Liveability & the Sri Lankan high-rise : mitigating the impact of building height on high-rise occupants

Abstract

The impact of height on occupant wellbeing is a phenomenon that is well documented in Western research. However, there is a dearth of and need for such research in the Sri Lankan context due to the bourgeoning high-rise development sweeping across the island. This study is a response to this need as it demonstrates how building height impacts on the wellbeing of occupants in 03 selected high-rise apartments located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This holistic multiple-case study approach has recourse to occupants’ phenomenological experiences of vertical living and building and environmental cues that impact both negatively and positively on their wellbeing. The initial literature survey conducted on occupants’ experience of vertical living quantifies the parameters impacting on wellbeing. These in turn have been factored into a questionnaire in order to assess the impact of height on occupants’ wellbeing, through the protocols of phenomenological enquiry. The analytical process consisted of phenomenological horizonalization, which facilitated the extraction of themes pertaining to the impact of height on wellbeing. The results show that the natural environment does, in fact, play a pivotal role in mitigating the negative impact of building height, especially when the experiences of occupants living in the upper floors of the high-rise apartments are taken into consideration. They also show that a high-rise apartment’s physical and visual connections to the natural environment, have a beneficial effect on the mental health and wellbeing of its occupants. Thus, the findings of this study corroborate those of Western research and contribute to the ongoing global discourse on the subject. It should also impact, thereby, the growth and evolution of the user-friendly high-rise of the 21st century. Key Words: high-rise, building height, natural environment, negative impacts, livability