A Study of modifications in Sri Lankan apartment housing schemes and their relationship for user personalization

Abstract

House is a medium through which a person gives an expression to himself. The house a person builds embodies certain features of the owners character, initially fashioned by the inherent views and attitudes of the community which he belongs to. The environment in which he is nurtured, the social group to which he belongs too, play a significant part in moulding his out look and ambition in life. According to Fathy, Hassan A house is a visible symbol of families identity, the most important material possession a man can ever have the enduring witness to his existence. The past housing endeavours have mostly been recognized as concepts of actualizing the dwellers quantitative requirements. Thus may have been mere provision of tangible human comfort and lacked the perceptual stimulation of home. It could be said, therefore that many housing schemes have not provided the stipulation for dwellers psychological, physical social and cultural manifestation that are essential for their existence. The approach of providing apartment housings for urban middle income is one such strategy, which lacked in qualitative aspects and coherently has been a snatch in the recent past. They provided a different built environment where occupants were used to. Hence inevitable changes began to occur, when they moved into these housing schemes. The built environment provided, rapidly modified and personalized according to the needs and life style of occupants, to fulfill their psychological, physical social and cultural aspects and to create intimate perception of home beyond the parameters of mere housing.