Review on Sustainable Building Design and Construction in the Rural Context: The Case of Building Ampara, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The hands-on experience from the recently completed Deakin’s iDiDe (Intercultural Dialogue Through Design) program in 2016 concluded that there is a clear and critical need to empower rural communities in the Ampara region of Sri Lanka to achieve United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals 2015–2030. Although the contribution of building design and construction processes for sustainable community development has been frequently discussed in other research, it has been mostly with reference to urban areas, urban population, urban problems and/or one or more of selected “sustainability” philosophies in the building domain among many, demonstrating substantial disintegration. Taking the above into consideration, as part of a much larger research initiative originated through the Deakin’s iDiDe program, this paper presents the need for an integrated framework for sustainable building design and construction in the rural context with a specific focus on Ampara region of Sri Lanka with an ultimate goal of empowering its communities. This was achieved through the hands-on experience gained through the iDiDe study program conducted by Deakin University partnered with a number of institutions and organizations and rural communities in Ampara region, Sri Lanka; and a critical literature synthesis. Study findings concluded that adoption of the Integral Sustainable Design and Construction (ISDC) framework for rural contexts is vital to address prevailing physical, social and cultural issues.