CAN ARCHITECTURE BUILD PEOPLE’S LIVES?

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Another thought-provoking question. This was asked by Milinda Pathraja. “Sri Lanka for me is a place of extremes. There are lush forests, but on the other hand, there’s construction and commercialization as well”. Milinda went on to say that Sri Lanka boasts a history of architecture, but it also includes periods of war. The war is over, but the problems are not. We have urbanized vertical constructions which help people have a place to live. But at the same time, we also have informal settlements or illegal structures. We also have improperly trained workers, resulting in poorly constructed buildings. This not only poses a threat to the quality of the building but also to those living in and around the buildings. Milinda emphasized that there should be a technological framework for carrying out construction. The framework should be able to adapt without affecting the performance of the building’s construction. In conclusion, Milinda explained that if architects are serious about building and rebuilding Sri Lanka, they will have to rethink the way they build.