History
In 1958, Geoffrey Bawa bought the third in a row of four small bungalow houses in Bangladesh, which served as a home for himself in Colombo. He then bought the fourth bungalow when it became vacant. Ten years later, he was able to acquire the first and the second house in the row of bungalows and began his composition of his home.
His home became a life-long project, with continual additions, extensions and renovations being undertaken for a span of almost 40 years until 1997. The home also became the permanent residence for Bawa until his death in 2003.
Design:
Bawa believed in the German bauhaus principle of ‘Gesamtkunstwek’ which literally means a ‘total work of art’. In which it is an appreciation of all forms of art, more specifically within architecture this would entail the architect being responsible for overseeing the building’s totality, including furnishings, accessories and the landscape. He was also a landscape architect, which initially sparked his interest in architecture, through growing up in his family Lunuganga country estate. His Number 11 residence exemplifies this interest, as Bawa carefully considered each aspect of the building, from the materiality, to the courtyard spaces and the furnishings.
Architectural Bricolage:
Bawa was an enthusiast for architectural bricolage. Bricolage can be termed as constructing a work of art with a vairety of available materials. The term is literally taken from the French version of DIY, and Bawa tended to incorporate elements of other buildings or art within his architecture. The Number 11 residence includes doors painted by Friends, columns, lighting fixtures, railings and other items of furniture which are collected from various places across Sri Lanka, South India and the rest of the world.
The Chettinad Column:
The Chettinad column in particular is captivating. The initial view one gets as they enter Bawa’s home is of his two vehicles, which are situated within the garage. Then, the secondary view is down a long white corridor, with a waterfall feature and the chettinad columns as a focal point at the end of the corridor. Bringing an element of the outdoors within the building.
The Chettinad column is explored further in the video below:
Footage created using:
After Effects
Rhino
Illustator
Photoshop
3DS Max
Resources:
Brammah, D. (2015) Out / About: Geoffrey Bawa’s House, Colombo Sri Lanka, In/Out. Available at: http://inoutdesignblog.com/interiors/outabout-geoffrey-bawas-house-colombo-sri-lanka/ (Accessed: 24 October 2018).
Chidambara Villas (2018) Doors and Pillars of Chettinad. Available at: http://www.chidambaravilas.com/doors-and-pillars-of-chettinad (Accessed: 24 October 2018).
Dhammika, V. (2003) Donald Friend and ‘The Spicy Illusion’, Island. Available at: http://www.island.lk/2003/09/07/featur11.html.
Fernandes, J. K. (2016) ‘A Journey to the Heart of Bawa’, Nnotes of an itinerant mendicant, 17 January. Available at: http://dervishnotes.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-journey-to-heart-of-bawa.html.
Hinton, D. (2010) ‘Old Friends, New Places: Relocation and conservation of two decorated doors by Australian artist, Donald Friend and Balinese carver, I Made Jojol’. Available at: http://www.icom-cc.org/54/document/old-friends-new-places-relocation-and-conservation-of-two-decorated-doors-by-australian-artist-donald-friend-and-balinese-carver-i-made-jojol/?action=Site_Downloads_Downloadfile&id=822.
Kinita (2016) Number 11, Yamu. Available at: https://www.yamu.lk/place/number-11/review-104700#full.
Knoll Magazine (no date) Modernism: East West, Knoll. Available at: https://www.knoll.com/knollnewsdetail/number-eleven-geoffrey-bawa.
Posingis, S. (no date) ‘6 of Geoffrey Bawa’s most iconic buildings in Sri Lanka’, Architectural Digest. Available at: https://www.architecturaldigest.in/content/6-geoffrey-bawas-iconic-buildings-sri-lanka/#s-cust0.
Powell, R. (ed.) (1998) The urban Asian house: living in tropical cities. London: Thames and Hudson.
Robson, D., Posingis, S. and Bawa, G. (2016) In search of Bawa: master architect of Sri Lanka. London: Laurence King Publishing (A Talisman book for Laurence King).
Vidalis, M. A. (2010) Gesamtkunstwerk: Definition, Greek Architects. Available at: https://www.greekarchitects.gr/en/architectural-review/gesamtkunstwerk-id3185 (Accessed: 24 October 2018).
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