‘Cost’ and the notion of 'expedriment' in architectural design in Sri Lanka - study with reference to factors effect in experiment in material usage in personalized houses in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This research is an enquiry into architectural design and construction. The study looks at the personalized houses done by local Chartered Architects in Sri Lanka. It is an examination on how architects ‘experiment and innovate’. Key hypotheses for the research were; “Architects are not sufficiently involved in experimenting with building material and technology” and “the limited experimenting is mainly due to cost issues”. This sector receives the most active contribution from the professionals but the approaches are confined to a limited set of practice conventions. Therefore, this segment of the industry is identified as the most appropriate section to carry throughout the research. The study investigates the effects of ‘cost’ in relation to experiment and attempts to establish the notion of ‘experiment’ in architectural design process and practice in Sri Lanka. The study finds out the ‘factors limiting the experimentation’ in the field of architecture. The research carries out with a questionnaire survey and case study interviews. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses are made to analyse the factors affect in experiment in architecture and the most effective backgrounds in experimenting.