1B

33rd Lane, Geoffrey Bawa.

Section


Ground Floor Plan

IMAGES: Helene Binet (http://www.archnet.org/library/images/one-image.jsp?location_id=9013&image_id=42168)
(Date accessed: March 25, 2010)

Ishika Perera (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ishikaperera/3467379537/in/photostream/)
(Date accessed: March 5, 2010)

Geoffrey Bawa Trust (www.geoffreybawa.com)
(Date accessed: March 1, 2010)

For more photos of 33rd Lane click here.

I chose to further investigate 33rd Lane, Geoffrey Bawa's own house in Colombo's Bagatelle Road, as I admire Geoffrey Bawa’s ability to successfully integrate architecture and landscape, and his scenographic manipulation of space. I also enjoy its strong character as well as its ambience and serenity. Geoffrey Bawa was “a man who saw architecture as a means to give pleasure to all the senses and to create a unique sense of place." The Bawa Residence is a reflection of Bawa’s personality and career and actively employs the notions that a house is an environmental filter; a house is a container of human activities; and a house is a delightful experience.

As an environmental filter:

Geoffrey Bawa has achieved a harmonious junction with bringing the interior and exterior together. The distinction between them is distorted where the boundaries of each are constantly being breached by the other, whilst still providing shelter and protection. "These also are familiar elements in the traditions of indigenous building which take into account the nature of the site. Trees are sacrosanct, boulders are nature’s gift. Landscapes grow out of them, vistas are created. They invite courtyards and verandahs and pools, spaces for living in and spaces for sheer pleasure” (Weereratne, N. n.d.). The house strongly embraces the qualities of the surrounding environment so that the natural elements exist naturally within the house. Nature has a dominant presence within the house both visually and spatially, with its design features harnessing the elements to create a peaceful and relaxed environment. "The intense devotion he brings to composing his architecture in an intimate relationship with nature is witnessed by his attention to landscape and vegetation, the crucial setting for his architecture. His sensitivity to environment is reflected in his careful attention to the sequencing of space, the creation of vistas, courtyards, and walkways, the use of materials and treatment of details" (Robson, D. 2002).

As a container of human activity:

This truly remarkable dwelling is in constant evolution, having originally been four adjacent bungalows. (Since the architect began to acquire them beginning in 1958 houses were subjected to continual change and the identities of the original bungalows are now all but lost. Over a period of forty years the independent buildings have now been unified into a series of living spaces with numerous courtyards, light wells and views of the outdoors. (Robson, D. 2002). He has created a series of spaces where one feels a connection with nature at all times, and an awareness of the exterior is established whether it is through a window, a skylight or the presence of a small open courtyard or garden. 33rd Lane was created to serve first and foremost as a home for himself, which reflected his own rituals and pleasures. In all of Bawa’s projects he “set out to break down popular prejudices and to build a delightful new world which, apart from homes for living in, provided spaces for prayer, places for the student and the worker, and retreats for the holiday-maker in search of peace and tranquillity” (Weereratne, N. n.d.). "Highly personal in his approach, evoking the pleasures of the senses that go hand in hand with the climate, landscape, and culture of ancient Ceylon, Bawa brings together an appreciation of the Western humanist tradition in architecture with needs and lifestyles of his own country" (Robson, D. 2002).

As a delightful experience:

The essence of this building is alive with history. Along with the buildings’ connectedness with nature these qualities help to create unique and sacred journey through the house. The Bawa residence is an "essay in architectural bricolage"; columns from ancient buildings in Sri Lanka and South India now demolished find their place among other artefacts which the architect has artfully incorporated into his residence(Robson, D. 2002). Partly because of the owner’s particular tastes and personality, but also due to the fact that several units have been combined into one, the spaces must be experienced sequentially; each possesses a unique character and atmosphere. "Natural texture and touch have been considered throughout, from the consistent subtle detail of the joinery to the rough off-form concrete in earthy tones." (Robson, D. 2002)It is a combination of this attention to detail and simply the beauty of nature that evokes the senses exciting the viewer and creating a heightened awareness of their surroundings. “The main part of the house is an evocation of a lost world of verandas and courtyards assembled from a rich collection of traditional devices and plundered artefacts.” (Geoffrey Bawa Trust. 2010) The new tower was designed to rise above the car port give views out across the treetops towards the sea, however since its erection the development of the surrounding neighborhood inhibits its ocean views. The Bawa house has an “enduring serenity, a calm, and just at the same time, a certain poise and presence.” Upon entering the building one is wholly enraptured in “the spaces, the planes, the textures, the colours, the walls as much as the openings created in them or between them; and the materials, these are all fundamental to the experience of architecture. They don’t all leap at you: they make their statements in repose” (Weereratne, N. n.d.). Natural light filters in from above creating an angelic atmosphere where one feels at peace. Surprising glimpses of the surroundings as well as open and magnificent views of the water create sacred moments, and find divine beauty the most simplest of things. "It is a haven of peace, an infinite garden of the mind, locked away within a busy and increasingly hostile city" (Robson, D. 2002).

TEXT REFERENCES:
Geoffrey Bawa Trust. 2010. Geoffrey Bawa. http://www.geoffreybawa.com/NUMBER_11/Introduction.html (Date accessed: March 1, 2010)

Robson, D. 2002. Geoffrey Bawa: The Complete Works. London: Thames and Hudson

Weereratne, N. n.d. The complete Geoffrey Bawa. http://www.infolanka.com/org/srilanka/people/88.htm (Date accessed: March 1, 2010)