Ar. Geoffrey Bawa

GEOFFREY BAWA HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE

MANISHA SHARMA 3rd YR. B.ARCH

LIFE AND TIME: BORN: 1919,COLOMBO. DIED: 2003. FAMILY: FATHER-LAWYER MUSLIMENGLISH PARENTAGE; MOTHER- MIXED GERMANSCOTTISH DESCENT. EDUCATION: 1941-B.A DEGREE(ENG.) CAMBRIDGE UNIV. 1943-BARRISTER AT LAW, MIDDLE TEMPLE ,LONDON 1956-DIPL. IN ARCH., ARCH. ASSO. SCHOOL,LONDON.

PROFESSION: 1957-ASSOCIATE,ROYAL INSTI. OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS. 1958-PARTNER,EDWARDS,REID AND BEGG ARCHITECTS, COLOMBO. 1960-ASSOCIATE, SRILANKA INSTI. OF ARCHITECTS. 1967-AMERICAN INSTI. OF ARCHITECTS. 1969-PRESIDENT,SRILANKA INSTI. OF ARCHITECTS. PHILOSOPHY: “ ONE CHANGING ELEMENT OF A BUILDING IS – ROOF-PROTECTIVE,EMPHATIC AND GOVERNING AESTHETIC. A BUILDING IS ONLY A ROOF,COLUMNS AND FLOORSROOF DOMINANT,SHIELDING,GIVING CONTENTMENT OF SHELTER . ROOF-ITS SHAPE ,TEXTURE AND PROPORTION THE STRONGEST VISUAL FACTOR.” “THOUGHTS ON DETAILS,PROP. OF ROOMS,DOORS AND WINDOWS,THE HEIGHTS ND PITCHES OF ROOFS,HOW

WORKS: 

SiteLocationCountry33rd Lane Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka A.S.H. De Silva House Galle, Southern Province Sri Lanka Agrarian Research and Training Institute Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Banyan Tree Hotel Tanjung Pinang, Riau Province Indonesia Bashir Currimjee House Port Louis Mauritius Batujimbar Pavilions Sanur, Bali Province Indonesia Bentota Beach Hotel Bentota, Southern Province Sri Lanka Bishop's College Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Blue Water Hotel Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Chapel for the Good Sheperd Convent Bandarawela, Uva Province Sri Lanka Club Mediterranee Nilaveli, North Eastern Province Sri Lanka Club Villa Hotel Bentota, Southern Province Sri Lanka De Soysa House Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Fitzherbert House Tangalle, Southern Province Sri Lanka Hilton Hotel Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka

Hotel at Pondicherry Pondicherry, Pondicherry State India House for Chris and Carmel Raffel Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka 

House for Dr. Bartholomeusz Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka House for Lidia Gunasekera Bentota, Southern Province Sri Lanka Hyatt Hotel Sanur, Bali Province Indonesia Jayakody House Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Kandalama Hotel Dambulla, Central Province Sri Lanka Larry Gordon House Wakaya Fiji Lighthouse Hotel Galle, Southern Province Sri Lanka Lunuganga Bentota, Southern Province Sri Lanka Madurai Club Madurai, Tamil Nadu State India Manager's Bungalow Maskeliya, Central Province Sri Lanka Martenstyn House Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Modi House Delhi, Delhi metropolitan area India New Parliament Kotte, Western Province Sri Lanka Osmund and Ena de Silva House Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka

P.C. de Saram Terrace Houses Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Poddar House Bangalore, Karnataka State India 

Polontalawa Estate Bungalow Polontalawa, North Western Province Sri Lanka Pradeep Jayewardene House Mirissa, Southern Province Sri Lanka Ruhunu University Matara, Southern Province Sri Lanka Sarabhai House Ahmedabad, Gujarat State India Serendib Hotel Bentota, Southern Province Sri Lanka Singapore Cloud Centre Singapore Singapore Spencer House Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka St. Bridget's Montessori School Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka State Mortgage Bank Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Triton Hotel Ahungalla, Southern Province Sri Lanka Wijewardene House Colombo, Western Province Sri Lanka Yahapath Endera Farm School Hanwella, Western Province Sri Lanka Yala Beach Hotel Yala, Southern Province Sri Lanka ..

ARCHITECTS HOUSE,1958 BAWA MOVED IN QUARTER OF PRESENT HOUSE IN 1958, WEN HE LEASED AND ALTERED THE 2nd OF 4 SMALL HOUSESIN A BYLANE OFF OF A BYLANE,OFF OF BAGATELLE RD. COLOMBO. THE 1st HOUSE HAD LIVING, BEDROOM,SMALL KITCHEN, A SERVANTS ROOM AND BATHROOM.IT WAS 3rd HOUSE DOWN THE LANE.4th WAS VACANT AND SO

DINING ROOM AND SECOND LIVING WERE ADDED. ALL FOUR HOUSES NOW CONSTITUTE THE PRESENT HOUSE. THE 1st OF THE HOUSES WAS DEMOLISHED AND A NEW STRUCTURE BUILT TO CONTAIN A LIBRARY ON THE 1st FLOOR AND GARDENS ON 2nd AND 3rd LEVELS.

DRAWINGS:

ST. BRIDGETS MONTESSORI SCHOOL,COLOMBO,1964 EXTREMELY LOW COST SCHOOL FOR VERY YOUNG CHILDREN. AIM WAS,FOR THE CHILDREN TO FEEL AS FREE AS POSSIBLE AND TO CREATE A WORLD WHICH THEY COULD IDENTIFY WITH AS THEIR OWN.THE “CHILD WORLD” OF CLASSROOM AND VERANDAH GOES UPTO 3-FEET-CUPBOARD AND BALUSTRADE HEIGHT-AND ABOVE THIS THE BUILDING IS ENTIRELY OPEN. STRUCTURE CAN BE VISUALLY UNDERSTOOD BY ANY 4-YEAR-OLD,AND 1st FLOOR SLAB AND WIDE ROOF GIVE THE NEEDED SENSE OF SHELTER- FROM BOTH SUN AND RAIN. THE IMPRESSION IS THAT OF BEING UNDER A WIDE AND SPLENDID TREE.

STANLEY DE SAREM HOUSE,COLOMBO,1972 HOUSE BUILT ON FRONT LAWN OF LARGE HOUSE OF DE SAREMS.COLLECTION OF BOUGHT AND INHERITED ANTIQUES, MAINLY 16th AND 17th CENTURY.DE SAREMS BEING OLD FRIENDS ,THE DESIGN WAS ALMOST “TALKED “ INTO ITS FINAL FORM SO THAT THESE ANTIQUES BE MOST APTLY PLACED. A HOUSE WELL SET BACK FROM ROADWAY TO SITE RIGHT UP AGAINST THE PAVEMENT MADE BOTH SECURITY AND PRIVACY PRIME CONSIDERATIONS. LARGE INTERNAL COURTYARDS TO COMPENSATE FOR LOSS OF GARDENS.

CHRONOLOGY OF WORKS: 1950,GARDEN ,LUNAGANGA, BENTOTA. 1958,PAUL AND PRINI HOUSE,COLOMBO. 1959,CARMEN GUNASEKERA HUOSE,COLOMBO. 1960, DR. DE SILVA HOUSE,GALLE. 1962,ENA DE SILVA HOUSE,COLOMBO. 1963,PIN AND PAM FERNANDO HOUSE,COLOMBO. CLASSROOM EXTENTION FOR BISHOPS COLLEGE,COL. 1964,CHRIS AND CARMELL RAFFEL HOUSE,COLOMBO. ST. BRIDGETS MONTESSORI SCHOOL,COLOMBO. 1966,CHARTERED BANKS HOUSES,COLOMBO. BLUE LAGOON HOTEL,NEGOMBO. AIRLINE OFFICE INTERIOR,COLOMBO.

1967,ESTATE BUNGLOW,BERUWANA. 1968,STEEL CORPORATION OFFICES,ORUVELA. 1969,ARCHITECTS HOUSE,COLOMBO. BENTOTA BEACH HOTEL,BENTOTA. 1970,CEYLON PAVILION EXPO ,OSAKA,JAPAN. 1971,SERENDIB HOTEL,BENTOTA. 1974,MADURAI CLUB,SOUTH INDIA. 1976,NATIONAL INSTI. OF MANAGEMENT,COLOMBO. 1977,PANAMA HOTEL,PANAMA. 1979,CLUB VILLA,BENTOTA. 1981,MARTENSTYN TOWER,COLOMBO. 1982,OFFICES FOR H.T.L THOMPSON LTD,COLOMBO.

1983,CONVERSION OF OLD PARLIAMENT INTO PRESIDENTIAL SECRETARIAT AND ARCHIVES,COLOMBO. 1985,ROYAL OCEANIC HOTEL,NEGOMBO. 1987,DRUVI DE SAREM HOUSE,COLOMBO. 1988,EXTENTIONS TO INTEGRAL EDUCATION CENTRE,PILIYANDALA. 1989,SINGAPORE CLOUD CENTRE,BOTANICAL GARDENS,SING. 1991,BANYAN TREE RESORTS,INDONESIA.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS: 

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1982-GOLD MEDAL AT SILVER JUBILEE OF SRILANKA INSTI. OF ARCHITECTS. 1983-PACIFIC AREA TRAVEL ASSO. HERITAGE AWARD. 1985-CONFERRED WITH TITLE “VIDYA JYOTI”. 1986-EXHIB.”THE WORK OF GEOFFREY BAWA” BY RIBA AT LONDON AND LATER IN NEWYORK,BOSTON,COLOMBO. TEACHING FELLOWSHIP AT AGA KHAN PROG. FOR ARCH. AT MIT,BOSTON. 1989-MEMBER OF MASTER JURY FOR 4th AGA KHAN AWARD FOR ARCH. 1993-TITLE “DESHMANYA”(LIGHT FOR NATION).

BIBLIOGRAPHY: 

Sources on Geoffrey Bawa " Remembering Geoffrey Bawa, 1919-2003", by ArchitectureWeek, ArchitectureWeek No. 149, 2003.0604, pN1.1. "Geoffrey Bawa Appreciation", by ArchitectureWeek, ArchitectureWeek No. 84, 2002.0130, pN1.1. "Aga Khan Award for Architecture", by ArchitectureWeek, ArchitectureWeek No. 81, 2001.0905, pN1.3. David Robson. Geoffrey Bawa: The Complete Works. London: Thames & Hudson, November 2002. ISBN 0500341877. — Available at Amazon.com   Find books about Geoffrey Bawa Search the RIBA architecture library catalog for more references on Geoffrey Bawa