Bawa house

We take a close look at how the two Colombo, Sri Lanka projects came into being, and how Bawa choreographed the aesthetics of the spaces

It took a genius to redesign this Sri Lankan stable into the architectural landmark it is today—it also took friendship to turn it into a home

The spirit of tropical modernist Geoffrey Bawa lives on at his favored getaway

Geoffrey Bawa (1919-2003) is Sri Lanka’s foremost architect, and often considered a founding father of “tropical modernism.” When it comes to resorts, in particular, it’s hard to exaggerate his importance. He took elements of vernacular architecture—such as overhanging pitched roofs—and combined them with modernist architecture—an absence of decorative elements combined with austere geometric forms.

The Sunethra Bandaranaike House. Horagolla, Sri Lanka. 1984-1986 Geoffrey Bawa

www.ofhouses.com www.facebook.com/ofhouses socks-studio: "Geoffry Bawa’s house in Colombo (1959 - 1970) is an exercise in horizontal densification. The result of a decade old process of annexation of four rows of existing bungalows is a labyrinth of rooms and garden courts where the traditional hierarchies of figure-ground or inside-outside relations disappear, while the illusion of a limitless space is created."

Nature blends effortlessly with the traditional building craft. Spaces designed by Geoffrey Bawa.

Architect William Smalley journeys to Sri Lanka to further understand the father of tropical modernism

ELLE DECOR India on Instagram: "75 years of history and an exemplary entity of architecture born out of the genius of Geoffrey Bawa, walk with us through Lunuganga Garden Estate. For many years it remained a mythical place as Bawa disallowed anyone other than his closest friends into its charmed boundaries. Our guest editor for the latest issue, Channa Daswatte @channadas walks ELLE DECOR India through the many turns and rooms of Lunuganga. He reveals, “One of my favourite rooms in the…