Concepts for sustainable residential developments for urban and suburban areas in Sri Lanka

Abstract

In Sri Lanka, the worsening problem of land scarcity due to urbanization has led to higher temperatures in the urban centers along with the reduction of the green cover. Consequently, the energy consumed to inhibit the thermal discomfort experienced in built environments is on the rise, which is not a desirable development due to the limited energy options available for Sri Lanka. This paper focuses on the domestic sector, with a view to formulate concepts for sustainable residential developments for Sri Lanka taking environmentally-friendly passive techniques as the basis. It is shown qualitatively that, to reap the maximum benefits of passive techniques, the three-storey house should be preferred to the single or the two-storey house; this will also maximize the effective use of expensive urban land. It is also shown that passive housing developments require an integrated approach from the beginning, i.e. in the stages of land subdivision and selection of the orientation of the access roads. By making special provision for vegetation within the plots as well as along the roads, it is proposed to create a microclimate desirable to thermal comfort. Employing a questionnaire survey and examples applicable to Sri Lanka, various aspects of thermal comfort, visual comfort, flash floods, functionality and construction cost are discussed. It is finally emphasized that, for best results, a collective effort by an entire neighborhood is vital.