Abstract:
It is the obligation of architects to design buildings and places for the present, thinking about the
future, yet inspired by the past. Hence, the story behind a local context's evolution should be
narrated through the local heritage down the timeline to be preserved for future generations.
Thus the issue identified was how the urban character and the city image of a particular context
can be preserved amid current hap hazardous developments with social trends. This paper tries
to address the question of how colour is a necessary attribute in preserving the local urban
character because of its adaptability through various means of application. Sri Lanka is a very
diverse country with a history and culture that values and imbues colour with significance and
meaning. The living heritage city of Kandy was taken as the case study limiting to 2 major arterial
streets which run through the city center to study the current built fabric's character. The study
objectives were to find out whether the local heritage has been preserved through the built fabric,
if not, to find out why and any previously imposed guidelines regarding maintaining the built
fabric to preserve the local heritage down the timeline with special reference to colour while
meeting with new social developments and their rationale. Therefore, interviews were conducted
with local and foreign visitors, architects, and local planning authorities to get their opinion on
the current state, the possible future of local heritage preservation and to get a general census
on creating an applicable guideline to the city built fabric. Finally, it was concluded that through
the correct application of colour the urban character would eventually result in creating a city
image which will sustain an authentic city identity while preserving the local heritage and culture.
