Major Project: Initial Ideas

Most of the people get inspired by something that inspire and impact on them . As a result , some  may create new things because of the inspiration or some may depend on the inspiration without creating their own work. Since my childhood, I always love nature and natural things. However, I recognized someone who loves the nature and dedicated to shape the world by celebrating the nature. Geoffery Bawa won my heart by his enamours works.

 

                                                  Geoffrey Bawa 

A rubber plantation spread over 15 acres of land was bought by Geoffery Bawa in Sri Lanka where he lived and renowned until his death. The vast landscape was an experimental canvas for him that he made a huge influence on it. For Example, the garden was designed with influence of Italian Baroque Gardens, Japanese Garden Arts ,English Landscape Gardens and Ancient Water Gardens of Sri Lanka. The house garden is built in a look like a peninsula which is covered with a tropical lagoon. Two water bodies are visible from both Nort and South. When someone visits the estate , they have to enter through a huge wide gates planked by two little lodges with pointed roofs.

Lunugaga ,Bentota

When someone enters to the house he or she has to enter to Garden room 2 which has an anticlockwise route around the garden. Here, the Garden room is perched above Bawa's garage which enters to a house which has a traditional designing style with white walls and curved tile roofs and build with occasional towers to hold water tanks. The Gecko Roman statues were placed on the garden which catches everyone's eyes. Here, I would like to get the inspiration and the idea that shifting into different architectural styles by connecting to the natural elements. 

plan of Lunuganga house and garden: North is to the right. 1. Start 2. Garden Room

3. Eastern Terrace 4. Black Portico 5. Water Gate 6. Blue Pavilion 7. Field of Jars

8. Small House 9. Cinnamon Hill 10. Windmill Tower 11. Guest Houses

12. Northern Terrace 13. Main House and Finish

The Benchmark of luxury five star hotels were set by Bentota Beach Resort which is located between two beaches. The Design is simple but a barrage of praise is receiving from Architects all over the world. The Design is mostly inspired from Buddhist temple architecture, Dutch Fortification and Sinhalese Traditional Architecture. The main planning is done around a courtyard which is occupied with a pond. Furthermore, the simple design is designed as a square with cantilevered edges of the roof.

                                                                  Bentota , Beach Resort

The Bentota Beach Hotel is a canvas that reflects Bawa's Architectural philosophy .Some highlighting facts are clean lines and minimalist aesthetic can be seen here. Moreover, the use of Traditional Sri Lankan elements convey a timeless architectural elegance. The mixture of elements of modernism, vernacular architecture and tropical modernism showcases the contemporary architectural style .

Aerial view from the south

 Apart  from the above designs , Jetwing Light House Hotel also inspired me with the eyeful view .The Lighthouse was built at the edge of a rocky edge, facing the waves of ocean . Hence the view is magnificent and picturesque. This eyeful view catches mostly foreigners often. The hotel faces the Galle face across the sea. The primary function of the Lighthouse is to provide hospitality experience. Mostly , inspired by the Sri Lanka's rich heritage Architecture and the exterior is designed with a combination of local materials and contemporary design materials. Here, Bawa designed this design into its natural surrounding such as water features and open courtyards.

 Here , spatial planning is important as it evokes his incomparable skill. From the grand lobby to the dinning area which convey the sense of luxury and comfort and placement of open windows which maximize the natural light are few examples which showcases Bawa's Architectural talent and skill. Inspired by Sri Lankan architectural heritage , the exterior architecture is combined with local and contemporary design elements such as coral stones and traditional materials. 

However, through this research  I got many ideas which I can include to  my planning and designs. Therefore, this is my initial idea and the inspiration.

REFERENCES

(geoffreybawa, 2024)

(Booking.com, 2025)

 (Tripadvisor, 2025)

(Archnet.org, 2021)