Vernacular

Settlement in
Srilanka
Vernacular Settlement of Srilanka and how it also work as
sustainable Development?

Submitted to – Ar .Deeksha Sharma

Submitted by – Mishul Gupta
75186008
B.arch, 4th Sem.

[Type here] [Type here]

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Vernacular Settlement of Srilanka and how it also work as

sustainable Development?
1) Introduction
 Traditional vernacular settlements are those formed by the people living and working in them by
employing the wisdom, knowledge, and practices handed down from generation to generation.
They are often well-adapted to the geographical terrain, the society inhabiting the land, and their
environmental contexts. The use of available material sand technologies and the employment of
labor from within the settlements invariably contribute to sustainability. These characteristics
have been inherent in such settle-mints even before the modern world coined the term
sustainability. However, in current discussions on sustain-ability, the emphasis is on the invention
of technologies, systems, and other means, ignoring what traditional vernacular settlements have
practiced. This phenomenon is ironic because by ignoring the vast repository of knowledge and
systems of vernacular settlements, we are missing out on resourceful understanding that can be
meaningfully engaged in sustainable development. Vernacular settle-mints cannot be reinvented
in the place of contemporary settlements. However, the fundamentals of their practice scan help
in rethinking the production and maintenance of modern settlements.
 Sri Lanka, which is located south of India in the Indian Ocean, is a small island of 22 million
inhabitants, who ancestors lived in such sustainable vernacular settlements. History shows that
the island was rich in fauna and flora and produced a settlement system that sustained themselves
in harmony with Nature, land, terrain and cyclical weather patterns. The country has been known
as the “Granary of the East, “producing paddies aplenty without harming the land and the
environment. In the past, its people lived prosperous lives in small peasant hamlets, achieving
what its present population appears unable to achieve,

2. Sustainability and vernacular settlements

Researchers understand that vernacular settlements possess an enormous wealth of knowledge of
sustainable living and building. However, mainstream
literature appears not to have benefitted considerably
from such knowledge.
Numerous aspects of this relationship have been
explored from the perspectives of sustainability. These
studies fall in to the following categories:
(1) Those that demonstrate how vernacular
buildings have produced human comfort by
employing climatically responsive buildings,
technologies, techniques, and devises
without resorting to mechanical means.
(2) Those that demonstrate how vernacular settlements have responded to the cultural aspirations of
people and produced settlements that are culturally expressive and wholesome.

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(3) Those that demonstrate how vernacular settlements respond to geological and environmental
resources and geographical conditions sensitively and have produced buildings and settings that
are kind and sensitive to the environment.
(4) Those that demonstrate attitudes and approaches to life and everyday living, which have infused
deep meaning sand symbolisms that affect sustainability and nurturing of communities.
(5) Those that examine the technologies and technique adopted in vernacular settlements (Fatty,
1976) that are sensitive to the environment and therefore contribute to sustainability.

Embodiment of sustainability in Sri Lankan Culture: role of

Buddhism
If we employ Benedict's classification of cultures as being either Apollonian or Dionysian, then Sri
Lankan culture is Apollonian. Most of Sinhalese and Tamils are Buddhists and Hindus; these two co-
existing religions have shaped the nature of the people, their ways of life, and their attitudes and
values toward the world.

Principle 1: creating and organizing the settlements as a

collective place of life
One of the unique facets observed was that the peasants of all the three villages treated the settlement
as a collective abode of all beings while taking up the positions of master and servant. They believed
that “it included not just human beings and animals but the birds, ants and so-called pests;whoever
lived on earth”
They claimed that “as the master, they enjoyed its abundance of supplies, organized their natural
production, and carefully managed its resources while being considerate about the needs of all living
beings. “In cultivating the land in the three villages where the inquiries took place, the peasants
accepted that the produce does not belong entirely to man but a portion must go to the other animals
who share the field. Thus, in the rice field’s inNagala, Wedikumbura, and Buduruwagala, a portion of
every paddy field was cultivated for the consumption of birds (known as“kurulu palooka, “meaning
“wasted for birds”) and insects, whose “right to land and its resources “was not only acknowledged
but also provided for.

Principle 2: management of water as the basis of settlement

form
 One of the most revered founding principles of
the organization of the settlement observed was
the “management of water and its qualities
“because all life depends on the availability of
water. The villagers devised means of retain-in,
regenerating, and managing water supply from
all sources, such as rain, ground, and springs
from the settle-mint itself. In Bible, the
villagers created a“weva”(artificial lake) by
means of tapping natural springs and rainwater.

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 Awsadahami (1999) studied villages with artificial lakes and indicated that this is also an act of
rejoining themes part of Nature
itself.Ranaweera (2010) explained the strong
influence of Buddhism on the lives of people
and ancient Sri Lankans who developed a
hydraulic civilization in harmony with the
environment and achieved significant progress
in engineering and technology through canals
and. Dayaratne338 water tanks. The techniques
and technologies of creating them remained in
the hands of the villagers in Bible, which
enabled them to create water tanks.
InWedikumbura, the villagers created small
reservoirs by blocking the natural waterways
that came down the hills. Although the
quantities were small and in patches of
collections, they servedthefields well and an
organized system was managed by the village
headman to distribute water to the farmers

Water reservoirs

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 Two major elements signify most of the Sri

Lankan settle-mints, namely, thieve (lake) and
thedagoba (the temple). These elements were
held“sacred”for the sustenance of the physical
and spiritual lives of the people. The wave is a
large collection of water that is barricaded
carefully to inundate a certain area to collect the
water available in a forest slope during and after
the rain. It is on high ground to allow the
appropriate release of water for cultivating vast
areas of lands below. The structures were
constructed only in areas where cultivation was
not possible and land was not considerably fertile
(see Figures 2and3).Awsadahami (1999) showed
that the Sri Lankan settle-mint landscape
constituted of many different types of
wevascattered around. The reserved forests
supplied and main-tainted water in them
throughout the year, and a system of canals
distributed water to the rice fields and thriving
layersoffields surrounding small clusters of villages. The reserved forests provided for the
animals and varying plant species, such as herbs and edibles, while retaining the water springs
and allowed for grazing cattle and fetching materials, such as timber. The temple pervaded the
village by being on high ground, emanating a sense of reverence through which it constantly re-
infused Buddhist teachings to the inhabitants, that is, to treat the earth and its beings kindly and
indulge in life's temptations moderately.
 Its inhabitants, adopting attitudes and values from the spiritual inspirations of Buddhism, engaged
in working the ground and transforming it minimally to produce an integrated system of
livelihood that is interdependent upon each other while enriching it.

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Infusing the sacred and the profane

A pervading definition of sacredness and profanity under-lined the presence and artic elation of land,
whereas its physicality was appropriated. In all the three villages, two contrasting settings were carefully
orchestrated, although the settlements appeared as randomly placed entities. The settlements were
composed of undulating landscapes of natural and cultivated vegetation and rocks and waterways that
were linked through winding gravel roads, thereby creating a fascinating habitable setting. In most
villages (Dissanayake, 1993) inNagala, Wedikumbura, andBuduru-wagalathe sacred and profane
habitations were defined asa mutually co-existing and intertwined assemblage, that is, the places of the
monks and those of the peasants. In all the three villages, a temple existed at the center around the smaller
villages, who collectively provided the physical necessities to sustain the temple, which in turn provided
spiritual significance. The three temples seem randomly located. Their layouts differed, although their
articulations were similar.

Constructing with the perishable

 In the three villages, permanent durable constructions were confined to a few—for religious
structures, such as temples and associated buildings and for buildings of the nobles. Sturdy and
durable materials, such as stone, were used in small quantities and only in such buildings. The
others were built by peasants with mud and straw, which are materials that easily perish. A few
brick houses with plastered and white-washed walls existed. Most mud houses were con-strutted
usingwarichchiorkatumeti. They had a wooden structure and a skeleton covered with mud and
finished with cow dung. White wash was also often used but sparingly. Hence, the material used

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needed to be renewed often while they perished and returned to the earth immediately when the
structure was abandoned and left to decay. Mud, wood, and straw were easily absorbed by the
earth, leaving neither toxic nor wasteful left overs. Undeniably, this system is naturally
recyclable, although the houses provided comfortable and beautiful domestic spaces that were
pleasantly livable. The temples and dwellings of the monks and the village headman were
constructed with strongerand more durable materials, such as stone, and therefore lasted longer.

Waste as a resource
 The villagers perceived waste as a resource. This fund-mental principle and practice also
originated from Bud-deism. Buddhist strictures advocate the monk's wearing of adobe until it is
substantially soiled. The strictures then suggest cutting it into pieces and using them as napkins to
wipe hands until it is further soiled. Subsequently, the strictures recommend stitching them
together for use as doormats until completely perished and become like soil (Kottayam, 1998).

Climate Change and Its Impact on Coastal Economy of Sri

Lanka
 Current climate change, mainly man-induced, is one of the most serious environmental problems.
It is related to greenhouse effect and associated global warming, increasing levels of carbon
dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The global warming is expected to lead to increase
temperature, more frequent droughts, erratic rainfalls and rise in sea level which may affect Sri
Lanka too, particularly its coastal economy, and thus the society as well. Projected sea level rise
(SLR) in Sri Lanka is 0.3 m by 2010 and 1.0 m by 2070 Sri Lanka’s location between 6° and 10°
north latitude, the South Asian Monsoon provides unique opportunity to monitor climate change
in Sri Lanka and in the tropics region as well. It is now accepted that the earth will experience the
effects of climate change due to global warming as a result of the increase of carbon dioxide and
other greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.

PRINCIPAL ASPECTS
 There are several aspects of planning and building structures according to the classic vernacular
architecture. Out of all the significant other principals there are five aspects which are the primary
elements or principle aspects of vernacular architecture and planning that are considered while
planning a vernacular structure. The following briefly explain the aspects.
 VAASTU SHASTRA- is the science of construction
and architecture that is found in Indian subcontinent,
these survive as manuals on design, layout,
measurements, ground preparation, space arrangement
and spatial geometry. It incorporates traditional Hindu
and Buddhist beliefs. The designs are based on
integrating architecture with nature and ancient Indian
beliefs utilizing perfect geometric patterns (yantra),
symmetry and directional alignments.
 VAASTU PURUSHA MANDALA-is a part of Vaastu
Shastra and constitutes of mathematical design. It is
the metaphysical plan of a building that incorporates

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the supernatural forces. Mandala is the specific name given to a plan which symbolically
represents the cosmos.

 MANDALAS - all functions are assigned special spaces.

For example: Northeast for the home shrine, southeast for
the kitchen, master bedrooms in southwest and the
cowshed in the northwest and grain storage. All other
spaces are use for multi purposes.
 MANDALAS FOR CITY PLANNING – the technique of
mandala was also used for city planning. The first of its
kind was Jaipur, designed in 1700s. It covered the natural
features as well as other functional aspects like military
needs, pre- existing infrastructure and modified the grid
according to the topography.

INFLUENCING FACTORS
Building plan
 Building layout is an essential factor that influences and drives the planning of vernacular
structures. The archetypal shape of a building plan is correlated to many cultural, historical, and
urban planning traditions. Three main types of shapes that has been identified for plans in
traditional buildings:
 Circular plan is most preferred in case of earthquake
resistance, for example the Bhonga Houses
 Rectangular plan
 Linear plan

Building Sizes
 The second facet of Indian vernacular architecture is the
size of the Building. The size of the building is ruled by
its particular use. Based on the size of a building, they can be classified as:
 Single story
 Μulti-story buildings
 The mixed-use buildings necessitate construction of an additional floor, which calls for increased
wall load-bearing capacity, especially if these walls also need to withstand earthquake effects.

Indigenous Materials
 The third aspect influencing the development of vernacular construction practices is the
availability of local building materials. In many areas, the local resources have governed the use
of the following constituent materials for walls:
 Adobe (mud blocks or whole walls)
 Masonry (stone, clay, or concrete blocks)
 Timber

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MATERIALS
 Vernacular Architecture is all about using locally available materials for construction. The most
common materials to be used are:
 Timber – is one of the most frequently available and natural yet native building materials. Of the
various advantages, it is non- toxic, does not leak chemical vapour into the building and is safe to
handle and touch. It is quite easy to work with, renewable, a very good insulator and readily
available.
 Adobe - is a natural building construction material that is made from clay, sand, water, and a kind
of fibrous or organic material (sticks, straw or manure), usually shaped into bricks using moulds
and dried in the sun.
 Stone- Stone is another one of the major building materials that is indigenous for Indian
architecture. It is a versatile material and it can be used from the foundation to the parapet in a
building.
 Clay- Clay is used for buildings sustainable, traditional buildings. These buildings are of 2 types:
one when the walls are made directly with the mud mixture and the other being walls built by
stacking air-dried building blocks called mud bricks.
 Rammed earth – type of building construction which utilises natural raw materials such as earth,
chalk, lime or gravel. Rammed-earth walls are simple to construct. They are non-combustible,
thermally massive, durable and very strong.
 Fly-ash-Sand-lime-Gypsum Bricks – used for residential housing walls and all other types of
building construction as well as boundary walls. They are environment friendly, excellent
strength, dry quickly, and have reduced water absorption and shrinkage.
 Compressed Earth Blocks - energy efficient, eco-friendly with excellent surface finish. It is a cost
effective material with goof thermal insulation.
 Clay Fly-ash Burnt bricks – environment friendly, energy efficient and locally manufactured
material.
 Micro concrete Roofing Tiles - MCR tiles are a cost-effective and extremely versatile roofing
material. MCR tiles can be used to make attractive roofs on villa houses, farm houses, pavilions
and gazebos and also used in highway constructions. In regions with heavy rainfall, these tiles are
used at length for cladding material as it offers both waterproofing and aesthetic appeal. It has
been used expansively in cost effective housing schemes, poultry farms, restaurants and
workplaces.

SRILANKAN ARCHITECTURE TECHNIQUES

walls and thermal comfort in srilanka
 Wall is an important component in a house as it forms the skin of a building. In modern houses
different walls are used for internal and external usage. Usually, 150-225mm thick brick walls a
reused for external walls while 100-150mm wall sare used for the internal and up-stair walls. The
commonly used 225mm thick external walls in modern houses have 15 mm thick plaster either

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side of the walls. They can be used as load bearing walls without concrete framework. However,
in modern houses it is tend to reduce the wall thickness as the concrete framework carries the
vertical loads.

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VENTILATION:
Wind ventilation is a kind of passive ventilation that uses the force of the wind to pull air through the
building. Almost all the historic buildings were ventilated naturally. Natural ventilation is an attractive as
well as a sustainable method which reduces the energy cost while providing a better indoor environment.
This concept of natural ventilation was initially developed by our ancestors, and it was passed over to the
new generation.

CROSS VENTILATION:
Cross ventilation is one of the most effective forms of wind ventilation. Windows (or openings) placed on
opposite sides of building give natural breezes a pathway through the building and this is known as the
cross ventilation.

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
Timber Construction
The advantages in case of timber construction grow from the use of timber, a lightweight and ductile
building material. A significant issue in case of timber construction is associated with the connections
(column-beam, floor-beam and panel-beam) and their aptitude to transfer the forces from one building
member to another and then finally all the way down to the foundation.

Earth Construction
India is one of the oldest countries which have very old earth buildings: for example the Shey palace in
Ladakh. It was built in the 17th century and also the Tabo monastery in Spiti Valley – Himachal Pradesh
which was built with adobe blocks in 996 AD and which has withstood 1010 Himalayan winters.[8]
Earthen housing units utilize mud walls or adobe block walls.

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Brick masonry and stone construction

The most prevalent vernacular construction technique involves the use of masonry walls as the load-
bearing structures. The simplest technique of construction is the use of sun-baked blocks, generally
classified as adobe. Te use of burnt clay bricks is very common where wood or coal fuel is available.

STRATEGIES FOR EARTH QUAKE RESISTANT

STRUCTURES
The vernacular structures due to their materials and planning are often earthquake resistant. The modern
Indian built environment has undergone a lot of challenges and changes since globalization. However, it
is of utmost importance to recognize and identify the main features that will enhance seismic performance
of traditional buildings. There are some very general strategies for seismic feat of vernacular planning.

Construction with ductile materials

 Walls have ductile reinforcements (wood or steel) to avoid out-of plane collapse
 To prevent decay of wooden materials a lot of maintenance is required
 Selected materials to be used (brick-mortar-wood)

Construction that reduces seismic forces

 Rood should be light in weight.
 Houses should be low-rise (one- or two-stories high)

ORIGINAL VERNACULAR HOUSE CATEGORIES

 Kachcha _ It is a type of building that is made up of natural materials like mud, grass, bamboo,
thatch and sticks. It does not provide much strength or durability and requires continuous and
heavy maintenance. The realistic constraints of the building materials that are available dictate the
specific form which can have a simple beauty.
 Pakka A pakka structure is made of resistant materials such as stone, timber, brick, clay, metals
and sometimes mortar is used to bind the structure. It is more durable and does not require
constant maintenance. These structures are more expensive because of all the labour and
materials that go into it.
 Semi-Pakka The semi-pakka is a combination of the kachcha and pakka styles. It has grown as
the knowledge of villagers has evolved and has acquired the resources required to add elements
durable materials characteristic of a pakka house.

VERNACULAR ELEMENTS
 Water Water is a very scant resource; so there is a strong need to utilize this resource as
cautiously as possible. For this reason there are two major strategies employed:
 Water harvesting
 Recycling.
It is evident in the rock cut architecture built decades ago too. These structures took these issues into
consideration. This is evident in the architecture of Kanheri caves in Mumbai. These caves show the

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presence of channels cut across the external face of the structure. These channels are used to carry down
water into storage tanks underground. One of the most recent and relevant examples is the underground
tanks (“Tanka”) found in most of the traditional Gujarati houses. These tanks have a cover and it can
supply clean potable water for any midsized family for almost a year. It is a major advantage in a typical
hot and dry zone.

Light & Ventilation

Most of the traditional and modern buildings built as vernacular buildings are well lit and well
ventilated/climate responsive to reduce the use of artificial lighting and air condition systems. There was
a strong use of microclimatic management of making use of water bodies in forms of canals, pools or
fountains etc in open spaces like the courtyards. This helped to modify the unfavourable climatic impacts
of hot and dry climate. The thick walls were used to introduce time lags.

Light
It is one of the most important aspects of architecture both in terms of quantity as well as in terms of its
qualitative aspects like glare. Most of our buildings had grills and fenestration/façade work done to
control and manipulate light by means of strategies like Jalis or double windows with wooden Louvers
etc. Many religious buildings such as mosques or masjids and temples also used similar strategies.

Ventilation
Wind scoops used to allow the entry of cool breeze in the hot desert zones. Micro climatic modifications
included the beginning of the system of dripping cool water. This was made possible by the installation of
a pot at the top of the scoop. Lavish and prolific buildings like palaces and forts made inventive use of
water to cool the edifice envelope. The walls used to have water pipes entrenched inside the walls
covered to cool down the masonry walls; the water was cooled in a natural manner.

Figure 1vernacular architecture by geoffery bawa interior and furniture srilanka

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Case study – Kamburupitiya, Matara, Sri Lanka

Context and site
In December 2004 a tsunami destroyed or severely damaged almost 1,700 housing units while
partially damaging around 4,500 and completely disrupting regular human activities in four
coastal division secretariats in Matara on the south coast of Sri Lanka.
It affected nearly 82,000 persons, and there was the need to facilitate a permanent relocation for
the affected families living in coastal areas, and reconstruction of affected townships. Land
availability, environment and availability of natural resources were the main criteria for site
identification by the authorities.

Climate
Sri Lanka is a small island with a distinct variation in its climates. However, in general, the
climate can be categorized as warm-humid. The island can be divided into two main climatic
zones characterized as a wet zone and a dry zone, with additionally some areas comprising an
intermediate zone.
Kamburupitiya is situated in the intermediate zone about 10 km from the coast. The climate in
this region is hot and humid throughout the year, with an average high temperature ranging from
28-30°C and an average low of 21-24°C. The mean relative humidity is 80 per cent RH. This
area has a rain fall of 700 mm per year with monsoonal rain from September to December.

Identification of the appropriate building thermal strategies

In this type of climate, shading must be provided, and there should be provision for allowing the
wind to increase the thermal comfort of the inhabitants by increasing the rate of evaporation
from the skin, thus increasing loss of heat from the body (Givoni, 1969). This can be achieved
through cross-ventilation of the building. The diurnal temperature swing of around 6°C indicates
that thermal mass may be useful in lowering daytime internal temperatures through night cooling
of the structure of the building (Shaviv, 2001). Capeluto et al. (2004) also found that if the
temperature variation was 5°C, then night ventilation could be used in heavy buildings to obtain
peak temperature reductions in a hot-humid climate.

Traditional settlement patterns

In the past, different types of settlement patterns were developed according to the topography,
climatic conditions, ethnicity, sociocultural factors, occupation and status in the society. In Sri
Lanka, the main types of settlements were the tank-fed type, temple-devala type and hill-
country-valley type (Figure 1). The majority of houses are located along the pathways and roads
overlooking the paddy fields.

Traditional house typologies

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In this region, the traditional concept is to live in and around the open spaces. The construction
of the houses was also dictated by the material availability from the surroundings. The most
popular and general plan type of the traditional house was mainly outward looking, with an open
veranda to the front as the outer living space (Lewcock et al., 2002) (Figure 2).

Local materials and construction

practices
In the traditional houses, the roof was given special attention
because it had to withstand heavy rains and wind during the rainy
season and the hot sun throughout the year. Roof-covering
materials depended on the availability of materials from the
immediate surroundings. Mara wood, illuk grass,cadjan (woven
palm fronds) and straw were used. The low wall-plate height and
the long eaves protected the walls from the hot sun and heavy
rains.

Design responses and proposal

Context and site
In the proposal, a limited number of house layouts have been adopted, all using the same materials, and
this approach will result in reduced building costs. At the time of the project, the possibilities of owner-
driven and donor-driven approaches were both open,and the
choice of materials and construction methods allows the
possibility of local people building their own houses. The site is
undulating, and so a number of house types are required to allow
flexibility in the orientation of each house. Only some of the
traditional features, materials and techniques described above
have been included. This is because the study of traditional
housing is not meant to enable a simplistic reproduction of those
types, but rather to inform an appropriate design that must take
account of all the various cost and material constraints.

Response to climate and thermal

strategy
Large openings are provided to allow available breezes
to flow through the dwelling, thus providing cooling to
the inhabitants. Roofs are large to shed water away from
the building and provide solar shade. Thermal mass is
used to lower the peak daytime temperatures. Trees and
tall bushes are to be placed to the east and west of
openings for further shade as required.

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Settlement pattern
Some traditional concepts and technology inspired
the design of this settlement in terms of the layout of
the scheme as well as of the individual house types.
Although orienting the sides of the houses in north-
south directions would have been the ideal solution
interms of obtaining natural ventilation from the
southwest, it was difficult to locate all houses in the
same direction due to the natural topography of the
site. The general positioning of houses on the site
was influenced mainly by the natural undulating
topography and the given shape of the site (Figure
5).

Housing types, materials and construction

Knowledge of the traditional materials and constructions used, and how these were used in conjunction
with the other factors described above, can lead to insights into how other materials might be used. In this
case, usage of environmentally responsive materials, sloping roofs, simple plan form, a high plinth,
inbuilt seat (pila), an open veranda and kitchen yard and small openings at higher levels are all inspired
from the traditional layout (Figures 6 and 7). Environmentally responsive materials are also considered
cost effective, thereby adding to the sustainability. Walls of earth-compressed block construction are built
on a cement-rendered high plinth, and a Calicut tile roof and a combination of windows, grills and
ventilation holes in different sizes are used to gain maximum ventilation but reduce solar heat gains into
the building (Figures 8 and 9).

Assessment of design proposals

Types of assessment
Many types of assessment are possible and may
have been included as part of the design
process. All of these will contribute in various
degrees to the sustainability of the solutions
adopted but are often missed out due to lack of
resources or of qualified assessors. Here it was
recognized that a key question was whether the
proposed house would provide shade and allow
cooling breezes to flow through it, whatever its
orientation on the site. Therefore, a key
assessment was of the thermal performance of
the house.

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Thermal comfort
Computer-based dynamic thermal simulation (IESVE, 2011) was used for the thermal assessment, as this
can show in detail the effect of orientation on thermal performance and is a well-established technique
in building design. The simulation required a climatedata file, which was not available for the site at
Kamburupitiya, so data from nearby Hambantota were obtained. Decisions on modeling issues such as
these require a minimum level of knowledge for the results to be meaningful. The result obtained here
showed that the cross ventilation and shading were good and air temperatures in the living spaces for
the various orientations were almost identical (Figure 10).

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The study shows the potential role of

applying lessons from traditional housing
solutions to the construction of post-
disaster housing. This approach might
help to avoid the problems that other
researchers have identified, such as the
unintentional building of “barracks”
(Shaw and Ahmed, 2010). Settlements
built this way should be able to evolve and
sustain themselves more easily because
the materials and construction methods are more rooted in the cultural and climatic contexts. The study
also shows that different types of information, resources and skills are needed by the design team and that
local knowledge can be accessed to inform the design and construction. Using these aspects of sustainable
design to help integrate housing into a longer-term development plan implies that the various guidelines
and frameworks for post-disaster housing need to take into account existing development plans where
they exist, and have ways of linking to them. The work required to do this may be small when compared
to the potential waste of constructing housing that subsequently fails to work and has to be replaced after
a short time, and this is an area for further research.

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An example of stupa in Srilanka

Sri Lanka can be affected by a multitude of natural disasters
such as cyclones, minor earthquakes, Tsunami, floods and
landslides. Although it is relatively easier to avoid the sites
prone to floods and landslides, the built environments must have
sufficient robustness against cyclones and earthquakes.
Real examples are drawn from the tsunami reconstruction
activities carried out in various parts of Sri Lanka where
alternative materials such as Compressed Stabilized Earth
bricks and blocks, rammed earth, chip concrete block sand
micro concrete tiles have been used.
Figure 2stupa in srilanka
The present trend in the Sri Lankan housing industry is to use
conventional building materials such as bricks, cement sand blocks, concrete and timber etc. for
permanent housing. Earth can be used for construction of walls in many ways.
Broad field of science, which includes the construction of houses, public, and religious buildings as well
as direct surroundings. It takes into the account of energy flow, human health aspects and color
combinations that have best effects on the residents of the house
Avoiding bumidosa – land/soil qualities that Will make the construction faulty. Comparing the horoscope
and designs. Placing of doors and window accdg. To the correct natural direction. Placing the house to get
the max. sunligh t and air. Placing rooms accdg.

Figure 3 section of stupa

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Conclusions
 The three traditional villages examined were founded on sound principles that understood the
interdependency of species, geological systems, and the fragility of earth in providing for human
habitation. Although such villages do not exist as complete entities today due to the
transformation by modern developments, numerous characteristics of such villages persist in the
25,000 villages in Sri Lanka .Surviving“ puranagamas”or ancient villages continue to practice
many of these traditional approaches. In these villages, a balanced approach to living through
submission to Nature is sought. The respect for and the friendship with which the peasants treated
Mother Earth are the heart of this approach, thereby ensuring ecological sustainability. The
settlement patterns, values and attitudes, beliefs, and cultural patterns in the villages reflect this
approach clearly.
 Overall the strategy of learning from traditional housing has in this case resulted in a house
design that uses sustainable materials and performs well thermally. This was taken as a partial
validation of the initial hypothesis that study of traditional aspects of local housing would add to
the sustainability of the design. By encouraging designers to take inspiration from traditional
examples of housing, it should become easier to bring together the need for rapid provision of
housing, with the need to integrate such activity into longer-term development plans. An
integrated and holistic approach can be rigorous, yet flexible, and responsive to local conditions
and individual skills, interpretations and perceptions of the relevant issues. If the aim is to create
sustainable housing fit for its purpose, then specialist knowledge and analytical skills are
probably required and might be available within the local-built environment-related community
or provided by a relief organization. Consideration of these skills and knowledge should be made
within the context of the development of an approach or methodology aimed at making post-
disaster housing more sustainable.

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References
 https://www.slideshare.net/krztyn/vernacular-architecture-31240215
 https://www.slideshare.net/AfiyaBanu1/paper-presentation-traditional-architecture-of-srilanka-
and-india
 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Features-of-traditional-Sri-Lankan-
houses_fig3_265969433
 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095263518300190
 https://www.google.com/search?
q=sri+lankan+vernacular+architecture+ppt&rlz=1C1SQJL_enIN856IN856&sxsrf=ALeKk02Gx2a5v
GMgGvJQuBVWDc1W5BulxA:1588463079868&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjT0
_SMrpbpAhWy7HMBHTpzCusQ_AUoAXoECAwQAw&biw=1280&bih=610&dpr=1.5

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