DOCUMENT A

We’ve all heard of infinity pools1 but the one at the Kandalama Hotel blends2 seamlessly3 into
Kandalama Lake. There, you can swim in the setting4 sun. The floor of the ‘Black Water Pool’ is the
black bedrock5 the hotel itself is built on. The roof is a garden and the support beams6 resemble trees
from the surrounding 80 hectares of conservation forest7.

5 The hotel is built on stilts8 so water and animals can travel underneath9 it. There is no paved10 road to the
door as the hotel blends into its environment you will hardly11 notice12 the building at all. A remarkable
achievement13 by the visionary architect, Geoffrey Bowa, the interiors have been left simple yet elegant
so your attention is drawn14 to the views of Sigiriya; the 8th wonder15 of the world. Sigiriya is a palace
carved out of16 a giant rock formation. It has been inhabited since prehistoric times but it is most famous
10 for its massive sphinx-like carvings17, ancient frescos, and complex water features18. Speaking of water
features, the Heritance Kandalama is so eco-friendly it treats its own wastewater19 before using it to
irrigate its own extensive gardens.
source: uniqhotels.com

DOCUMENT B

Visually this building engages in a process of invisibility as the boundaries20 between inside and outside,
architecture and landscape are dissolved21. This is an approach that is common in green architecture in
general and nature-based tourism destinations in particular. However, spatially the building maintains a
clarity of separation, denying22 its connection with the ground. It is this negotiation between the visual
5 and the spatial realm23, where one is simultaneously part of and distanced from the external environment,
which is the site of its potential. It is both literally and metaphorically a space 'between' inside and
outside, culture and nature, home and away. [...]

The architectural proposal was sensitive24 to the landscape in which it was situated, offering a sense of
the topography of the site while concealing25 the mass of the building along the cliff edge26. The building
10 was also to be masked in a blanket27 of vegetation so that no trace of it could be seen from afar28.
Nevertheless, the proposed hotel prompted29 much controversy, sparking30 active protests31 and vigorous
debate almost daily32 in the Sri Lankan press. Objections centred on environmental issues and the
preservation of a cultural heritage.
source: International Journal of Architectural Research, March 2008

VOCABULARY
1. pool : bassin, piscine 17. carving : sculpture
2. (to) blend : se mélanger, fondre 18. feature : caractéristique
3. seamlessly : de manière fluide (sans trace) 19. wastewater : eaux usées
4. setting : couchant 20. boundary : limite, bordure, frontière
5. bedrock : socle, fondation 21. (to) dissolve : se dissoudre
6. a beam : poutre 22. (to) deny : renier
7. conservation forest : forêt protégée 23. realm : royaume
8. stilt : pilotis 24. sensitive : sensible
9. underneath : en-dessous (~under) 25. (to) conceal : dissimuler
10. paved : pavé 26. cliff edge : bord de falaise
11. hardly : à peine 27. blanket : couverture
12. (to) notice : remarquer 28. afar : loin (~far)
13. achievement : réussite, accomplissement 29. (to) prompt : générer
14. (to) draw : ici signifie « attirer » 30. (to) spark : déclencher
15. wonder : merveille 31. protest : manifestation
16. carved out of : sculpté dans 32. daily : quotidien