Beautifully executed architectural drawings from the great Sri Lankan
architect
The Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa fused sensitivity for local
context with the technological discoveries and design principles of
modernism. Accordingly, Bawa often incorporated materials (local stone
and timber) and layouts (high roofs, cross-ventilation, vast overhangs)
specific to Sri Lanka's monsoon climate and storied architectural
history--from the cave monasteries of the Anuradhapura period to the
feudal Walauwa style of manor houses--into his modernist designs.
Gathering together essays by scholars and writers across a multitude of
disciplines--including architecture, photography, geography, urban
design and art history--this volume spotlights Bawa's exceptionally
beautiful architectural drawings, delving into the central, multipronged
role of the medium in his practice, from ideation to instruction to
post-construction review. The anthology also explores the identity of
post-independence Sri Lanka, which Bawa helped to shape--aesthetically
and, less overtly, ideologically. Featuring over 200 lush drawings and
photographs, many of which have never been published before, the book
promises to engage both general and scholarly audiences with interests
in architecture, drawing and archives.
Geoffrey Bawa (1919-2003) was a Sri Lankan architect who designed
the country's new Parliament building at Kotte, completed in 1982. While
Bawa mostly worked within Sri Lanka, he also completed projects in
several other countries, including India, Indonesia, Mauritius, Japan,
Pakistan, Fiji, Egypt and Singapore. His works include houses, hotels,
schools, clubs, offices and government buildings.
