Passive climate modifications in dutch buildings: a study on public buildings by church street, Galle fort

Abstract

Galle Fort is considered to be the largest preserved historical living settlement in Southeast Asia. The city has been influenced by multiple colonial powers, of whom the Dutch; masters of colonies were the longest rulers. Dutch architects created building designs adaptive to the coastal tropical climate in planning towards a sustainable city. The long enduringness with user fittingness to date witnesses it. This has attempted energy-efficient, cost-effective, and conveniently maintainable buildings while fulfilling the social needs of the time. Therefore, it is important to focus on sustainable design strategies which the Dutch have used in the absence of electrical energy for light and ventilation. These strategies can be effectively applied in building design to maintain and improve the quality of urban life and mitigate the effects of the energy crisis. The current guidelines for sustainable residences in Sri Lanka have introduced four key passive strategies, building orientation, building materials, light, and ventilation. This study aims to investigate the strategies used by the Dutch and their compatibility with these guidelines. Numerous significant buildings were established by the Dutch along church street. Therefore, this street which comprises a wide variety of Dutch public buildings is selected for the study. Physical and non–physical elements are studied and compared with the four key passive strategies. According to the findings, building orientation was not specifically considered by the Dutch. However, lighting strategies, heat-controlling strategies, and ventilation systems were at a moderate level. Materials are compatible with the guidelines. In conclusion, the passive climate modifications used by the Dutch with some improvements are valuable in developing energyefficient and effortlessly maintainable buildings to create sustainable cities.