An Analitical study of urban space between fabric and street with special reference to main street of Colombo

Abstract

Creating a style is a complex work of art. It requires the merging of many criteria both functional and symbolic. Requirements in modem days make the city even more complex. City is an expression of essence of the people who built it and who live in it. Therefore, every city has unique characteristics of its own. In the urban city, street is the most prominent feature. Identity of the street is given by its built fabric and the social activities. The role of the built fabric varies from city to city depending on its' arrangement, detail and design. City is not only an arrangement of buildings to form one entity. It also encapsulate activity pattern of its uses. Therefore, city should express and reflect the socio-cultural background of its' society. Whilst designing urban streetscape, a proper design concept in the street architecture is essential since, the quality and the architectural language of the design depend on these concepts. Architectural language should fit into to its physical context. An architectural product which blends in with its context will achieve a rhythm. This rhythm will be a three dimensional experience to the viewer, who walk through it. Rhythm of a street can be defined as its function, composition of its built fabric and form of its space. Unless the designer clearly understands and identified this rhythm, he or she cannot add any built element to the context which blends with it. This study will endeavour to provide guidelines for the designers to identify the rhythm of the street, characteristics of urban fabric and there co relationship with the social activities. The author sincerely hope that this study will be useful in its' own modest way, to find architectural solutions for the present and future needs.