Geoffrey Bawa – Explore the Best of Sri Lankan Architecture

There is only one modern architect who has indelibly stamped his mark and authority on Sri Lankan architecture, and who remains a benchmark of quality against which all succeeding architects are measured.

That towering figure is none other than Geoffrey Bawa (1919-2003). Yet surprisingly he only became an architect at the age of 38, beginning at the latter part of the 50s and continuing until his stroke in 1998. He may be best known for the extraordinarily luxurious private houses and hotels, but his portfolio also includes a number of public housing projects, schools, universities, churches, factories and of course the Sri Lankan parliament.

Since his death Bawa’s reputation has dramatically grown, both through the activities of the admirable Geoffrey Bawa Trust, and also by scholarly monographs on his output. David Robson – Bawa’s official biographer and friend – is the undisputed expert on the great man. His latest book – In Search of Bawa: Master Architect of Sri Lanka – beautifully photographed by Sebastian Posingis, is a valuable and timely survey of those buildings that have thankfully survived the many ongoing despoliations, as well as a clarion call to rescue those that are at risk before it is too late.

Historians typically like to tell the story of architecture through a succession of styles. In Bawa’s case, he is universally identified as the driving force behind ‘Tropical Modernism’. In fact Bawa defies classification, as his many projects ranged a number of styles from Tropical Modernism to Contemporary Vernacular, and from Minimalism and Brutalism to Late and Regional Modernism – on which he was ahead of the curve.

“Bawa is not a style.” Robson explains, “During a career that spanned over 40 years he refused to be straight-jacketed, never confining himself to one architectural language and always refusing to become a prisoner of his own success. He had a consistent approach to design and a determination to treat each project as a unique problem requiring a unique solution. Every design was for him an experiment and he never repeated himself.”

Even as an older student at London’s Architectural Association, Bawa was never swayed by fads, fashions and ideology – not least by the Modernists who wanted to turn their backs on history.

Sensitive to history – the European tradition as well as the more recent colonial experience, and of course the indigenous heritage of the ancient kingdoms of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa; sensitive to the contemporary – gleaned both from his studies and his extensive travels; sensitive to the client’s needs – he famously grilled one of his clients for two long days; sensitive to the experience – his scenographic approach meant that he focused on the actual sensory experience of space; and also sensitive to the natural environment – it was after all partly his love of gardens and his ambitions for Lunuganaga that impelled him from a law career into architecture in the first place.

Bawa’s principled approach to architecture was ‘sustainable’ long before the term was even coined. Furthermore, blurring the boundaries between `inside’ and ‘outside’ may be cliche and commonplace today, but Bawa was doing this (for both living and work spaces) at a time when it was not even fashionable to do so.

But Bawa also characteristically blurred the boundaries between East and West, and between old and new. The end result was a unique architectural oeuvre that was fluid, human, painterly and above all timeless. His is a legacy that will continue to influence, educate and inspire architects across the world for many generations to come.

Robson’s book ‘In Search of Bawa: Master Architect of Sri Lanka’ is an updated addition to his scholarly work ‘Bawa The Complete Works‘ (2002). Arranged geographically around a series of circuits – it will undoubtedly inspire you to go see them for yourself. Bawa was always rather reticent on the subject of his own buildings, urging people to experience them themselves.

“However much one tries to explain architecture in words,” he once said, “I do not think this is possible as it is only the final built object that can be judged, understood and liked or disliked” – and since the recent end of the civil war, many now do explore the best of Sri Lankan Architecture.

Quite a few of Bawa’s surviving public buildings may be visited and even stayed at – not just the hotels he designed, but also his house in Colombo or the magical Lunuganaga. At a time when architectural tours are becoming increasingly popular – with more than 63% of tourists citing architecture as the motivation for their trip – Bawa ‘pilgrimage site’ tours of Sri Lanka are appealing to a wide demographic of international hardcore fans – not just architects and garden historians.

Bawa’s impact on succeeding generations of younger Sri Lankan architects has been considerable, and it is certainly possible to speak of a Bawa School. But he has also joined that great pantheon of the greatest creators of mankind and will continue to inspire the world over.

David Robson is an architect, academic and writer who was a personal friend of Geoffrey Bawa. He is Bawa’s official biographer, having published three books — BAWA: The Complete Works (2003), Beyond Bawa (2005) and Bawa: The Sri Lankan Gardens (2009). During a long and illustrious career, David has contributed to many academic journals and books.

Sebastian Posingis spent much of his childhood in Sri Lanka and India and gained a degree in anthropology from the University of Canterbury in the UK before turning to his first love as an architectural photographer. His clients have included the Four Seasons hotel group, Waldorf Astoria and Conrad Hotels & Resorts. His work has also appeared in Der Spiegel, New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, Geo Magazine, International Herald Tribune, Condé Nast Traveller and Vanity Fair.