“The Psychology of a Home”: An Exploration of an Architectural Model for Housing in the Tea Plantation Sector of Sri Lanka Using the Al-Tarazi (2021) Framework Part 2 Dissertation 2024 Ranishka Aluthgamage City School of Architecture | Sri Lanka This study examines the current housing architecture provided to the Indian Origin Tamil (IOT) communities in Sri Lanka's tea plantation sector, using Al-Tarazi's (2021) theoretical framework. Originating from India, the IOT estate workers were historically brought to Ceylon by the British to labour in the tea industry, now crucial for Sri Lanka's economy. Despite their pivotal role, they endure low socioeconomic status and harsh living conditions, exacerbated by recent declines in youth labour due in part to inadequate housing. Efforts over the past three decades to improve living conditions, including the construction of approximately 43,000 units, have often resulted in community displacement and fragmentation.This research aims to explore the concepts of home, human needs, and the sense of home within the estate sector, considering how the built environment impacts residents' well-being. Employing a mixed methods approach, the study evaluates various architectural features against user feedback to assess the congruence between housing design and community needs. By shedding light on this underexplored aspect of the tea industry, the findings aim to bring to light and promote the development of more responsive housing models that consider social context, climate conditions and most important, human needs. Tutor(s) Surangi Gunawardena