![]() ![]() They saw the possibilities thanks to another project ongoing at the time: the Ena de Silva house was being moved from its location in Colombo and rebuilt with painstaking attention to detail at Lunuganga, Bawa’s garden estate in Bentota. ![]() It was clear to all that a superficial sprucing up would not be enough – the problem was with the bones of the building, where the concrete had begun to feel the wear of years. When it came time to work on the hotel, Channa’s conversation with John Keells revolved around how to best restore it to its full glory. However, not only was the building itself something of a national treasure, the site it occupies is particularly stunning: sandwiched between two beaches in Bentota, it offers easy access to the Bentota River on one side, and a view of the highlands and Adam’s Peak from the highest level of the building. Ena de Silva’s stunning batik design had been a key element in the building Geoffrey Bawa worked on between 19, and its restoration to a place of pride has been one of the final steps in an extraordinary project that literally saw this iconic building dismantled and rebuilt, nearly from the ground up.įive or six years ago, this building was decrepit, says Channa, the architect hired to effect this ambitious transformation. ![]() An exhaustive reference section includes a complete chronology.On Friday last week, just as the architect Channa Daswatte sat down for an interview with the Sunday Times, a ceiling was sliding into place at the Bentota Beach Hotel. This ambitious publication is a comprehensive documentation and appreciation of Geoffrey Bawa and his work and includes a rich portfolio of his most important works, including some rarely published projects. The summation of his oeuvre is symbolized by his own two residences - a house in Colombo and a residential complex in Lunuganga - whose evolution eloquently reflect Bawa's career and personality. Soon his talents were applied on a larger scale, to the Sri Lanka parliament, a number of carefully situated and designed hotels, schools, offices and other public buildings. Few architects achieved his harmonious fusion of local building traditions with modern forms and sensibilityīawa's early works were houses that artfully married vernacular styles and responses to climate and site with a modern architectural vocabulary. Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa and the buildings he created have become legendary in the region and influential around the world. ![]()
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March 2023
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