Eco friendly architecture in eco tourism: an illustrative study of eco tourist architecture in the tropical environment with special reference to Sri Lankan context

Abstract

The pace of development in countries within the tropical region is among the fastest in the world. Yet many of these nations still depend heavily on their natural resources. This today has led to a conflict: rapid development places an ever-increasing claim on scarce natural resources, which results in environmental degradation. On the other hand the effects on the ecological balance due to mankinds short sighted activities. The key element in any sustainable development is to ensure that they are undertaken in an environmentally sound manner. Here the buildings are the main added contributor into the creation of imbalance in the natural environment. With the rise of the concept of eco tourism this has become more aggravated as it makes direct physical interaction within the nature. The built environment as the major physical component in eco tourism, which also contributes to give the character to he place, visualizes the significant role of the architect creating sustainable eco tourism friendlier towards the nature. But unfortunately in the contemporary practice of eco tourist architecture, though it needs to be exceptionally eco friendly, has lost the sensitivity mainly because of lack of understanding the design principles of eco tourism. Finding the solution it convinced the necessity of the comprehensive understanding of eco friendly architecture, which is the total interpretation of design principles of eco tourism. Thus the study is initially attempted to make a broader understanding of eco friendly architecture, clearly defining the concept as a holistic approach of the green, eco sensitive, sustainable and ecological conceptions with their physical and psychological perception as a criteria to evaluate the design principles in a more elaborative manner. Since the concept of eco tourism is highly elaborated in the tropical nature and its merged exclusive culture the examples are evaluated mostly within the tropical eco systems. Thus the study attempts to visualize how possibly viable eco tourism can be generated in Sri Lanka which has an exotic tropical nature enriched with an exclusive culture. Thus has given examples of some of the recent tourist products, which are developed within these natural and socio cultural settings making closer attitudes towards sustainable eco tourist architecture.