FARU - 2015http://dl.lib.uom.lk/handle/123/147132024-03-29T05:39:46Z2024-03-29T05:39:46ZCapacity building in construction SMES : a proposal through enabling leanRanadewa, KATOSandanayake, YGSiriwardena, Mhttp://dl.lib.uom.lk/handle/123/130052023-10-30T04:58:03ZCapacity building in construction SMES : a proposal through enabling lean
Ranadewa, KATO; Sandanayake, YG; Siriwardena, M
Construction Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) makes a noteworthy contribution to GDP in national economy despite the challenges faced by them. One of their major problems is increase of non-value adding activities. Hence, construction SMEs need to be responsive to the challenges in implementing lean. Lean is a relatively new approach in the construction industry which minimizes waste, time and creates value. However, implementing lean may encounter challenges. Lack of capacities is the prevalent issue and hence, need to identify necessary capacities to achieve full benefit of lean implementation. Focusing on capacity building to enable lean construction will allow construction SMEs to better perform in the industry. Therefore, this paper attempts to investigate the importance of lean enabling capacity building in construction SMEs. Hence a comprehensive literature review was carried out to discuss the challenges faced by construction SMEs, lean philosophy, lean construction benefits, barriers and capacity building. Although, lean and capacity building related literature exists , there is a lack of research in capacity building strategies that enable lean in construction SMEs. Hence, the paper proposes a conceptual model for lean enabling capacity building for construction SMEs. The developed conceptual model will further guide this research study to identify lean enabling capacity building strategies for construction SMEs.
Adaptation of Kindura mythical creature in traditional arts and crafts of Sri Lanka : an analysis of graphical adaptation and its impactBulumulla, VJayarathna, Phttp://dl.lib.uom.lk/handle/123/130042019-08-15T04:02:07ZAdaptation of Kindura mythical creature in traditional arts and crafts of Sri Lanka : an analysis of graphical adaptation and its impact
Bulumulla, V; Jayarathna, P
The word “myth” comes from the Greek “mythos”, meaning a word or a story. Humankind has made myths from the dawn of history. Many common themes run through world of myths and one such theme connects human beings with other animals. Therefore, from the early ages of storytelling, mythical creatures were prominent feature in each human culture. It is noticed that myths of diverse cultures are often linked by similar themes and concepts, but the difference is made with the process of adaptation which were done by each culture according to their own stories, beliefs and ideas. Many researches and studies have been carried to understand the origin and the background stories of these mythical arts, but yet few have been done to understand the graphical adaptations. This study intends to discuss the development of graphical adaptation of the mythical creatures from its original artefacts which is applied in Sri Lankan traditional art and craft. By understanding these graphical and visual adaptation of the local context, this research further places the initial foundation of updating the local mythical legends and creatures in a more effective manner in both art and design aspect, which has not been continued in recent past.
Seating as a cultural expression : a critical reading of seating in non-secular buddhist contexts in colonial Sri LankaBeligatamulla, GSiyambalapitiya, NFernando, Shttp://dl.lib.uom.lk/handle/123/130032019-08-15T04:38:22ZSeating as a cultural expression : a critical reading of seating in non-secular buddhist contexts in colonial Sri Lanka
Beligatamulla, G; Siyambalapitiya, N; Fernando, S
Objects used to assist posture were associated with socio-cultural values of social status and hierarchy as well as cultural values ever since man began to utilize objects for functional purpose. The colonial Sri Lanka is characterized by emergence of new social categories, culture and identity. The mingling of traditional caste with a new concept of class and role played by newly introduced Christianity was crucial in this regard. These social changes resulted in a change of perception towards material objects creating a seminal change from the earlier practices built upon Buddhist culture. Accordingly, this article examines how seating used for preaching in Buddhist context changed with this socio-cultural change. A literature based study on pre-colonial and colonial usage of furniture was carried out with special emphasis on non-secular contexts. Existing examples from the late 19th century when the changes became clearly apparent were studied in detail. Influence of pulpits and celebrant chairs used in Christian preaching is observed. New meaning was derived from integrated design elements borrowed from Buddhist culture and prevailing forms of Christianity. Additionally, colonial chairs of authority and the new role of the preaching monk as a ‘leader’ seemed to have been aligned in creating new meaning for seating.
Addressing human thermal adaptation in outdoor comfort researchPerera, Kschnabel, MADonn, MMaddewithana, Hhttp://dl.lib.uom.lk/handle/123/130022019-08-15T04:26:48ZAddressing human thermal adaptation in outdoor comfort research
Perera, K; schnabel, MA; Donn, M; Maddewithana, H
Thermal comfort of persons staying outdoors is one of the vital aspects that influence outdoor activities in streets, playgrounds, urban parks, etc. The use of the space is highly affected by the microclimate and for over 60 years many methods have been developed to assess the influence of these climatic parameters on thermal comfort. The influence of thermal comfort on outdoor activities is a phenomena that comprises of both climatic and behavioural aspects. After discovering drawbacks in theoretical thermal comfort assessment models, thermal adaptation aspects have received a great attention in thermal comfort research. This paper presents a review of research over the past years, focusing on the perception of outdoor thermal comfort and the use of outdoor spaces with relevance to thermal adaptation. It is intended to highlight the limitations of current adaptation assessment methods and discuss a possible framework to evaluate thermal environment based on physical adaptation