A P P L I C A T I O N O F 
I N T E R P E R S O N A L R E L A T I O N S H I P S 
I N 
T H E D E V E L O P M E N T O F 
M U L T I S T O R Y A P A R T M E N T S 
' GE$CB8FL©C3 
GEDOQ© S O ® 8 E > I © O - 8 ©o| 
A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO 
THE FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE 
UNIVERSITY OF MORATUWA 
SRI LANKA 
FOR THE 
FINAL EXAMINATION IN 
M.Sc. ARCHITECTURE 
AND 
THE PART II EXAMINATION IN 
THE ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS 
M.D.C.H.GUNATILAKE 
1997 
71577 
t 
C O N T E N T S 
CONTENTS 
Acknowledgement 
Abstract 
INTRODUCTION 
01. Explanation of the study 
02. Importance of the study 
03. Intention and limitation of the study 
04. Method of work 
CHAPTER ONE 
Evolution of multi-storey apartment complexes of urban housing 
1.1 problem of housing of Housing 
1.2 Migration to the city centres 
1.2.1 Migration to the Colombo city 
1.3 Emergence of the apartment complex 
1.3.1 Emergence of the apartment concept in Colombo 
CHAPTER TWO 
Life style and Neighbourhood 
2.1 The major characteristics of a settlement 
2.1.1 Sociability 
2.1.2 Privacy 
2.1.3 Identity 
2.2 The general lifestyle in settlement 
C H A P T E R T H R E E 
Impact of changes in the physical order of Sri Lankan multi-storey apartments on the life 3.9 
style of dwellers 
3.1 Design of the physical order in Sri Lankan multi-storey apartments 3 3 
with special reference to specific examples 
^8 
3.3.1 Sociability 
3.3.2 Privacy 
3.3.3 Identity 
C O N C L U S I O N 
Bibliography 
S2> 
3.1.1 Layout pattern 
3.1.2 Infrastructure facilities 
3.1.3 Individual blocks and housing units. 
3.2 Neighbourhood characteristics in Sri Lankan multi-storey apartments 5 7 
3.3 The impact of the transformed physical order on the life style in Sri Lankan 6 0 
multi-storey apartments with special reference to specific examples 
fcl 
71 
7 7 
9 7 
5 0 
Acknowledgement 
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to each and every one for their help 
and guidance, extended to me in numerous ways during this study. 
My sincere thanks to 
Archt. Prof. NIMAL De Silva, 
Head , Dept. Of Architecture, 
For valuable discussions, 
Archt. Dr. Samitha Manawadu, 
Archt. Dr. L.S.R. Perera 
Senior Lecturers, 
Dept. Of Architecture. 
For guidance, discussions, and encouragement, 
Archt. Anura Rathnavibhushana, 
Archt. C. Anjalendran 
Archt. Pasan Wijesundara 
Archt. N. M. P. Navaratne 
For valuable discussions 
My Batchmates, 
Tilak Ratnayake, Prasanna Ratnayake, Daitha Wijetunga, Aruna 
• Balasuriya and Ananda Samarasinghe , for holding valuable discussions , 
encouragement. 
My friends, 
Nalaka Kaluwewa, Chamika Weerasooriya 
For the help given in the final presentation 
Finally my parents 
For all their support and continuos encouragement 
A b s t r a c t 
Physical space is highly congruent with social and conceptual structure. People 
cluster to gather because they share unwritten rules and non verbal cornmunicating 
devices. 
Clearly the effectiveness of traditional settlements is due to the greater uniformity 
and sharing of symbols and a grater co-incidence of conceptual and physical 
environment. 
Significant neighbor hood characteristics inherent will be examined to reveal the 
life style of dwellers. Symbolic life style and other comparable factors seem more 
important than income in explaining the neighbor hood concept. The process of 
clustering helps cultures survive is important in terms of mutual help, urbanization 
and helps maintain cultural pattern. 
An in-depth knowledge of the subject area has become increasingly important in 
the built form of the city structure. In the Sri Lankan context it has become an 
efficient means of fulfilling the requirements of housing in the urban sector. 
The preservation of traditional patterns may be important not only for the survival 
of cultures but also the successful integration of villages in to growing cities. 
Therefore the transformation of community living in to the physical order of 
V / . 
multistory buildings presents a great challenge to architects, due to its impact on 
the life style of dwellers. 
Accordingly, the dwelling responds to the individual and the family, the block, 
neighbor hood and distinct respond to various groups. 
LIST OF PLATES 
1. The cave offered the earliest protection for the man 
2. Feeling of protection offered by various shelters 
3. Low -income housing settlement & Shanties with cheap material 
4. Some of the earliest multistory buildings in Colombo 
5. Apartments of Some British companies 
6. Reagent flats and gall Face courts 
7. Manning Mansions and Bogala Flats 
8. Bambalapitiya and Milagiriya flats 
9. Anderson And Keppetipola Flats 
10. Anderson Flats Layout 
11. Anderson and Elwitigala - Spaces between the blocks 
12. Elwitigala Layout 
13. Keppitipola Flats 
14. Keppitipola Flats 
15. Anderson Flats Community Facilities 
16. Elwitigala Flats community Facilities 
17. Anderson The common access balcony 
18. Community facilities in other Schemes 
19. Keppitipola House Plans 
20. Elwitigala Scheme 
21. Keppitipola House Plans 
22. stair ways Keppitipola & Elwitigala 
23. Keppitipola Pedestrian Bridges 
24. Child hood Gangs 
25. Loss of privacy rear Balconies 
26. Loss of visual privacy. Keppetipola Flats 
27. Visual privacy through landscaping 
28. Balconies Anderson - Elwitigala 
29. Balconies Anderson - Elwitigala 
30. Keppitipola Flats - The pedestrian bridges/ Common lobbies 
32. Parking Facilities 
33. Keppitipola Extended carports 
34. Anderson the need for identity