Tag: Geoffrey Bawa

Seamlessly connecting the island’s craft heritage with modern evolving contemporary design sensibilities, Sri Lankan textiles have stood in the forefront due to its adaptation abilities, transformative potential and aesthetic perceptions in the field of interior design.

Geoffrey Bawa, the celebrated Sri Lankan Architect is known for his works centers around Tropical Modernism. While many of his works are well known and highly celebrated, some of his profound projects do not stand on that pedestal. They rarely make it to magazine covers or serve the curated sunset views. Some sit quietly behind school walls, some sit by calm lakes and some sit on edges of industrial or commercial fabric, woven into rhythms of daily life. Yet these works also celebrate spaces like any other of Bawa’s work: Corridors are not passages but slow transitions, courtyards hold not grandeur but pause, and walls that connect indoor and outdoor. This article dives into five such projects which are the lesser-known whispers.

Organized by the Geoffrey Bawa Trust,  22nd Annual Geoffrey Bawa Memorial Lecture will be presented by Frank Escher and Ravi GuneWardena; the founding partners at  Escher GuneWardena Architecture. Established in 1995, the firm’s award-winning work not only ranges from customized residential buildings to renowned commercial projects, but also emphasizes on preservation projects and curatorial collaborations- with notable emphasis on Sri Lankan community works based in Los Angeles.

“Bench It- Designing for a Pause” is an open call for all students and emerging architects and designers to reimagine the bench as more than a seating. Organized by the Geoffrey Bawa Trust, this competition invites its participants to design a bench that emphasizes “slowness- a place to rest, watch and listen” for one of the island’s most beloved cultural institutions: the Geoffrey Bawa space, Colombo 07.

Laki Senanayake was more than just an artist – he was an innovator who defied categorization, seamlessly blending art with architecture, nature, and public spaces. A self-taught maestro, his works – ranging from intricate ink drawings to grand metal sculptures – are not merely standalone pieces but immersive experiences that transform the spaces they inhabit.

Lunuganga, Geoffrey Bawa’s country estate near Bentota, is more than a garden—it is a reflection of the man himself. Once a cinnamon plantation, this sprawling 15-acre estate became Bawa’s personal retreat and lifelong experiment in harmonizing architecture with the natural world. For over five decades, he transformed it into a living canvas that tells a story of balance, beauty, and the enduring relationship between man and nature. Walking through Lunuganga feels like stepping into Bawa’s mind. Every path invites discovery, every view frames a story, and every corner holds a quiet moment of surprise or reflection.