Browsing by Author "Coorey, S"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7

item: Thesis-Abstract
A Responsive street edge as a step towards place making
Coorey, S
The context of the study is the Street Edge. What is the Street Edge? The very thought of the street edge brings about a perception which includes two major forces that can be defined as the physical element and the social element. In this study the simple idea of the context which is the street edge is looked into within this logical frame of mind. Where the site of the designer is the street edge. The question what is the street edge? Would be the constituents of the site. As described by Habraken, in his book 'Transformation of the site' the site has material, space, form, place and an understanding. The site is space and material: Form, Place and understanding Make the site." In this study the material is looked into as elements of the built environment as the most basic physical components and then the form as the creation of a collection of such materials or elements and the space as what is defined by such forms and then the understanding interpreted as human responsiveness creates place. Therefore the understanding of the study would be that man responding to elements, forms and space creates place. This is the framework of the mind and is used as the framework for the study. In the light of its physical attributes it can be discussed in terms of its physical form and shape and the spaces it creates. In the light of its social attributes it can be discussed according to its social and cultural meaning which in architectural terminology constitutes the idea of "a place'. Therefore it is understood that the street edge constitutes of 'space' and 'place'.
item: Article-Full-text
Air pollutant dispersion around high-rise building cluster forms: the case of Port City, Colombo, Sri Lanka Malithie Vidanapathirana
(National Library of Medicine, 2023) Vidanapathirana, M; Perera, N; Emmanuel, R; Coorey, S
Air quality in dense urban environments is a growing concern, especially in rapidly developing cities. In the face of growing traffic associated with urbanization, there is evidence for high levels of pollutant concentration at street level which is influenced by building forms. In this paper, we examine the potential effects of high-rise, cluster developments permitted by the local planning authorities in the newly established Port City development in Colombo, Sri Lanka. We designed possible building forms based on specific guidelines for the development in terms of plot coverage, floor area ratio, and maximum height. The three-dimensional building clusters were simulated using the RANS k-epsilon turbulence model, to determine pollutant dispersion of a complex street formation in a high dense high-rise building cluster, within the development and the surrounding context (existing Colombo). Results show that in a complex building cluster there is no single building form which will provide uniformly better pollution dispersion across the development. Flow patterns are significantly affected by the building morphology, context, and ambient wind direction. Thus, individual building permits should be considered in their contexts and surrounding geometries need to be accounted for.
item: Conference-Full-text
Can Colombo port city high-rise tower and podium morphology improve pollutant dispersion and urban ventilation?
(Ceylon Institute of Builders - Sri Lanka, 2023-07-21) Vidanapathirana, M; Perera, N; Emmanuel, R; Coorey, S
A rapid increase in high-rise building clusters within developing cities has led to mounting environmental and climatic issues. This is especially highlighted in Asian cities where extreme tropical climates are accentuated by ad-hoc developments, that in turn create unfavourable urban environments. Traffic emissions and air pollution, directly and indirectly, effect the Urban Heat Island (UHI) factor. Studies show that urban ventilation is a key mechanism to ameliorate UHI, reduce pollution stagnation, improve air quality, and reduce dependence on energy-consuming systems, thereby enhancing future sustainability. A research gap on the effect of the morphology of high-rise towers, and tower and podium forms as clusters on air pollution dispersion was identified. A high-rise cluster in the proposed Port City in Colombo, Sri Lanka was identified, and possible building forms were designed based on guidelines given by the local authority. Simplified three-dimensional building clusters were simulated using Ansys Fluent and a RANS k-epsilon turbulence model. Results suggest the addition of a podium has minimal impact on pollution dispersion when compared with only a tower form. Block podiums were found to concentrate pollution within the podium height, while tiered podiums pushed street pollution upwards along the face of a podium. However, more uniform dispersion was seen in tiered podiums, reducing overall pollution concentrations within the study area. Overall, as per requirement and context, it is highlighted that podium forms can be designed to create better-ventilated urban spaces with good air quality, within a high-rise high-dense environment.
item: Conference-Abstract
Creating sense of community in gated apartments in the city of Colombo
(Department of Architecture, University of Moratuwa, 2013-10-15) Weththasinghe, A; Coorey, S; Dayarathne, R; Wijesundara, J
With increase in population and limitations in urban land, there is a growing demand for vertical housing resulting in a dramatic increase in the construction and the occupation of vertical housing. Such fast growing vertical housing for middle-income urban dwellers, are prevalent in many parts of Colombo and marketed as places for optimal "Sense of Community" and "Ideal Places for Living". But such identities created by developers are questionable. This paper tests the "Sense of Community" indicators in selected urban gated housing in Colombo and identifies several built environment factors that can enhance "Sense of Community". Questionnaire surveys are done within three selected cases in Colombo to measure "Sense of Community Indicators". The built environment factors relevant to sense of community such as building layout, spatial relationships between dwelling units, visibility levels, circulation spaces , common spaces were observed via, questionnaires, checklists, inventories and systematic observations. As a preliminary attempt to explore the sense of community in gated housing in Colombo, the study shows that visual and physical spatial integration can enhance vertical interactions among neighbors across floors. Building layouts with open corridors and central courts is more appropriate than the now commonly seen housing layouts with single linear internal corridors and types with housing clustered around lift cores. The strategic locations of common spaces and its qualities in terms of habitability facilitates interactions and better sense of community than the extent and quantity of common spaces allocated in housing. Although findings supports studies discussed in literature review the limited qualitative data and number of cases may lay setbacks to the research findings.
item: Conference-Full-text
The Effectiveness of street characteristics for creating a city image; a study of Galle road, Colombo
(2018) Perera, DDS; Coorey, S; Samarawickrama, S
The "Image" of the Asian city is associated with its street character, forms and patterns and it is distinctively different from its Western counterpart. The "Streets" play a dominant role in the formation of a city’s unique identity. With the changes taking place in the urban development the street characteristics are undergoing significant changes having impact on the city image and its uniqueness. This study explores the importance of street character for enhancing the city image. Segments of streets along Galle Road, Colombo are investigated to observe the street characteristics and street users’ perceptions on city image. Doorstep and street corner interviews were conducted among a random sample group. Findings revealed the most significant street characteristics such as width of the road, facade identity, visual exposure, functionality, boundary characteristics, physical form, activities, scale, visibility, height, unique shape, variation of setbacks, the sound, smell and greenery as important for enhancing and preserving the city Image
item: Conference-Full-text
Multisensory design for sense of coherence: a case study of academics’ workspaces
(Faculty of Architecture Research Unit (FARU), 2021-12-03) Casther, F; Coorey, S
Multisensory design in workplace plays an important role in the sense of wellbeing and sense of coherence of its users. Both are important for workplace productivity and efficiency. Workplace designs are often driven by maximising capacity and corporate identities rather than the need for improving the quality of environments and sense of wellbeing of its users which is critical for optimising workplace productivity. Multisensory design features vary across workplace environments and the response to such may also vary based on the user groups, their background, cultural differences, type of profession or work being performed etc. The study aims to explore multisensory design in workplace and its impact on sense of wellbeing and coherence of its users in a case study of a workplace of academics in a Higher Education Institution. A qualitative approach is used to collect data on user perceptions via in-depth interviews, memory sketching, visual surveys etc. The workplace multisensory design features are assessed using checklists and photographic observations. Findings show that universal factors such as adequate privacy, availability of biophilia, informal interactions in the workplace and the flexibility for personalisation enhanced sense of wellbeing and coherence in workplace., which led to a positive impact on workplace productivity.in the users.
item: Conference-Full-text
Role of spatial hierarchy in resettling the urban poor:implications of spatial configuration on privacy and interaction
(Department of Architecture University of Moratuwa, 2016) Karunanayake, K.G.T.N.; Coorey, S; Wijesundara, J; Dayaratne, R
The Government organizations in Sri Lanka often resettle the urban poor in high-rise housing. Such housing interventions often do not acknowledge the spatial relationships and organizations of such communities which play a key role in their social ties and way of life. This study explores the spatial configuration of a low income settlement before and after settlement. Following which the study examines the impact of differences in spatial configurations on the overall housing satisfaction. The impact on privacy and social interaction was specially focused on in the analysis of housing satisfaction. An ongoing community housing project “MuwadoraUyana” in Colombo - Thotalanga was selected for the study. The differences in spatial configurations using space syntax and the residents’ views on interaction and privacy using interview were explored in the original low rise and the new high risesettlement. Study highlights the importance of spatial hierarchy and identifies the spatial structuringand spaces necessary to achieve desired interaction and privacy in an original low rise low income settlement. Following which the need for demonstrating such spaces and design directions for a high rise settlement is discussed.