The Impact of location on threshold space architectural character: study of Egoda Uyana, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The Street-front threshold spaces constitute a critical architectural interface between private domestic interiors and public streets in lower–middle-income suburban settlements. While existing research frequently emphasizes their social and behavioural implications, limited attention has been given to their measurable physical configuration as architectural systems. This study examines the impact of location on threshold space architectural character in Egoda Uyana, Sri Lanka, with the aim of identifying design parameters that are applicable to tropical suburban settlement contexts. Using systematic field documentation, measured drawings, sectional analysis, typological classification, and spatial coding, the research identifies key location- identified parameters including accessibility and connectivity, functionality, territoriality, and threshold character- identified parameters including roof projection, material and edge treatment, permeability, and plinth level differentiation. The findings demonstrate that threshold character varies significantly according to spatial location within the street network. Linear street segments typically sustain modest semi-open transitional spaces that reinforce frontage continuity, whereas intersection nodes generate more articulated threshold configurations due to increased connectivity and multidirectional visibility. Progressive enclosure through high boundary walls and solid materials transforms transitional interfaces into defensive edges, disrupting spatial layering and environmental responsiveness. By studying the relationship between the location of the house threshold in a settlement and the threshold character, the study contributes design-based guidelines that reposition threshold spaces as measurable architectural infrastructures rather than residual margins. The design parameters offer design implications for housing design guidelines and incremental development strategies in lower–middle-income suburban settlements within tropical regions.