Archwatch

Roads - and their influence on built forms

Accessibility is an important aspect when designing a building. Therefore it is important to be aware of the roads in relation to land prior to locating your building. Awareness on locations of overhead power lines, water supply and sewer lines underground as well as road reservation in very necessary before going ahead constructing a house. The corner of the site, if curved would ensure smooth traffic movement.

A few common matters are highlighted below.

1 A Building Site - surrounded by roads on all sides

This is a very rare situation in the current urban context. The building site should be large in this situation, because there will be road reservation on all or some roads. If there are no bordering private roads, a built form on this type of location should be located at the center.

2 A building site - surrounded on three sides by the road

Generally this will be a corner plot with a service lane parallel to one road.

This is fairly a good location for a house. The main entrance should be from the less busy road although the house could face the main road when considering the form and aesthetic aspects and the service access could be located from the service lane.

The built forms could go up to the boundary without a binding road, provided it is not the rear boundary.

3 A Building Site - in a corner with roads on two sides

This situation could encourage a very interesting piece of architecture - most of the buildings on corner plots have become landmark buildings.

Usually most corner plots are larger than the other plots in a particular area and cost more.

Two sides of the land are not obstructed by any other constructions because of the roads. Therefore not only does one get an uninterrupted view from the corner plot but also get good ventilation through the house.

In a plot of this type, a combination of public and private spaces could be designed as there are two sides facing roads and two sides that are not. A building on such a land has beneficial aspects like having two entrances. Therefore it is also suitable as a business premises.

4 A Building Site - "sandwiched" between two roads

In this type of plot there is no need to adhere to the mandatory requirement of leaving 10 - 12 rear space (according to the height of the building). A building on such a site could have entrances from both sides if there is a right of way given.

The longer edge of the land could be a blind wall and easily be blocked in order to get privacy as well as the maximum use of land. Such space could be used to create an indoor garden if necessary.

However, the main road will have the municipal service supply lines - water, electricity and sewerage. In the urban context, it is possible that the services from one road to the other could be across your land. These could restrict the freedom of expanding a building up to the site boundary.

5 A Building Site - bordering the road

This is the most common type of plot in the urban and suburban context. It would be sound climatically if the land faces either North or South and the road runs East to West.

In this situation too one could build upto the side boundaries to give maximum space to the building as in the previous situation. It is an ideal location for a residential as it ensures a lot of privacy.

Disabled Friendly Region

Public safety in the built habitat is an important aspect to be considered in the development of infrastructure.

In many countries it is now mandatory to have disability access to buildings. The Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA) is collaborating with the Ministry of Welfare and Social Services not only in making amendments to the existing Act but also in creating awareness of disability access as an important aspect in the design of built environments.

The SLIA is currently engaged in working with the Ministry in creating awareness on the new regulations which pertain to the public buildings as well as the roads sector to the Local Government Authorities and the Technical Officers.

Two workshops have been successfully conducted in Matale and Passara and plans are being made to organize a series of Public Awareness Program islandwide.

SLIA's proposal to conduct a pilot project on the creation of a "Disabled Friendly Region" has been accepted.

The Dehiwala Mount Lavinia Municipality has been selected for the project which will commence in the near future. (SLIA release)

Tips to choose house paint colours

Jackie CRAVEN

Picking house paint colors isn't just difficult. Pick colors that are blah, and your house will seem flat and featureless. But if the colours you pick are too bold, they might overwhelm the architecture and upset the neighbors.

The best colours will highlight the most beautiful features of your home. Skillful use of color can even disguise design flaws, boosting the curb appeal and market value of your home. How do you find that magic colour combination? Follow these tips.

1. Honor history

If you're planning to paint an older home, you'll probably want to use a historically accurate color scheme. You can hire a pro to analyze old paint chips and recreate the original color. Or, you can refer to historic colour charts and select shades that might have been used at the time your home was built.

2. Jazz up the past

In some neighborhoods, homeowners fly in the face of history. Instead of choosing historically accurate colours, they paint their houses modern colors to dramatize architectural details. Using bright colors on old architectural details can produce startling and exciting results.

3. Consider your neighbours

The house next door can give you paint colour ideas, but don't copy your neighbor exactly. Choose colors that set your house apart, without clashing with nearby buildings.

4. Borrow from nature

The landscape around your house is blooming with colour ideas. Trees may suggest an earthy palette of greens and browns.

A beach setting might suggest vivid blues, turquoises, and coral colors. Even the garden in your front yard can inspire exciting colour combinations.

5. Check the roof

Your house is your canvas, but it is not blank. Some colours are already established. What color is your roof? Your paint color doesn't need to match the roof, but it should harmonize.

6. Look for things that won't be painted

Every home has some features that will not be painted. Does your house have brick walls? Vinyl windows? A natural wooden door? Will steps and railings remain their existing colours? Choose a color scheme that harmonizes with colors already present on your house.

7. Find inspiration in your living room

It may seem comical to paint entire house based on the pattern of a pillow case, but this approach does make sense. The colour of your furnishings will guide you in the selection of your interior paint colours, and your interior paint colours will influence the colours you use outside. Once again, your goal is to harmonize.

8. Focus on details

Depending on the size and complexity of your home, you may want to choose two, three, or as many as six colours. In addition to colour for your siding, select accent colors for shutters, moldings, doors, window sashes, brackets, columns, and porch decks. But beware: too many colours will overwhelm your house. Too few can make your house seem flat and uninteresting.

9. Use light to add size

It's no wonder large, grand estates are often painted white. Light colors make a building look larger, and white is the favored colour for traditional classical architecture. You can add to your home's sense of size and dignity by using white or a pale cream color.

10. Go dark for drama

Dark siding or dark bands of trim will make your house seem smaller, but will draw more attention to details. Darker shades are best for accenting recesses, while lighter tones will highlight details that project from the wall surface. On traditional Victorian homes, the darkest paint is often used for the window sashes.

11. Discover color families

Contrasting colours will draw attention to architectural details. But, extreme contrasts will clash and actually detract from details. To be safe, consider staying within a single colour family. For some accents, try using a darker or lighter shade instead of a different colour.

12. Strike a balance

A burst of a single color on just one part of your home may give it a lopsided appearance. Strive to balance colours over the entire building.

Purchase a land avoiding future problems

Archt. Shabika Batcha M.Sc.(Arch.), B.Sc.(BE), AIA (SL) interviews Dalrene Seneviratne, Assistant Vice President, Head - House Loan, National Development Bank, on problems emanating when purchasing a block of land to construct a house.

A long lasting place for comfortable living is a dream of an individual.. 'Home' is the sensible enclosure of the above aspect. People do declare the need of 'living' by ensuring their belongingness in a built-form.

However since Sri Lanka is a developing country with a majority of middle class citizens and building a home on their own expense has become a difficult task.. Thus they attempt to obtain a Housing loan from a financial institution to fulfill their requirements of constructing a 'Home' . But according to many complaints made by such clients this seems to be only a nightmare because of the long procedure of obtaining a housing loan.

This discussion reveals how to overcome the inconvenience and difficulties one has to face when applying for a ' Housing Loan' and thereby wipe out of the image of the nightmare and make his wonderful dream of achieving a 'Home' come true.

01. What should a customer consider when obtaining a housing loan from a bank?

I. Rate of interest - fixed rate interest - floating rate of interest. It is always advisable to select a fixed rate interest because housing loans are long tenure loans.

II. Speed.

III. Tenure of the loan.

IV. Convenience & flexibility.

02. What would be the initial steps to follow by a customer when obtain a Housing loan facility from a bank?

There are three pillars in obtaining a housing loan.

I. Credit Appraisal - Reviewing the repayment ability of the customer.

II. Legal Appraisal - Whether you have actual good title to the property.

III. Technical Appraisal - Review the actual value of the property considering the following information.

* Location * Accessibility * Surrounding Environment * Re-sale ability * Land extent * Quality of construction (If it is a built property).

The following Steps should be followed by a customer

Step I - Check your loan eligibility

Step II - Identify a land with your eligibility plus to suit your other bridging finance because the bank lend up to 75 percent of the forced sale value of a property.

Forced Sale Value: It is the minimum value a property could fledge in a forced sale. It is less than the market value.

Step III - Check the legal title. Whether it is a good title and has deeds, plans and land registry extracts for 25 years.

Step IV - Obtain the local authority approvals and other approvals.

Eg: Central Environmental Authority, Land Reclamation, Coast Conservation Authority.

03. How would you calculate the income groups?

Basically the income level is categorized in to two.

I. Self employed. II. Fixed income earners.

Considering the above the fixed income earners will be given more prominence because it is easy to calculate their income eligibility.

Also it could be stated that the Public sector will be given priority as their job stability is guaranteed.

04. How to select a land and what is meant by a good Title, if a person is seeking for a housing loan?

There are three points to be considered in a good title.

I. Whether the land is divided - If it is a large plot and if a person seeks a small plot how the land has been divided.

II. Whether the land is defined - The land should be defined by its four side boundaries clearly stating the bearers of adjoining premises

III. Unencumbered - The loan should not have any mortgages or any other ownership.

05. What are the documents to be submitted by a customer?

All income documents - Letter of appointment from the current employer; Pay slips; Bank statements.

Copy of NIC, Crib report (Credit Information Bureau).

(This is a measure to identify whether a person has any arrears or default loans).

Legal documents (for 25 years thoughts deeds, plans and land registry extracts).

Technical documents:

* Valuation reports * Bill of Quantities * Local authority certificates * Approved building plan * Certificate of Conformity and any other approvals necessary.

06. How long will it take for the processing and approval of the loan facility?

It will depend from bank to bank. But the entire documents stated above are in order, a housing loan could be granted within 5-6 working days.

Issue: Since obtaining a housing loan is a document driven process, obtaining approvals from other relevant authorities takes a long period to proceed.

Therefore an approval of housing loan facility has become a dependable factor on other relevant authorities.

07. What is the procedure of settling a housing loan?

A pre payment damage (a percentage of loan as decided by the Bank) will be charged when settling a housing loan and the mortgage bond will be cancelled.

08. What happens in case of an accident or death of the borrower?

The bank has introduced three insurance polices in order to recover the loss of the borrower.

I. Title insurance - It is 10 year insurance only if there are defects in the land.

II. General insurance for the property - For construction loans where the land value doesn't cover the loan value.

III. Mortgage protection policy - Compulsory for everybody and it in a once and for all insurance to cover death or permanent disabilities of a person.

If there are any queries please respond to Features Editor, 'Archwatch', Daily News.