Application of soft landings concept in Sri Lanka to narrow the building performance gap, enablers and barriers

Abstract

Purpose – Like in many other countries, in Sri Lanka, minimal attention is paid to the performance of a building after it has been taken over by its end-user. Hence, a gap often exists between the actual performance of the building and its predicted performance. This performance gap led to the origin of the Soft Landings (SL) framework by Building Services Research Information Association (BSRIA). The applications of SL have been studied only in contexts like Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, although optimal building performance is being discussed extensively all over the world. Thus, this paper aims to determine the possibility of applying SL to building construction projects in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach – Two rounds of expert interviews were conducted to collect data; they were analyzed using content analysis and later validated using pattern matching. Findings – At a glance, the application of SL is welcoming as the performance gap in Sri Lankan buildings is significant. However, the existing practices encumber the application of certain aspects like three years postconstruction aftercare. The actual application to the Sri Lankan context requires a modification to the periods specified for the SL stages in theory. Originality/value – Adaptability of the SL framework has not been systematically researched in the context of a developing country yet. The enablers and barriers in the application of SL and the level of effort required in its implementation too have not been studied before. The research addressed this literature gap as well as the industry need