Tag: Sri Lanka

Contemporary sub-urban living demands an adept ambience; they want breathing room and disdain wastefulness. Nestled away from the bustle of the city, this two story house built on a 20 perch land is home to a family of four. The challenge faced by the architects was the planning and transformation of sub-urban living through revolutionary design.

Architects: earchitectstudio Lead Architect: E.A.T Suresh Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka Area: 41 m2 Project Year: 2019 Client: Orel Corporation Concept Design: Orel Corporation (Pvt) Ltd, Sri Lanka Design Development Team: EAT.Suresh, S.M.S.S.Samaraweera, A.N.Baddage & Gayan Sumudu MEP Engineers: Haritha Consultants (Pvt) Ltd Quantity Surveyors: MDZ Cost Consultant Photographer: MAD Factory Orel 24×7 unmanned store was […]

Picturesquely perched in the midst of captivating countryside scenery, Ayurvie Sigiriya is located in the heart of the cultural triangle, about 170 KM away from the capital city of Sri Lanka. This pristine haven hides away from the busy streets of the city, within a few hours ‘away from many historical and religious monuments.

This project is a study in balancing the functional requirements for an ‘Office Space’ with the architectural ideology of ‘The Workspace’. Located off a busy main street, this multi-storied structure was acquired by Bunnik Tours International to house a plethora of requirements needed to setup their regional operations. The existing structure offered no architectural value or spatial quality. Each floor amounted to 1,100 sq-ft of compact space to achieve the equilibrium needed for a functional workspace.

Situated in Mount Lavinia, a busy city in the suburban periphery of Colombo, this single bedroom ‘loft’ dwelling, on the third floor of an existing residence was a renovation from what was previously a store/workshop used by her (the owner’s) father.

Negombo is a major city in Sri Lanka, located approximately 37 km north of the commercial capital of Colombo. Also it is situated on the west coast and at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, in Western Province. Negombo is one of the major commercial hubs in the country and has about 142,136 populations within its divisional secretariat division.

The site was as typical as suburbia could get: a street with a rhythm of roof tiled, plastered brick boxes built to the limit of the road setbacks. Site is bounded by existing houses on two sides with a main neighbourhood street on east side. The density and potential proximity of neighbouring houses was an issue to address. In a neighbourhood of older detached houses ranging from one to two storeys the narrative of the house began as a shell for a tall living room. Pagoda house wraps its transparent inner spaces with a shell of un-plastered cement brick set into the frame of a raw concrete structure. The rear of the house contains the living dining room and kitchen on the ground floor, with bedrooms above.

The Architecture today is dominated by the overstimulated visual forms. These visual forms are most of the time not sympathetic to their surroundings. They dominate & compete with the surrounding whether it’s in a cityscape or rural landscape. They do not follow the rhythms of nature. A heavy concrete structure built on a marshy go against the rhythms of nature. A structure in hot dry zone should have lot of shade to protect from heat.  Structure in hot humid climate should have shade as well as cross ventilation. When you recognize forces of nature – climate, topography, etc… built structures blend with their context and do minimum harm to it. Santani is a place where the built structures recognize the importance of being contextual.

A single family house (built in the 80’s) in a partial state of abandonment is acquired by new owners, who demand a fresh functionality and aesthetic for their family’s soon to be new home. The brief was to open plan spaces with an improved relationship to the garden, and a kitchen that could be enjoyed as a social space. Located in Moratuwa; this renovated home is simultaneously sophisticated and cozy; offering a homely retreat with the comforts of contemporary innovation. The design intent was to capture the translucent and independent spirit and way of life of the clients through the essence of the existing and designed built space and landscape. The original house was designed to accommodate a family of four and a maid; the new configuration needed to contain a family of five, a guest area and covered parking for two vehicles etc. The challenge posed by the additions and alterations design to the house was to multiply the built floor area while maintaining a generous garden space.

An architect’s own house is often viewed as an unparalleled opportunity to explore, and convert ideas into reality. For Architect Dr. Nishan Rasanga Wijetunga, designing of his humble abode paved ways to express his beliefs in maximizing the use of space.

New construction systems can be executed much faster than working by hand and the most basic technological solutions prove to be more durable, the desire for change can now be satisfied more quickly, with no reference to the past. Anything that one potentially anchored us to a historical tradition is doomed to be hidden and eventually disappear. Time may be approaching for the tradition of building with exposed bricks- beautifully and tastefully- is fast going to be a thing of the past, judging by the latest trends in architecture. This view can be applied to the world as it is today, where nearly everything has become unreal, a vulgar imitation, a substitute, where immediacy, industrial production and greed have produced abundant copies, where little in the market retains a connection with history, a sense of origin, a sense of belonging, or a relationship with nature.

Located by the side of the main Nawala road, the site is a naturally sloping one; with a higher elevation towards the main road and a lower elevation towards the rear of the land. The existing development had been planned thus, that the natural slope became an integral part of the design.

Beverly Street is a family business that is driven by a passion for fashion, the goal being to provide affordable clothing to their loyal customers. Starting with a big dream in a little store on a busy Kolpetty street , the client wanted to expand, both in square footage and soul to provide for increasing needs of their customers. Situated close to the water body known as Diyawannawa, the lake which holds the Sri Lankan Parliament historically defined the entrance of the Kingdom of Kotte. There was a need to design a landmark building that responds to the lake as well.

The Romance Valley is located in a mesmerizing setting of nature offering you breathtaking boundless views which is in Haputale. The site is located in southern part of the hill country of Sri Lanka, one of the most accessible destination of South Asia with a daily flights most of the major cities in Asia and Europe. Location of the villa is a suitable for a hotel and the environment is a healthy and hygienic.

As the case for several preceding community projects done by the Robust Architecture Workshop, this project aims a rural context in terms of facilitating knowledge, in this case a primary school in Boralukanda. The knowledge of building was transferred to build a building where universal knowledge is kept and preserved. The school now owns a ‘New Library’, after decades of functioning without a proper library building, and the community by themselves built the school library along with the immense support and guidance by RAW the Architects. The context specific natural, capital and human resources has been taken in to serious consideration by the Architects in the process of design and construction, and after all, the whole community is benefitted by gaining the capacity (skills and knowledge) of handling and leading similar circumstances in future.