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Philosophy of the ‘Father of Sri Lankan Architecture’

Born in 1919, Geoffrey Bawa was Sri Lanka’s most influential and iconic architects. He studied and practised as a lawyer until he discovered his love for the design and architecture.

The Architect

Bawa loved the natural state of things and used this to develop and design his work. He blended the location and the beauty of the gardens to reflect on the interior as well and this is evident is any Geoffrey Bawa hotel.

File:Lunuganga, Bentota, Sri Lanka. Interieur 1..jpg
Labeet, Lunuganga, Bentota, Sri Lanka. Interieur 1., CC BY-SA 3.0

His works

During his life, he designed a number of iconic properties such as the Lunuganga Estate; his home, the Sri Lankan Parliament, Seema Malaka Buddhist Temple and The Blue Water Wadduwa Hotel and Spa to name a few.

File:Colombo-temple.jpg
No machine-readable author provided. Jolle~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., Colombo-temple, CC BY-SA 3.0

His Philosophy

Geoffrey Bawa didn’t talk much about his work in terms of technicality and architectural design as he preferred someone to “feel” and experience the work instead. Bawa works were a testament to his philosophy of “respect, enhance and celebrate the environment”.

Visit

Travelling around Sri Lanka, you’re bound to find a number of hotels, buildings, houses, restaurants, etc. that have been designed by Bawa. Although some have been converted to private residences, you’ll be able to visit a few.

Image result for the blue water hotel wadduwa
Image Credit: The Blue Water Wadduwa Hotel and Spa

Damon Starky is a creative nomadic travel writer, who is well informed and experienced on a wide range of interests that would connect to the needs of any type of traveler. Google+

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