e r e m a y be o t h e r p ro fess i ona l s a n d n o n - p r o f e s s i o n a l s 
w h o are i n v o l v e d i n t he c r e a t i o n o f t h e b u i l t e n v i r o n m e n t , a r c h i t e c t s 
are seen as t h e t r a d i t i o n a l sen t i ne l s . I n the Sr i L a n k a n c o n t e x t t o o , 
i t is t h e s a m e . 
T h o u g h S r i L a n k a h a s a p r o p e r s y s t e m of t r a i n i n g i t s a r c h i t e c t s a n d 
a r e a s o n a b l e n u m b e r o f p r a c t i c i n g a r c h i t e c t s , i t s t i l l c a n ' t boas t of a 
h i g h q u a l i t y b u i l t e n v i r o n m e n t . I n f a c t t h e c u r r e n t s ta te of t he b u i l t 
e n v i r o n m e n t of S r i L a n k a , c o u l d o n l y be d e s c r i b e d as ' pa the t i c ' . I t 
h a s a b u i l t e n v i r o n m e n t t h a t is h i g h l y u n s t a b l e . Eve ry t w i s t a n d 
t u r n is t h e p a t h o f t he n a t i o n h a s a p r o n o u n c e d i m p a c t on the b u i l t 
e n v i r o n m e n t , t h u s p r e s e n t i n g g r e a t d a m a g e to i t . The b u i l t 
e n v i r o n m e n t o f S r i L a n k a is n o t s t a b l e , because i t s t i l l doesn ' t h a v e 
a s t r o n g n a t i o n a l s ty le for t he d e s i g n e r s to g r o u p a r o u n d . W i t h o u t 
s u c h a g r a v i t a t i o n a l force the i n d i v i d u a l d e s i g n e r s are e a s i l y 
m i s g u i d e d . Eve ry l i t t l e e x t e r n a l i n f l u e n c e c o u l d eas i l y m i s l e a d t h e m . 
S r i L a n k a n a r c h i t e c t s c o u l d n ' t ach ieve s u c h a n a t i o n a l s ty le d u e to 
v a r i o u s i n t e r n a l a n d e x t e r n a l i n f l u e n c e s a n d p r e s s u r e s . B o t h 
a t t i t u d i n a l d i s a g r e e m e n t s a m o n g a r c h i t e c t s a n d v a r i o u s e x t e r n a l 
p r e s s u r e s p r e v e n t i n g t h e m f r o m w o r k i n g t o w a r d s s u c h a s t y l e 
c o n t r i b u t e s to t h i s . The 
W h a t e v e r t h e s teps t h a t c o u l d be t a k e n to i m p r o v e a n d s a f e g u a r d 
t he q u a l i t y o f t h e b u i l t e n v i r o n m e n t o f S r i L a n k a m u s t be co l l ec t i ve 
e f fo r ts . T h e p r i m a l s tep to do so, w h i c h is a c h i e v i n g a n a t i o n a l s t y l e , 
is n o t a n i n d i v i d u a l t a s k . The w h o l e c o m m u n i t y o f S r i L a n k a n 
a r c h i t e c t s m u s t j o i n h a n d s i n t he b a t t l e for s a f e g u a r d i n g the q u a l i t y 
o f t he b u i l t e n v i r o n m e n t o f S r i L a n k a .