Peo Me est oe ee en oteenarne Lenten arid eereheec hme are ior) He has received the Royal Institute o! Cayce or mat Pere ees PR ent eet Gold Medal in 1950, and the Preemim eee ear ee Corer eects Crates eet) Resetting Perera ee ir aaa eterna a erie ets Pere eaiv i eed Rotate) menue) Leaeone hansen pa ce ee Pentrse er permemrnetient) neice Eee ey iio pert it JUTE .§ F Ne cena eres eer | Ceo Rieti ormeren | ecm yal Ceuta iio pean ot emery st ereeateereann ss) eee ees ay Cera emdiven tf re eerMeett Sree reer tecttepietatines iy reer Mca) perhaps most ncticeabe in the develoning Piranesi enters eae eins working in the Muslin world, theAge Khan oc hue rete ses) tah eget creed projects thot demonstrate excellence itu: eens eect soe eccrine er elute te ic) lee enn Bers eetereneteeste Pet: eater to building restoration. clace-mékings craftsmanshp and Isndéscepe. Chosen by Poe feemeeerenn ts re) ote eres, | Paes cobrenrpectitente rides Beteteeateet pet neater Hoe McRae pie Z pare eon Mie aate e Ie far thpusards. act milions, Ce eee Cores Preteen eeee | tf photdgranns that capture the ummanity: Pe ceareee | thei suffburdings. Architecture historan ole gears at 1) pote - Seer eeenar ine ier entcive anda Lg aN eee tothe offet Sr Lankan arcnitoct Gaafity Ca toate yer prey need a Ur eaneeeec od Prt Seema ren i rd neta eee ee a eee Ries eee Tae 2 On the cover: Blue Water Hote, Wadduva, See scat (9 Christian Richtersoon The Aga than Award for Architecture002 The Age than Award for ArchitectureMODERNITY AND COMMUNITY: ARCHITECTURE IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD Q mnAcknowledoments The mensrap was caseved and directs under Ihe uonae othe member fhe 201 Avera Steering Conentee Cosentino he ming Tevewers no nsted vac pojecton ste Dssgr nya ebook aero wake by arora evs tnd Lind on Dusen Mos ven Date, [Aslrdanl Lacs Deen cxrdnats the abies tana Thames Hison sn Plena Bator ete the ects. Specal tanec oH Pate Dut ‘ry coy th tock sue bythe se: as 2 Serine Sols e te conation tat ha fot by wa}. tac or trernsebe en esa heed (ito! atheros creuate matte ubisers Beer censont i aya ding cove ote than hat n whit pubabd and wut asin Sreenatoniaing hee wots bein messed on | oteenan purchaser (© 001 Thames & Hudson Ud London and The Ape ran aware Arcnecive, Geneve AllRghts Reserved No prt this pubieaton may va ytem taut ror permiaan 8 wing ct Livery CataogunginPubicaon Date ‘emabgoe reco orth om save rte Srten Urey 'SBNOS0034859{cettbosnd] ISBNOSD 2800 3 [omerocl) Denne by Movs non Desens Amster Pratedard bund te Uned Kgs by ter ater oo The Age than Award for Architecture Photo Credits (Left Right B bolt, Teton fg TE top oh etalon ht tatom ef Me mt) orn Ate: 1: Gtr Ba: 8182 Jacqes Beta: 172 ner Br 16,2, 223, 22a a 42, 6047 CEN Bow: 27 ‘Th, 2 8: Coren of Gantt Ga, 2.52. 8 Corteay lr Soros Colne: 72627 68: Chara Saree TL Coma rn MM 2 Seen Fru: 17-24 Garey here 12.10 Kerwan Jbres 1 Sian Ken 00 Palo rv 5-1: Alter Unk 16,1, Tal 28. 1, Su Hoan Farulevove 2, Tas et Samu Nato: Sroweraestan evra 1 WU Peron 201 Chesten Rees 50.31 218.6 STIR, 32 Dave Ronson 2a SOT. 398 TL: Se Soa 1 15 Hare Schaten 11668 kanes Sdnety 7 5-4 Nip! Shaan 146. 10,14 18 Grea tran 0100 jah Vrs 0,62, 6B 1, eames no Kear ft, Menennod Akon, Hera Aarustn, Mehtlss Ala, Gregpis Aes Chant ‘edssin Jocots Bunt Tiothy Bade Stren Cee Couey A Abdaham Coureey be! Wed EL Naki Courts of Atadh Decoreet ‘hocks, Courtesy of Sle Lae Metta Cau {Shinere Ovege a Merk Argon Duna Ae ‘Wade an, Genel Een cea rte tna, Guvennoriogu Bary Ween Jan Oty Jensen, Cmistian Lignan Ow stpne Lite Pascal Weréstaux Kreojeht adhe. aol Nea. KUN, SuhaOrhan Ja Parte tecuos Pte Rar Patan Sn Sct Prova by th arti td ean by Drab Oia a ousteng Art ArcUC vir ttt) Vins ee hk) 065 as i) at suk) VE) Ky 149 at ve THE AGA KHAN AWARD FOR ARCHITECTURE FOREWORD eae SIRO nt scataN INTRODUCTION MODERNIZATION AND LOCAL CULTURE : THE EIGHTH CYCLE OF THE AGA KHAN AWARD KENNETH FRAMPTON CHAIRMAN’S AWARD GENIUS OF THE PLACE : THE BUILDINGS AND LANDSCAPES OF GEOFFREY BAWA DAVID ROBSON RECIPIENTS OF THE 2001 AWARD NEW LIFE FOR OLD STRUCTURES, IRAN AIT IKTEL, ABADOU, MOROCCO BAREFOOT ARCHITECTS, TILONIA, INDIA KAHERE EILA POULTRY FARMING SCHOOL, KOLIAGBE, GUINEA NUBIAN MUSEUM, ASWAN, EGYPT SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGE, AQABA, JORDAN fo] HST Ns 0]¢1 1 ne] e TN POL BAGH - E- FERDOWSI, TEHRAN, IRAN DATA] HOTEL, PULAU LANGKAWI, MALAISIA CULTIVATING ARCHITECTURE SIU Ameya THE 2001 AWARD STEERING COMMITEE, MASTER JURY VEO Ler etl CONTENTS 008 SC acesSoa enue Picrootenirareceret ans error ees Cer Pee et er ere) Eee een ones ereey eer intr Sra ema eee eee ieee Peter Preeti panies Nitec et Ce an ins Sanh Roa oa) ee oe rey ee eee ie ec ema Pee eee rer cy mcien Reeeoc tT! CEL Mie tet hens rere ree Sree rere Tesponsivaness, There are ro overriding eet Cenc) ot ny eee ee ere eee ert eer ee aaa pee ere Pei ener oT cea ere aren tera rts ey aera on eer ae reared ‘significant percentage of Musims. Projects Polen enter erat) cece eer peels Modciton tees Pee erent ts Rineeocrber a oa Poorer ese arr err eget Pesan terri as eter a oe eer nd Rene nee Pry ek ae Ral Harker eee eee a erat Cee end reread Pee ee EC CC eee THE AGA KHAN AWARD FOR ARCHITECTURE a ee oy Dee eS Pao ‘The epocial Chairman's Award wo Per hore roncennttoy {alloutside the scope ofthe MAster Jurys Lorca tet laa Perret ae heen eared EC reed Md Glen) Reena arnt eens et ena ernie Leet Se ee ay nen Per ence Cun reed ‘gained trough the Aga Khan Award for en eon caer crete Re etait pieineophnassinennener ervey rere ane r) Dele ae aad eek etre n e ‘Aga Khan Development Network, a group of Perc ars ‘eated by he Aga Khan. The Network Ree eer eee Cet rte cad Po eens eer eee aes erie ret) Poca ears mere eres Peer eres oer eur Peete eter ets) Pare ar Se et Peitrrecamee try Sener) ee td pearieersFOREWORD CHARLES CORREA 7 The Aga Khan Award for Architecture: fall the major architectural prizes, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture is perhaps the only one that. in edition to Celebrating the nest fru that embelishes the roo ot Arenitacture,enccurages the roots thet nurture the plant These cuel Concerns place the Award na truly unique postion for inorder tomake its selections. the Ainard must of necessity be concerned nck only with product butalsowith processand the ssuesthat oanerate that process. Thus, since te inception almost Twenty-five years ago, the Aga Kan Award has been an extraordinarily inventive ard ceuragoous oterpriso, cocking always to understand the fundarertal 'ssuasot the socelies i addresses and io ‘densify thoeo eubto but pivotal watersheds thatshift cut perspectiveanc open Up 2 world of new possbities, In lelamie g0cetios, those stuns and possiiltiesare even move diverse than we ‘moht imagine. Formos of ussiamicarchi- tecture conjures up the incredible beauty of the Atherbra ard the Taj Maal of sfahan and Fathepur Sikri as wel asunforgettable images of elosaly packed habitats, ranging From the kasbehs in Algiers and Fez tothe hilltowns ofenen. In short, an urbane ‘oasis architecture. with impervious wallsto Koop autthe hot. dry desert winds, bultof Timeless materiais~ mud, triekand stone ‘And this sat afcorditios stays surprisingly cenetent in long gengrophie Eek trot cane allthe way from Casabanca nthe west to Delhi in the east Butthetruth is thatthe vast majority ef Musims ies even further ‘away than Delhi infact rostof them ive east! Calcutta, What they have todeal suiths patthe et dy climate of tho desert where the oi cen be trapped in ‘courtyards and humisitied, but the ict, hemidconditions of South East Asia, where the aie must constantly be beat moving.and light porous walls and cross-ventiation are essential Furthermore mostof them lie net in urban centres ut n ra reas, 20 they need an architecture that is concerned with ural typologiesand not urban ones. The present et of Awerde forthe 2001 cyciearticuates all hese ssues veryeloauenty. Not enyy do the projects demonstrate awido and pluralistic range, Tram low-income housing in fndate an legant new hotel in Malaysia, but, moce than in any previous eyla thoes ia ros fempiasis on ral habia. The considerable forts the last twenty five years are begining toshow results. There sa ‘rowing awareness in the rest of ho weeld that the Aga Khen Awerd for Architecture probably represents the most serous processofal the major architectural ‘awards. And from that, the people ofthe Islamic world have garered a new sense ‘of confidence in thair own judgment and orchiteetial els ‘Tiseyele also Ncludes a special event, ‘one that hasoccurred only twice before in tho histery of the prize the presentation ‘ofa Charmanis Award In 980thsS was ‘awarded tothe creat Egyptian architect HacsanFathy. and in 1085 to Rifat Chad ‘flag In ths cycle the Chairman's Award is presented te theextraordirarily riliant and ‘vgn genius, Gooffrey Bawa of Si Lanka, ‘There could have been to better choice. For five long dacades Bawa has alvaysmarched tothe beat of hisown drum, eeatieg an incomparable bey of werk that wecan all Rowen. In pesentirg him with the Awaré, we honout nat only the great sensitivayof his werld the power and inventiveness of the language hehascreated,anc the exquisite beauty ofthe futhe has harvestad but ‘alsothe vtalimportanceo! tne roots he hasnourished au these yearsove The Aga Khan Award for ArchitectureMODERNIZATION AND LOCAL CULTURE Gi CYC KENNETH FRAMPTON Introduction‘accommodated inthis stock. Irrespective cofhow this programme may eventually be evalueted intermsot restorative technique versus ocia relevance the restoration of the historical fabri of en's eis is nota inconsequential achievement, even ft seems {opal before some of the astonishing real zations premiated nthe past such asthe ‘habitation of O15 Sone in Yernen ane the restoration ofthe centre of Buxnara in Unbokista, beth being recriantsin 1935: tho reusa ofthe Rustom Pasa Caravanserai indie, Tukey arecipient in 198 and the Controversial tut exquisite returbshingofthe ‘AzemPalace in Damaccvs, promiatod in 1088. Viould webe justified #/seeng the ‘anparentceclinein the sconeand scaleof Ceensorvaton as indicative af a fundamental shift in cur rrodeot evaluation? Have ou Standerds become so exacting that thoy inhibita moe iberal approach tthe recon. stitution and appropriation of antique form? Theseae questions that datently 90 bevone the boundaries the Award for he world as ‘a whole seams tobe increasingly caught in the progressive bureaucratization of conser: dation Weare evermore frequently orasonted withazero-sum game, with achoeolegicel ‘uriyon one sie at he ergument anc crass reconstructvism operating with impunityon the ether, the letter leading taking of Dieney \Woridtrat nobody needs or desires, Between these two pcles there surly exists an intel ignt, sensitively calibrated mile ground, astheBriish architect David Cippertielo ard hs resteration consutantulan Harrap fare demonstrating inthe proposals for Festorng the Neves Museum in Berns ‘Symptomatic of emerging bureaucratic rigity i te fe that mosto! the archite: tureot Coro Scarpa would be uvrelizade foday # t were subject othe strictures imposed bythe average lan soprainten denze While for Scarpa restoration always Involvedan acto reconstituton, ne nonetne lessinvariaby dispiayed a certain diseretion towardathe arvique fatric in which most of his works were situated, However theliber: ties hate cecasicnallytockinreifyia one particular histeriel moment rathar than anctrer would no doubt be regardes asanathema tedayby the puntans cf. con- Sorvation, Dooz similar restraint account forthe fect thai emorg the seven restoration works shortistedforthiseycke, only there- Storation ofa number of Salavi and Qatar structures cout be regarded as being sf Ficenty fathtul tothe oriaina? Oris that on Hedernization and Local Culture the secendayy cultural status ol ahouse or ‘a bathnicuse\s such that hey may te more freely modifies to sut a row use, whereas a historeal menumentot higher stolure must De preserved as ina isruinec Fusknan Durty? Weknow that Camillo Brite the Italian nineteenth century theoret of proaor vation advocates amore moseateattiude towards restoration. So when itcomes fo the eurent debate over the limits ofculturally responsible conservetion, we'should perhaps returnto the pragmatic humenism that Lunderiay many of isarguments? Wise such questions are pethaps ‘unansnverabie with any spect they are Certainly worth ashing inthe contxt a tho ‘Aga then Trust for Cute, whch has lng Since talen the lead i nelpng to oreserve the cultural traces ofthe Muslim werld in physicalform.Firstvathe Award pro ‘gramme itselftnrough recognizing the Lrgency of conserving Islamic heritage irrespective ofwhether tiga singulae ‘monument or an extensive piece cuban fabric. Second, through the Historie Gites Suppert Programme dedicated te recoret {uting remote eutural merters or revitalizing ‘decaying urban fabric asthe embocimentof ‘a unqueway of fe. Inthe fret netanco! hve in mind the 1296 restoration ofthe Balt Fortinthe Karakoram Mountains in Northern Now Life for Old Structures, tran. Pakistan, while teling example ofthe second sualyesidosiniterecentoffertsto Conserve ad revitalize thehistorical Stone ‘Town of Zanzibar, The measured restoration andadaptation of historical bulksngs in Iran has. needless tosayits own intrinsemert, particulary when, asi thecase here the Feulilization of such structures yids pubic feciities cf varius kinds, capable of enc ng the cutura and economic feo! their Immediate context ‘Among the numeroussettionents ‘omiatedforthiscycle, none pernars is ‘mora directly representative ofthe ter Action botween moderation andloeal ‘culture thanthe renabiitation of he vilage ‘fA ike in Morocco. The overal income ‘ofthieremote community is complemented bby migrant workers sending backa portion ‘ofther wanes. and it was just this Berber dlacpora that was galvanized into action ‘byalacel anthropologist Or Al Amahan, withthe founding ofthe Association Ait Theo de Déweloppomant. Two oxtornal Factors storing drecty fram the modernization rocesshadadecsive impact onthe forma: ‘on of this organization: first the closing ‘oferta factories Francein the 190s, ‘where anumiber of Berber mmogrant workers haabeen formerly empleyed anc second, the Ccentinvous drought nuced nthe High Ales "Mountain by charges inthe global climate, ‘which comple vilage women fo walkfur- thorand further toobtein wales Lest we ‘Concave medernization solely asa recent ‘ideefectofglbalized First Worl con sumoriem, wo mgat ete thatthe lea! Climate hed already been rendered more arid bythe wholesale deforestation ofthe ‘mountains throughout the nineteenth con tury The insatiable demand ofthe poe ox firewcod and construction ime ledto the raging thelocal forests, at arate of Att Iktel, Absdou, Morocco.010 Kenneth Frampton Furthermore, outsicers cannot ‘assume anay’ the localcuiturl milieu Iteists Any cutee assessment of anoiale building willbe Tes bythe mileu andthe essessment se will ‘became a vector fr change, inoneway or another that acts ypen the leu. Ths ‘particularly tre ofthe aitiudes of Wester observers, whoreoresent the dominantulture ofthe word today, vie ie Muslin intellectual ‘elles who seek(oredefne then idenity in ‘non-Western termsin the fceofahistorcel ‘break in Musi cutralcortiuty. Themanifesttions of tecultural situational include another significant iront the advancing insertion ofa medern, ‘apily changing lechncogy into ereyay ‘ives trattonaly governed ty other concerns. The suitability ofthe technology its adepiation {othe need ofthe population and the societal confer, sonlyone partofthe ssue.Thsisthe part hat has usually concerned architectural fries when locking al tuldings. For bath ‘building asa process and building asa pro- ‘duct thetechnology issue has variably been adiressed i termsof suitsbilty ard acapte tion n more sophisticated analyses, the intrusion of tachnolonyinioaestheticpre- ‘cepts and rows has alo been adéresced. {ut the present aiscussion would add that fechnolony with ts various faceis and dimen. ‘sions, invowvesa rationalist ordered unweres, hose frameof reference 1s yoverned by ¢ reductonist gic. That in turncentrnis a ‘manifestreaity of comantiediserder duo ‘othe disintegration of semiotic remeworks refered to atove Thisconirenialion ire ‘solved hon the rationalist logis used loprovie new conditions thatelic anew sel of cultura symeoks, much asthe Modern ‘Movement ininterrational (Western ard slapanese) architecture came into being, us lierating and troacening the novzonsofan authentic yetcontemporary cultural esporse ‘withthe Moai wer. Tana Sege| Ta Serhan a Main Soe? Ever since Jenn Turner’ pioneering work with squatter settlements in Latin America, ocurranted in his Dwollng Rescurcesin Seuth America! of 1958? and since Hassan Fahy’ Architecture for the Poo. frst pub lished English n 197330 hava been only ‘ov aware ofthe overwhelming scale cf glcbal poverty and the limits of architecture asa. ourgeos practicewhen senlrentad with the degree cero of nanan Fatitation, Whether we lke or no, we ae returned to these gress. foots circumstances bythe Waster Wry the eighth ele ofthe Boa Khan Award for Architecture Fer ‘ourof the nine works Dremiatedintriscyciefocus once again, 2s. inthe past onthe all but unbvidyenble gal! ‘hat separatesthe deprived millon ofthe late-mocem word those wrom Frantz Fanen once called the ‘wretched ofthe arth" from thoes ef ue who, by alent or by chance, ind cutseles momentarily ‘arred onthe wave of global arosoeiy ‘As Soragolsin ersarke osawhore, ‘much ofthe buitenvrenment in the Must word isn factdeperdent cn nen-architects For tis roasen alone tha AgaKhan Trust for Culture firs itself simultaneously patron izing theart ofarchitecturewith acapital A, hile stil acknowledging the harsh realities fa werld that desperately needs its assis tance at mary levels, not east of which i the ternal dabursement ofthe Award Fifteen othe seventy-sight projects selected by ‘Award Master Juries between 1980 and 1958 were in fact. largely devcted tohousing schemes for that ving at tho law end of the economic spectrum inte Isiaric World "The Award’ ciirBution fr other cetegeriesorer the same period may be (leaned from te following reccr: some Ber centwere given oarcitectureand luroan design, 22 per contto conservation, 5 percent (olandscapeand20 percent to heusino.A comparable breakdown for this yoars cyclo werks out somewhat diffeconty, With three awards gong fo architecture, one ‘ech tothe categories af conservation and landscape, ancthefeur remaining anards being decicated, if not ioheusing exactly, {en certainy tothe amelioration of tte ‘environment fer the henefito therural poor. ‘Themarkedadseree cf conservation works nthe current cycle of the Award isin strong contrast to the patern cf premiates projectoinal previous cycle Is thie chert fall ve to an absolute deciine in te number Df recent conservation pcojectsinIstamic Countries, orieitthatourstandardewith regard to conservation Nave become so strict sto preclude works that would have assod mustor somayeareago? The Now Litefor Old Structures progremnme,repre- senting thiscategeryin the current cycle, eserves to bewarmly erdersed not only fer itspreservation of ld houses and tally houses in Isfahan, Yard Zanjn, Tabriz ano ‘oushaty, aswell as thety engeing pro: orarnmes in twenty-one other cities but alsofor the social cutreach ot thenew usesow Kenneth Frampton ‘depletion that, happily, has seen asinifcant reduction ove the ast decade ‘Apertfrom affording accoxste basic ‘ecucalion and proving self with street lighting for thefisi time in ts existence, [Ai tel seemste have atiainedasignifi ‘cant improverrent nts native culture, even if tsbaschousing stock remains essentially Uraltord. Electr estion and the prousson ota flab weter supply has vitualy elim nated the burden traditionally placed upon ‘woman, ard At atl has reduced its ilitoracy ratetoTS per cent asopposes t the nation average of8} percent Alo! this is even more impressive whenonerealzes thatthe average Vilage incor per cepitais USS 90 per annum, as opposed tothe national minimum swage of US$ 140 per monsh ‘Clearly there i ittlehere that mey be subsumed Under architecture in the pote ‘ional senso anc indeed ths degree-20r building culture cearistobe as removed fom, the more sophistcated cultures documented in Bernard Rudolsky's Architecture Without Architetsot 1969 itis rom the contor Porery constructional norms ofthe developed ‘work. Thisis parhaps whatmay ba intended bytheterm loealeulture asoppaced tothe verracuayin asiyisticsense othe term. For herethe verracuia, suchas tis.can beseen ‘A uncorgoing an all but invcbl transferma ticnas migrant bulidingworkerseturn tome ‘obuldtheironn houses. Neediessto say, thaybring with ther, howover simp it may bo, enalen building technology. Honever, ‘even though te starderd concrete frame Is gradually beng mere gereraly adopted, along with the usec rendered bleck-work {rational sione vals sti nogtrer own ‘against the seemirgy infinite mountain ange fom when they have been qua‘eieé Since timeimmemor al Equally removed fromarythin that wo coulé possbly classify es tradtoral architectica prectice isthe workot the so-called Barefoot Architects, neal pecole uth no forraleducation whe workattho Garefao! College in nda. The college was established i 1972by the socidonist Bunter Royas ava of doparting from the academic lrentation of the Indian sociel-work tradition by engaging and raining ordinary pecpl, 308s to cultivate akindo Daneyesaue, sel ‘ent communiy, Ones aga, the process lfmodernzation was theprime mover ‘ore than one ev: first parhaps bocasso the nalural ert ofthe climate has recently become exacted by global warming: and second, because thefirst five yeersof the institution would once again be largely spent in searching fer a morereliabe source of waterandin eectifying sorre 110 villages inthe district Siora.This technological infrastrocture was complemented over the ‘ext decade by improving the eornmunity’s ative shils for agricultural and cra prooue tien enabling. infu, the constrvction of ingtallatons dedeated to the harvesting Ofrainancthehamessing of sala’ ower Inadction the Barefoot Architectsbuit 2 ‘campusfor the college. asad ona design that seems to havebeen arrived et on acol- lective basis. the architectural result sat ‘once both surprisingly formal and informal. ‘The basic building syntax itself coudherdly bbemorestrictand severe. eventhough the technology employed is uitahybie, othat ‘tisnot something one coud pessitly recog nizeas vermacularinthetradtional sense. In the ast analysis, the BarelootCollaga dlsplaysall te traitsof@Utooian community atsracied fromanother monentin hsiory. (Oneis irresistibly remindedtean equal deoree ofboth Rabinecennath Tegers'sSartinikotan College ard of Cherles Fourier’ paracigmo! the pfalanstire, even ifthereis no parade ‘ground anwhichany kind ef phalans coule ossibiyassembie. In iissteed ihre se central theatrical space ard oper ir stage flanked on ite wings bythe cultural ard col: lective core ofthe college, made up the ‘main dining room, the pute theatre and ‘aémirisirative offices. A great dealt alten. tion iscleerly given tothe emvicimentol the Cultuallife ofthe institution. as is suogestes bythe presence of mallee staga platforms the courtyards ofthe residential Becks. tis iticultt ignore the impliit symbolism ot thisneo-Kabnian layout, wth ts main aes ‘ofdagonel symmetry bisecting both the Fanwaterstorage tank and the princpal The Barefoot College canpus. Tilonia, India.open-airstage, Buckminster Furs g2c: desic domeshave been widely emoloyed throughout not only forthe larger volumes Dut als0 for emergency shelter, invariably made out of serap metal bythe master crafts: ‘man afeck Mohammed These temporary thatched setters, often sidecin mudi brick, ‘eeall he intormedate technology cf the 1960, alng withthe anarchic ethos of Drop Ctyinaritonaand the ad ec know-how thatwasonce commonly available inthe pagesot ToWhole arth Catelog? ‘Designed oy Jafar Tukan and Pariners incallabaration with Ralph Mortcomery. tho SOSChidror's Vilage in Jordans stco a Somewhat Utopian development, even if its physical form derives from the standard typoloayot adecsrtralized family-based orphanage. this has evolved under the auspices of SOS Vilanesintematioral Here the interface betwen modernization and the vernacular stems from Jar Tukan's ‘enterpretation of te local stonebulcing tradition achieved thrasgh the application of traditional mason toanin su concrete frame files with cemert-block backing. Once loealeraftemen had Leenteained nthe mace ofconstruction they wereableto disseminate the technique fily wide although ecal archtec!s have so far remained latvely indifferent the repioraly expressive ‘mension of thisapgrach. In aaition to the rubble stonework ove should ncte the senetve inflections achieved by the place- ment of concretlintelsanasils over ark under the window openings. whlethe win dows themselves ave delicately screened, asin the pas, by louved limber sters. Wit its solar roo! ranesandits ultra ‘modo eonerate wind towers, the syrtax ofthissettiement, despite is acaptetion ofthe vernacular largely eschews any overt ‘elerence tothe islame tradition. 50S Children’s ¥i1Tage, Anaba. Soran 03 Hoderntzation and Local Culture Irrespectiveo! theofticil auspices Lurder which they wor realize the works. discussed so far have depended for their successon one ortwo visionary figures without whom they would never have been fedlied. The Kakere Ela Poultry Farming Schoo in Kolegbe, Guneaisno exception fathisrubric. is theouteome of an unlikely celleboraton between a local veterinsrian, Bachi Diallo, and a wealthy Frmish women, Ela Keka, theschool bang createdas a way faddrascing tho appallinglack of po tenin the average Guinean det Iiwas the firstofranylocal inetives supported by Kivi ard her dovelopmontassociation, Indigo, which eventually ed her tesetile in Mali town in 186 ‘As aresult she commissioned house for her own occupation tobe designec ty the Finnish arcntects Heikkinen-Komonen. This imple but somewhat mannored house, rown as theVila ila, mas supposed tohave been @damenstation a he later cultural polenta cf arts and rafts in Guinea. A umber ofits feetizes, boreal the roo! ard the baroco sunscreening, do succeed inteflecting seme aspects of oral bulng technique, while suagestig the possibilty ofcembning these topes with modem spa tial concepts and conveniences The overall result however, has epparentiy nt withstood the ravages ofthe climate, together with eneral lackofmaintorance. particularly ater Kivela’ deme in 19, “The modestly monumental Kanere Eta Poultry Fasrring Schaok by the same arch tects, seams to have fared much betterand inthisregerd, we might note that ts design was basedon a mcreretional plan. The n- Frenialion hare tween medarnization ard verracuia cultures ood provoked bythe Use of Noraie tmbertecrniques ingeniously employed by theFrish archtects nthe Kahere ila Poultry Farming Schoo! Koliagte, Guinea. Construction ofthe mono ited rors. In Acaition cabo-tiod tmber osts ae used forthe mider spans covering the central classrocmand its menumentaly symooic Pertica, pening towards thecentreof the Curt. Otherwise, the comelex usestecal materials. hema body of assembly is bull ontof 15-by-15-by 0-centimetiehand- pressedblocks madeot stabiizedearth mixed With asmal quantity of cement. while the reofties werealsomadeon site alono wth tradtioral mate of woven wooden lathes that form thecatingso! the accommodation All ventilation is naturaland passes through the ‘oof and. although th farm ie wol cupped with wate electricity and sewerege, there isnotelepnone conection, Ths ffordsa dramatic idea of how remote ard primitive thsinsttution realy sit stands there implanted ite the emblem ofa future hybria Cluilzation inthe miado ofthe bush, IRishard to imagines more rematic. cont clobal warming than tropical ain: ferest, for toy we areal type-awara of the woy inwhich thelush vegetal cover of theearth’s sutace is being reply dentoted ‘This imparts to the Datai Hoel in Malaysia an ambiguous yet critical character Arby us because ts erectiontas,of necessity. tentaled the destruction ofa certain amint offerestinciuding a3 kilometre autereute without which the northern part cf the sland would have remained inaccessiola:crtical Decauseot the oxtiome constivity with hich the censtruction ofthe hotel was approached by the architect, Kerry Hil Wie thecomplox adhores tothe local Malay tration ef bling on stits,one-cen hrdly speak oe vernacular here since the structure is extremely mixed. Corerta foun. otions anda certain sue o steel spans are combined with brick walls renderedin plaster while 2 cansHerable amourt oi ber ut cirectly fromthe forest s used for, amongst other things, the voluminous roo's with ther arge overhanging eaves pretectirg the verandas othe hotel from the monsoen, Further evidence othe peremnialinrerpiay between modernization and local cultures tho fact hat although aircordtioning is avalable, is treated as an option rather than anseessity, Despite tho fact that this ahoconictic Ccarplex catering tothe high end ofthe ete Clobal marke, its bultinenvircnmentaism plays tclfostat both an auloddactic and idacticlevel. ts autedldactic inthe sense that, subjecttotheadvice of the enairee,Kenneth Frampton Rahulan Zain, ard Dy Appanah oftho Malay sian Forest Research Institute, bath cient ardarchitect tad to leern how astructureot tthsdimension could be responsibly insertod inlosuch «dalcate environment. tis didactic Inthe sense that, smply bystaying na an forest quests raceiue spontaneous steve tien as tothe nature ofthe fauna ad tara Surrounding them, while the hotel has spon scred a separatafield exporimentirtcthe Felative productivity of agricultural versus ferestiana. In his warm appraisal of the bul. the eco tech Naiaylan aritect Kenneth Yeang writes: Who says thata critically regionast architecture cannat be luxurious, commercial ard pleasicable? Tris incredible hotel onthe island Langkawi, off Peneng inMalaysia isa clever reinterpretation of nativoarehitecture a a conterrpocary resort Fete t demonstrates simply an approach to hte archtecture thats not Modernist, not pastione, bu innovatasin all aspects of Fethinking tracitional Malay architecture. The architectural excellence oftnisgenre has not beer equalled elsewhere0 ur progressive reaction to the modern zation process seems to assume acritically tencoraphe place oriented character the Closer one moves to the conto of univeroal Cinilzaton,tocoin FaulRicceur's feletous term." This is surely evident in the compen- Sater form oftho Ola Soviel Centre a! the Akdeniz Universitesi on theoutskits of Antalya Typologcaly speaking the Introverlod epine ol tho contro cuggostc a hineteenth-century galeria. This has both Desitiveard negative connotations. Postive tothe extent tha the double iced covered walkway connectstotrarsport facilites, Studentaccemmodation and facultybuilinas. ee ‘galleria, when no inserted into exist ran ai, anays rogues cnt cuter Datat Hotel. Helaysta Pulau Langkawt ‘perimeter an alien ‘backstage’ space, to {wniehona cannct relat n'a meaning way (Goethe esidenta student union desgned by Damend and Myers ard builtin the campus ofthe University o! Alberta. Edmenton, Can. ‘ain 182), However, Cergiz Bektag provides ‘@ countervailing component to ns ‘back- ‘lage’ efect in an open air amphitheatre wih to scera facing inte the compos. The inne spine (galena) is ned from lerdtoend with cafeterias. restaurants, stu den clubs, multipurpose auditor, gllrios fandan array ofshoos itisjustthiscommercial {centrum that enabled the univers. with its listed funds, to tako advantagoo tho {BOT method (Build, Operate and Transer), by whch private investors alean the orcft from the comple tornine years batons transfering the ownershipback tlhe ‘university. oesnotthisambquousstatus “part shopping centie part stent forum ~ account tothe mined iconegrephy of the syntax employed? Thus, onthe one nang stone faced ant-soismie, conerate-ramed construction with moro pitched, edilee ‘oof, eving agrarian connotations, while on the other a wide ornamental watercourse, lined en both sides by anal but necclasical timber pergola cariedon pre-cast concrete Cclirmns. Ths combination suggests & Top: Olbia Soctal Centre, Antalya, Turkey’ Botton: Bagh-e-Ferdowst, Tehran. trenpromenade through a disorete mall attr than thetracitional done urban fabri that wasthe orginal inspration Be thatas i ay, there seems tobe ittledoubtas to the copu: lay reception ofthis workaras to tsrolein compensating forthe absent pace of public ‘appearance’ inalate modern campus Landscape featuresinthe awards of tho ninth eyelain te coincidental topo (graphic but otherwise unveated works. Tre First Bagh-e Ferdowsi nian, ian enormous perarrbulating park that transforms beyond recognition the ctiginally delimited islamic Cconceotof the garden asan earthly enbodi- ‘mart of paradise Tne sacond, thetNubisn Museum in Egypt wes appareily frst con- Ceivedas issuing from the around on which itstood, he the ancien, mythic euture wasinlened to embody and represert. The more extensively faysagise of the twoiseuidontly Gagh-e Fordews.inTebvan, Conceived as e complement tothe 2-hectare Baghe SangiJamsnidich, realized in the 1070s by essentially the same design toam, Bagh-2-Ferdowsiis an even more stony, arm bing parkcovering thelowerfoothitsot the Aor? Mountains as to create green befferzone between the burgeening medern. laedmegalopotsofTervan ana ne relatively uimediated widarnessof the mountains ‘Apart irom thos siffeingsiteandshape the primary distinction between these twocom: plementary parksis tat, wherethe first park icwllgerved with an ample cupply of ator, the second i Seeringy somewhat dry, even though commendable effrishave been made toprorica fountains and water channels ‘aneieg alongside the stone pathways “There are other sitlerences between the two parks that are possibly ndicative of the distinct historical ereumstances under when they were creates. For whereaste earler park arely eschewedthe importation ofexoie non-native shrubs the later pork Seemsto have been accorded arrore populer, ‘een populist tone through the relction of large lowering borders or banks, Moreover, wheretre restaurants and other auailary Service buildings of Baghe Sano Jamshdeh ‘wore integrated into the ardecape in such 9 twayas tobe virtual insite, hose of Bagh -Ferdows. representing ethnic aroups that ako up tho population of the country. reve been treated as icorograptic way stations. Hence the Azeri Kurdsh, Turkmen. ard Zagios houses. crginallyconceived as Caultural institutions, which now function es teahouses mostly under private ownership. 015 Modernization and Local Culture Desoitethe use of imparted stone from tho respactive region of ran those various. attempts to represet local culture in archi tectoricternswould seem tobe largely sce- negraphic In fact. the way n which rasonry hes been generally deployed in these two Perks Could neralybe more ferent. For ‘ere inthe frst, case stones are placed so {2 to suggest some form of natural geological Stratification end asplacement.in thesecond, the stones are bonded togetharin sucha heeogencousmanner aete arrive at acon Linuouslyswiring pastct, reminiscent ct the zoomorphic forms of Antonio Gaudi's Park {Guel in Barcolona, Bagh @ Ferdowe is most impressive at e trcader, pancramicscale, wherethe paved mountain roads undulate throvghthe iandseageas though thoy wore fragertsotaregiorally scaled, fortified wal Finally ealized n 1997, tre Nubian Musoum at Aswan, Egypt exists asa cen: sequence of modernization in therrost direct Sense maginabl. Hed nt avast section of ths Nilo Valley been totally nundated in 197: toprorise Mdio-power forthe new High Dan atAswan,therety creating Lake Nasser, there would have baen ne need to house the priceless remains ofthe twenty two Egyptian ‘oruimenscovered by therran-medefo06. Dr Mahmoud EL Hakim eriinaly eon ceived the building as en internal tepegrephy. Serves by pedestrian raps, surouncing a large statuecot Ramesesilin the cente. It {rom above, The statue stilloccupies this poo: ition, although the elminaton ofthe ramps andthe skylight irom the schermemeans that it snow noithee ready visible por naturally illuminated. EF Hakim had interded that the slowol cbjacts and sors woud culminate atthe lonest level ofthe museum. at i's {ester aortica where it would divulge ato ‘an external exnititon court According 10 the landscapearchitec's, Werkmeistr and Heimer, ths sequence wes hen to have been ‘ampitied bya stepped rock formation con ‘duetirg visitors backonto the roc ef he building, rom which a tream of water would have cescersiedas ametapor fo the Nile ‘Subsenvent modification of E-Hakimis. ‘design weakered the ddactic and cura inentons of theintal ceneept, despite successiul remedial aorts onthe part OFDr Lola Masritoreceus somathing fWerkmeiste's original lancscape. Fromthe pont cf view ofthenever: ceding conflict between medernization land cultural form the iia Eriet seems to Fave been compromised bythe modern cur. terial tondoney to maximize sirconaitioning ‘andartiica ilumination oltenattheexpense olthe elationsho betweenusersard exhibis. However, the bulging is wall dotaled ard wellconstructed, sarchitecture seams ‘successfully to represent the ich legacy ‘ofNutian cultura, adit asserts itealfon the stein such en authoritative manner ‘sto counte he popuar reudicethat Nubiaisabacioard part of tracountry Thhove elected to view the warks premiatedfr the eighth cycle of he Award As respenses,atdstinetly different cultaral levels. tothe impact of mogernzction This seems tobe the ore factoring archer: ture with a capital A as wefind ay inthe Nubian Musoum, to what we mant more (enerallyenaracterizeas local enveonmentat Cult, as this anpears inthe Ait ike! deve: ‘opment, the work ofthe Barefoot Architects, tte SOS Chigren’s Vilage andthe Karere Ela Pouity Farming Schoo. nach ofthese intarces the common denominator seams tohave been aconcerted efor! to improve locel ving standards inthe face offargely inciferent forms of modernization. operating ata globalized distance at everincreosing ‘Spe80s. What weusd appear to beintrnsicaly Islami about allthese woresisthe assump tion of respensitility fr the basic wel being ‘ofthe socety onthe pertot relatively smal ‘numberof enlightened individuals Honever th the exeaption of the Jerdanian orphanage, we can haraly speax ‘ofarchitecture in prfessienal terms in thaeo four projects, particularly witn regard tosites asremote asthe plainsof Rajasthan, the High Atlas Mountains andthe interorof Guinoa, whorethe sceitis in quactionhave been contiontedwith the challengeotingro ing the condtiors of exeryéay survival and the maintenance of heath. This goel has been achieved in part byrevitaizing tad tional frmsot habitation ané construction Nubian Musoum, Aswan, Eaypt.Dertinent to the region and tsclmate, and In party providing new water power ard towerage nfrastieturasthrcugh sustan. able Tomsot ecotectrology. This in turn, has eto additional benefits atthe socio: Cultural vl particularly with rogardlto the ‘emancipation ond education of women and, inthe caseo! the Baretoct architects, with ‘respect tothe categoriea repudiation ofthe Dersstent iegacyo! the Indian caste system. “These four realizations, alot which Aispiay an acologeal dmersion in ene way orarother serve to remind uso! the way in which buling culture, broedly understood, 'sullimate'y insepareble trom culture as such, in beth a palitealand.an attic oanes isa igh ofthe ties that,as witn he Olbie Social Centre, allfcur works wereacheved ‘thout any signiicant nputen the psrtot the state at ether alocel or a national evel as onbosedt those pemiaied works eal- laediniran. Egypt and Malaysia In these other possitly more professional, under takings either tne local governmentor tne nation state played akey roieininitiating the project. Under this sponsorship architecture tends toassurre a more Ercadlyirstrumental character, subliy linked evenin the case aflran. to pressures carving from modern zation andte the processes! curl disruption and displacement: fer example, the cbsolesconee, rem a universal meddle Class standpoint ol thetraditiona Ianien Courtyard house, nottomention the bua autereuto neisionscutintotho tradtional labyrinthine urvenfabricas long ago asthe arly 1950s, Nodoubt. the impact of modern tation inthe case cf the Data Hotaltakesa, somewhatdfferentform.although even here, the indisputable qual oiiseco sensitive, ‘qasi-vernacula architecture has ultenatoly been echievedin te neme of exotic tourism devised all tulexcusively fo ne ewtertan: Geoffrey Bawa: Era de Silva House Colonoo, 1960. o16 Kenneth Frampton ‘ment ene enjoyment ofa global, et serting tite In sum we ae sill some vay fom the authertic contemporary eutuel response fownich Seragein spires. By way ofan exermolar response in this regare we may inveke the Chairmar’e Awardo! the eghih cycle given in tonout ofthe dstingusted SriLankan architect Geotfray Bawa Baws'ework has always fellected in the mostsubtle way ths tension between modernization and localculture, never more catogorcaly, parhans, tani hiselvic buldings,cuirating nthe new Sei Lankan Parlement bulding opened on anartfiial lake in Kotte near Colento in 1962 tis hard to thing af any contemporary legislative builtin that so seamlessy inte Iratesarational approach to both plan ard structorewithiraditionatropes os expressed inthe nlerarencal gradation of he rebeaied framvetom coneretetotimber to ine-grained wooden gillwork. This gradation, cerrbined ‘wih deleately rolled copper roots rs veraconcatenetionof pavilions. ends in a work ef breathtaking nobility Frm which there emanates a sense cf expansive benevo- lence. Atherisko! ecagoerating one may Perhapaclaim that, whereas Bava's plans were invariably cthcgonal ard hence both modern ard efficient particularly when com: bined with pocicolyraboatod structures, his details and, above al hslow-ptcred led ots, embodied mach ofthe SriLankan building traction, almostas an urtcuchee Continuum, as veld now asinthe past Except verhapsfor his persistently rational planning. this double cendition tends tobecome totally fused in his domestic work, This ist cnceevicert in he Era deSiva House, bul erly in hiscareer 1950 and ‘nhis own house realizes in tsentirety serve ight yearsater. Both these ousesare factintesiial couryardcompleres. sare most of Bawa'seubsoquent houses nono ayo another ASsuch, they arean integral parto!hisprowess as «designer of gardens ‘practice tat, forhim is insaparatlation thatofarchitecture. This proto-ecological ‘ren dimension surely attains its apctheos's inthe 26-acre Lunuganga garden that awa, has worked on continuously for the pest hall Century.asademonstration ft whicn ne ‘ne8 ronal called ‘action gardening’ this singular itinite work ene senses, once ‘gan that feeling fx tranquiliy ard iaoyin- thine boauty thal somehow liesromentarily suspenced beyond such abstractategories as moderrization and i'sother. Nats 1 ona Seragde, The Sereno Een n isin Sots nSsae far Fedor Aaa Khan Amore ecu Dein Ra 8. Eenvon mocha ae) 2 fessanratm Meet Pea 89 apmmentnaalengt (Creager ros tr. 4 rane For sarod tere (Par F sears 8, 5 hezelngthat hr no bac now fo ‘ema sees by rset tatu Seotcoganssmustngte crt ixmo ineNesitesaun ti eaChppeti {crag hve ovcpe seater ‘tren a sera tert sto ‘Thch te ied tr tbe estes 6 Sceten Santa‘ Resturon ene ins irchincit seat Ny Bk pp ‘Soot estes Seton tocol By ieseartrsriion tot et ony treoo od Sasori star way tasob 6 eto nd tonorom. i reacre a Peesstoy Banas fermagarolthematbe 1 Combes Ovation arched bee a (tana 8 encanto Soind neDtornnernazntco foarte ‘Fangs (Gy soe evga wna Aroiectaasrotinronston Oren peted ‘retin ewok Maser c Nem ie, 9 The Mle Cael ero PCat ctinacter'd'slactoartene wavsesto Srcebe ie, wemampe sneer eoatiion Tehyeepents and thecrataten Sree 10 Ken oun ete nthe Ag Khan rr fo ‘Archer. eceal oven Reser 11 bnutRecer UnoreniCreaon sr Nona cto many and arte, Note Unerty BessGENIUS OF THE PLACE: THE BUILDINGS AND LAND- SCAPES OF GEOFFREY BAWACConsuit ine Geniusof the Place nal explain risbulkings he woul usvally otter Thattells the Waters ta ia, rfl wuity epastes or anal homilies and pretend Este Rens Boy as Burge foncldnatruck with theertirg. Andyet, over Sites period of forty years, Bawa succeeded in nas fstablshing a cancn a revolutionary arch tectural prototypes for his native Sei Lanka, in 1958, when Gootrey Bawa suttereda Inthecontex‘of enewlyindapender country massive stroke that lefthim paralyzed and —_ernergngfremfour centuries! caloria’, Unatlate epeak,t seemed that every vital hegemony forged a new architectural partofthisextraordinary man na been Identity that drew together te diferent extinguished But friendsscon discovered _ strands of a complex ethnic weave and that hohe eurvived, tragpedineidehe txplitog arch hietory Ae tho Malaysian ested body and found waystoreach tim, _archteci Kenneth Yearg hes sac ‘For many Three years ater hSconciton has barely aus Asian architects Geotfray Bawa wil, improves, but heisnow a eastable to always have aepecia place in curhoarts make regular visits tos beloved garden and minds He sour ist hero and guru"? at Lunugaroa, sone @ kilometres south ‘Bawa was born n 1919 in wnatwas ‘of Colombo, Thare, each merring,he meets then the British Crown Colony af Ceylon with Micheeland Arsha, the two young Onemag ofthe worl Sri Lanke eppears architects wholcok after nisestate, ana tobe apenipneral place cn the very eoge fogethor thay plan the cutting and pruning _oftho sian land mass, cutof fremcantras tobe uncerteken during the day Michael of power and major Wade routes. ts history pon'stowardstte surroungingckimgs ot has Deen marked, however, both byits prox frees, Arshawhispersin hisearand Bawa ty to nia and by testratege pettien in ‘gestures with his good let hand. Oly the Indian Ocean between the Aratian Sea ‘someone who has witnessed ins strangely and ihe Bay of Bengal. ndia was the source ‘moving charade cos ereit thatthe Baws of Sei Lanka eal sattlersand tits io confined deep withinhis corporeal prsen main eligiors, Budahism ane Hirduiem, Isstilntoycnwth tregardernenas been while the Ocean brought seafarers rom fashioning te more than ity yeas. Arabia and Cha. During thetwentieth Bawalstiraliternmant could beseen century Sti Lanka's gopulaticn increased asa cruel parodyol risearter existence. almestSxfot and today i stands about Hehas aways deen 2 very private perscn, _twenty milion. Nearly three-quarters of this whotolife wae divided mtocleery cetinad _folalareSinhaleeo, whe aremainly Buseh-t chapters, whose rierds wesekept in separ> about oneifth are Teil, predominantly fate compartments. whese nrerthoughis Hindu: anc thebalance is made un of Mocrs land foalings wore solder, if ver, 92008 or Muslims ~the med descendants of Arab fand whose deeoly hed architectural bebels seafarers and smaler grcups of Malays, were caretuly camovtiageo. Wnen asked to _Cetties. Dutch Burghers and Eurasians, a: Geoffrey Bawa and Uleik Plesner at the Shell Bungalow, Anuradhopura, 190. oe David RobsonBawa's own famiyhistory ellects ‘much of ns ethnicand cultural diversity His grandfather Amada Sawa, was a Musi lanyer trom the ancient Arad pert of Beruwela, whowert to London tofu ther hisstutiecand marrieda Mise Georgina Ablettoflsington. Thor sor, Benjamin, became one ofthe mos! successtullanyers of his generatcn. and in 1B married Bertha Sevracer, the daughter ofa Dutch Burgher called Frederick Justus Setvager and ns Scottish Sinhalese wife. Beniamn Bawa ied in 1023 ane Gootirey. who was ony tour yearscidai tne time, was hencefertn brought Uunby his mother ard wo maiden aunts. I 1938 Bawa wenttoCamtridga'o read English. He ter studied lew in Lordon and, atte’ cual'yng etuined to Ceylonat the beginning cf aibard worked for 2 Celombolawfirm Hesoontredo! thelegel broessien, rowever, and set ef on two years of travel that took hin theough the Far East scronsthe Unites Stetes ard exentuallyte aly, ere re decided tobuya vilaover looking Lake Garda. But thea to buy an Italien vilafel through and, as Ceylon was sting ou ofthe Br sh Empite, Bawa returned home ard bouatt a derelict ratber ‘elatoat Luruganga Horo hi interect in landscape and architecure was Kdled Make the ranstiontrom restless traveller apd olictant lever to builder end gardener, Bewa sei ovton he sererdinitous journey that mag im ngenenden Si Lara's most prolific and influential scchitest Thegarden project ved Bawa'simagi nation ut lad bare nis iackot tecrnical {rowlodge andin 1951 ho embarked ona tril aporecticeship with HH Reid, the sole sur ning partner cf the Brtisheolonal practice Top left: Exterior, Bishops College Colombo, 1860 ow Genius of the Place Edwards Reid ard Begg, lounded in Colombo i 1923. When Red di Sucdenty a year ate, Baw returnedte England snd pines the third year atthe Architectural Association i London, He was ine cast studert a the school and is temembored with atection for his striking appearance, his Role Reyee and hisargumentative debates wintuters Fray ‘ualtying n 1S at theageo! thirty-eight horcturred to Ceylon ane toeame 2 partrer of Jirmy Nga @ Parsee architect who hak talen over Edwarcs, Reid and Beggaiter Rededeatn ‘Working fest witha yourg Danish arch tect, Uri Plesner. ard then with the Tari ‘enginenrk Poclogasundram, Bawa gathered aroun himselta groupol designers drawn trem eve-ycorner cf Ceylon'sethnic maze In acditio tohisimmediate of co leagues thi group eluded the ertat Loki Senanayahe, the desigrer Barbara Sanson, land the batikartisEnade Siva. llof whose ‘work figures prominently in Baws buldings After Jmmy Nigra’ retrerrent in 1867, Bawa and Peologasundam continued to practice under tho title ‘Edwarde, Raid And Begg for Ue nent twenty years Bawa's early workincludec ctfice buleings, factoroe and eohocls influenced bythe Tropica Modernism of Maxwell Fry and Jane Drewand utimately Le Corbusier, ‘he olaserocm biockhe designed fer Bie CClege in Celomio in 160 typical Arother tes typology was te private house. For more thanacentuy, Sri Lankar domestic architec ture ned been dominetedby British mode's, and tredtional cou tyardfermshac been largely ignored and forgotten The typeal rth ‘bungalow wasa cellular vila, extro: xertinconcept which occupied thecentre of a large garden plot However, the popule "ion of Si Lanka was exploding and Colombo was rapidly being transferred trem a lealy Garcen City into modern Asian metropois Lane prices were rising and pio! sizes sink ing. exposing the burgalow type'slimtations in prowding privacy and ventiation. Bawa istinctivey grasped the problem anc set Dutt fied a soutien Inhetirethouses,builtattheondot he daconsirucied the colonia rearranged iscenstituent barts to create som’ orelosed spaces Tretefolowedaseres¢ ‘rare houses cesigned wit Plesner and inspees in party Scandinavian modela—awhich an othogcnal concrete frame was nfilled ‘incorporate covered terraces, garden ‘urs and planted rat gardens. tilly Bowa's commitment to Nodernam drow him towntteabsiract forms ane nonzortel ‘oof lies. but hewas socn forced to admit ‘hat overhanging roofs offered necescary protection against ropcal sun and rain Histicst xeaattecugh carte with ‘house or adoctor, ASH de Siva, built 1N18580n a steeply stoping stein Gale, on the south-west coasto’ SriLanka Herethe docenstrustod ciomenta wore resembled tm an exploding piwhee| pan and held ‘ogether bya single akira root plare. But although the various likes pavilions creat fnelosed and hal-erclosed garden cous {he house femained relatively extove'tana the garders roachedouttonarestho sur ‘ounding endscape [Bawa's next cient was Ena de Siva, the dauhtero! = Kandjan arstoceat ard wile the Inspector General of Police. She ag boughs asmallcorner plot tne Colombo Top right: Brise-soletl at Bishops Col ese.020 Davié Robson suburb of Cinnamon Gardens and wanted ‘house that woule be medorn and oper Dut embody features of thetraditional ‘maror houses she hed known asa child, ‘iter ntorviowing several arch tects sho 1urned to Bawa, hon she had initially (erected because of his cettante image: "Thad seen him erving around ainis Ralls with his scarf lowing nthe wind enc ci ihe the lock of hn’ ln fact the twobbecame Close rioeds, and Bawa itor calla ‘enembe elking 10 Era, seeing hee sur ‘rounded by athe tingsste liked - all she wanted was briex walle ane a rot Tho plan Come about largely Because sho, ard conse {uenty | wanted a private compound tnat would net be overlooked by neighbours Bawele ction employedthe some elements asthe Galle rouse but re naw ASH de Top left: Entrance to 1 Silva House, Gaile, 1959. Top right: Central ‘court and ltving room of the ASH de Silva House ‘carved them outo! a solid for. The recultica totally introcpective heuco that emphasizes void es mach as solid ardalionsatree flow of sracefrom inside tooutside. The plan consisteof a choquer boaidarrengerert of irked pavilions and ‘smell courts, all disposed around alarge ‘ceniral court ormada midult, an con tained within a initing perimeier wal Theover powering presence ofthe tiled roland the goaraly localized palate ‘ofmaterials give this house a vernacular teal anc yetthenighiyartiouates ana ‘open plan stetally moder iniisatfect Space fowscortinuously rom inside tooutsideand lang vistas range across a seriesof indoor and extdocrYoome tocreate the ilusion ot infinte space (on what isa eiaively smal pt Botton: Ground-Floor plan of the Ena de Silva House, Colombo, 1960.21| m= = ts ‘i J = I I I - = cy =} I} ee ree raAturther strandin the private house typology is exemplified by tne Polontaiana Extate Bungalow but 1064fora Suits Dlantation company ona remate coccnut esiatein the Dry Zone. Bawaard Peesner ‘sisted that tha clint accernpany ther onasitevisitand then pecsuededhim to buld the burgalew in an areaot huge bou: dors wits ronte spanning fm rockte roc: ‘We discovereca spt fullo boulders and we all sagnow excelent ard splencw it vweuid de to buld'a house there So we got Stic ard string, brought some chairs and Senowiches and se the house cut withthe contractor, who folowed every pestue of ur hands: Growing out of tha landscape, the house belongs tong St Lankan tr tiono! eave temples insinuated between peuldersand tucked under elite, tompioys ‘materials gathered trom tsimmediate su roundings and eelebratasthercot as totally utonomous elament Corteacicting the asserton that Bana bultonly tor Coloroo'seite, in Teo6 he designed and constructed a farm schocl for orghan girs at Yanapath Endere.on a rubber ana cecenstestateneer Hanwela, about 30 Top left: Living room, Polontalana Bungalow, Ory Zone, 1964: Top right: Oornitory, Yahapath Enders er Genius of the Place kilometres east of Calero. tsbuilsings wore simploardcheap constructed From locally avaiable moteral, including coconutand rubber timber clay tes and onutthatch, Although he placed them on afermal orthogonal gris, Bawa alloned the bulaings to run withthe contours in section, ldividual buildings werepositionad eerelllytodeline oon spacecand aves anc to reguiate vistas. Anura Ratna bushena who worked on the project. nas deecried how Bawa generated man of his ideas whist aciualy on ste, veloping them nthe evering in sketch sections. ‘eully drawn in broon equared paper Although norrade's were made, Bewa wasable to visualize the thre2- dimensional ploutioe othe evelving cosign. Featnavibusrena would then werk the ideas Up into mere finished drawings, which would ferm the starting pont for arather reundof dscussorsand stetches, In 1369 Sawa comoleted the Bertota Beach Hotel =the ‘ist purpose. tuit resort hele a Si Lanka end the stencard against whichall subsequent rotels would Berea sured Whieofering suttlehintsof ast world ofancient palaces. medieval manor houses and colonial villas, pandereato the needs the modern tourist, playing onthe censor to create aunique end unforgettable enperlence. Bava cared the rotela! the feck ofa spit separating the Bentota River from the indan Oosan ane raises ten amounc, which neencased fa rubbe Podism.its apparent smoleitybelesits patil compleityandthe subtleties of its section In plenitreclls Le Corbusier's design forthe Monastery of LaTourate: the main rception spaces a the summitform ‘anenflode of roomsaround a squarecourt YafG, above which 1wo lost beacons Centre: Mash:house dotton: Drawing 0 Yahapatn endera, Yahapath Enders ‘the approach to028 David Robson seem tofibat, with ther balconies facing ut towards the sea From these balconies ‘Quoets experience the tropical landscape bbeyord the confines! the hotel ~the than derot the ocean, Tasheso! sunlight en the ‘swaying palm ford, the evak of a paacoek the ocange glowo! the seting un asitskps ‘below the nor zon. But when they gut thee ‘reoms they ae confronted bythe eivlizes landscape ofthe courtyard telow, where they smell tne spices cf the evenng meal and ner the chink of lasses and the bab Bee offereign tongues, Even wien the net! was new its mater: als - rough oranite, poished concrete, trea Cotta, dark stained timber hardloeen gave ita well-worn andived-in fel as twere ‘building that hae been discovered rather than dosignee. Concawved during a pores when building materials were short Suppy itwas bul entirely by local contractors. Only thirty drawings were rreduced ane manyot thedetalls were worked out on ste by Bawa with the craftsmen. Airest allot thefurn- ture wae designadin te fice and made locally, ard the roomswere filed with art works by Bawa's riends The 1910 lactic ving coalition government anc heralded @ period ct ecorome restrantand uncertanty In SriLanka Suddenly Bawa felt uneasy abou Fis futureand even contemplated emgrating, Fe staring looking fr work atvoad and in 1971 epenadan afice mMaceas onthe stength ofa commision toextend the Connemara Hote This led toanumber chother poets cluding the descn ofa Saif elubina.guburd of Madurai. Durrg this er od Bawa iso converted sugar factory fn the islnd of Mauritius no a weskend Fetreat and desigrod a group of villazat Eatujarberon the southern ipo! Ea Prospects socn improved on the homer howover and the now government tuned ought in ala Top left: Aerial view, Bentota Beach Hotel, southern Sri Lanko, 1969. Top right: View across the co} at the Bentota Beach Hotel Bottom left: Interior, PaNlakelle Factory Unit, near Kandy, 1970 Bottom right! Extertor, State Nortoage Bank, Colonbo’ 1976‘awa for anumler ot public projects tat thallenged! ir to across the preblom of the workolace a topical environment These includecan estate o simple ut efective ripped rented factery units at Pallakelle near Kardy and 2 del.ghtul office pulang fr ne Agrarian Research and Training institute in Colombo, ‘AMurther ied was the ir0cesign for Bent, described atthe time by Kenrethvcang as ‘probably the Beet exampeootaDiacimat nsivelal bulcieg tobe found inthe world The estrcied site forthis tual ctoroy hgh rico, wodged veer Colombo’ Hyse Park Corner and the southern io of he Beira Lae, lias across the road from Bawa’s cnidhood home lozenge-shaped plan creates a profie that charges dramatically according to viewocit, spocarng slender towarse the pnctien aro ‘ruc latter towards the park ane the lake. 1s capged by a floating concrete carooy thalvoveals the goorratic gic of the concrete structure below The 1977 elections returned to power United National Party gouernment commit. fedtore estabhshing atree market economy. As par ct a massive ave of develooment Dvojecis, President Jayawadene asked Save (prepare desigr fore now Parlin bulling at Kote, about kilometres east of Colombo, Bawa was given a totaly free hand, wth the prove thatthe project had to Ddecompleted in meter anoiticl opening 1 182, Poologasundtam took charge ofthe management othe programme and a his Aotton left: Dabating chanber Notional Parliament, Kotte, 1982. 020 Gontus of the Place suggestion the construction project eae contracted to the Japanese fem Mitsui A Special teemot architects was establshes underVasentha Jacobsen, Baws man assistare,evertually procucing ore five inousena orawings -a farcry om the ddaysof the Bentota Beach Hotel ‘Bawa proposed thatthe marshy valley ofthe Diyavanna Oyabe flooded to create vastlakeard that thenew capital De uit on Sbnollof hgh groune, whien ould become an slang at the lakes centre ts cascace of copper roofs would be seen floating bow the now ake fromthe approach road fata distance 2kiometies, The design laces the main chamber in acentral 22: ion surrounced bya custo e five satelite pavikons, each defined by iis own umbrella Cooper roa and seeming togrow outfits ‘op: Aerial view, Nationa) Por Isament. Centre: Plan, National Parl tanent the alinths are actually macontiruous ground and tirstTlog, The main gavilon is symmetecal about tho dodsting chamber but the axilty 'lifused by the esymmetical erarge ment ofthe lesser paviionsarourd it. AS @ resuil the pavitens each retainaseparate entity but unte ma engle upward seen oftent Ike roo'strat maceebsiractreter tence to tedtional Kardyan oct structures The new Parlirrent opened in Apel Isezagainsta backgroud of growing cor ‘nunaltensicn Its commemoration stone recerced vroniealy that the architects were Edwaids, Rec and Begg adzing. almost asan afterthought, thenames of Geo'trey Bawa, Dr K PoslogacundéamandVecartha Jacchsen a BurgverMooy, Jaina Tami anda Sinhalese Buddhist[During the 1980s Bawa worked on designs fo the row Unvarsly of RuPunw near the southernmest tip of Si Lanka The magnificent ste stradsles onl ving vinws across lake towards the southern ‘ocean. Comprising 60,000 square metres of Dullaings to accor: mosate 4 000 studerts, it was bull by Dutch contractorsand tcok ‘ight yoars to complete. Bawa's design deploys over fity separate paviions inked byasysiemat covered leggias on ape: dominantly erthegoral gre, venga ented vccabulay of forrs and mater als borrowed {om the Porto Sinhelese trations! the latemecival period At the same tenet ‘exploisthe changing topograpty ofthe sitetocreate aneve-varyingseauence ofeourte and verandse, vistas and cles ures The result isa modern campus, vastin size but Fuman inseaee. The projects of the early 1980s brought Bawa international recagnttion ane is work wasccelebcated na Mimar b00% by Brien Brace Taylor in 1985 and in a London exhii tion ButtheParament building and RUnun nad le'thim exhausted Hemissed ite diect Ccontel heal acarcised aver ns earlier sr ects and pet ess and iesstime in the bfficeinalres House Read. Hs pertner, Peologasundram. had been offered by Banas failure toactnowiedge himin the bo cr exibition and the two grew apart Alter 199the practicee'fectively ceased to function. Bawa was now in he eovontioe and ‘tas widely assumed that he would retire toLuruganga ard contemplate his grcen. Nothing, however, ceuld nave boen further fromthetruth.Theclosing of thectfice signaled rew periodot creat vty. and ne began to work from his Bagatelle Road home wthasmall groupe! young erchtects to Sroguceasteady streama’ fresh designs. By now Bawais tame had spreac far boyond the sheras of Serendib nd he received many requeststolend hisname topioects nine Far East. He and his young colleagues embarked onaseriesaf am tious designa:a massive extension tothe Hyatt Hotel on Bal: repeal glasshouse n Smoanere:@ hupevila hotel on th isla ot Bintan in indonesia: a high re deselopent InPerang Requests for pivate nouses aso flooded in and Bawa produced sketches for lente in Armodabed, Delhi Bangalore and ‘Singapore None of these projects came to fruvien, weve and Bawa Ireated them as tast bode for now does, to bo sod when te opportunity presented tse Suchan opportunity arcse atthe endo 1901 when Bawa was commissioned todesgn afotelalthefcotol King Kasyape’s feck etadelat Sariyain the Dry Zone. True toform, he jac the proposed ste and persuaded the cents tolacete the hotel Some tiftesnhlomretres othe south, on Feely outeropabovethe ancient Kandalama tanks The ste wos tually naccessible and Bawanadto te carres to tonan improvised palangun In tefina eetign the 160 bedroce hotel Iswranges aroune twe Sdesotthercck, win reoms facing acrossthe lanktowardsSoriva and Dambulia The twe wings ae comectes Dy acavemous corridor running tough the reek rom the hotel entrancetothe man reception aroas, Bawatsuuce ofa starkly ‘xpressad corcrete Ireme ard lt root is ideally suited fothe location. anc the hotel soomsto grow out ofits site in sim ler way othe earlier house at Polatelew. ‘Thetrame supports a seccnd skin of timber sunbreakers, which ntrncartiesa sereen ‘of vegetation, hile the fat oo! as teen trarsformes into a tartasbe trope gercen, Aerial view. KandaTana Hotel ox David Robson Lounge, Kandalama HotelThe tectonic form allows te hcte! to hug ho shape of the ridge, otha its 9p8r- side carridors run alongside heel face. inthe publcarees, the materais used complement he large exparsesol naked rock ioconvoy & holly approoriate feeling of austerty Three nouses for tis period evel he cistancean artttravels order. woul ‘cle, Buitat he bottom athe owners former garaen in Colombo, de Soyse House of 1950's a minimalist tower of ‘nd gles jostling between a lumpot tees. Te Jayakody House of 1288 reatesa civilized tetreaton ananiward Celemae ate, escending rom an almost Subterranean world of shady ceutya 108 rooftop poo! terrace that looks ou separate these houses from the docter’s acrosethecurroundingrcotacapa In eon. house nGalle,andyet they reveal the eame least the Jayawardere House o! 67 Sa Concern with estlation and simply, weekend eeteat on thered etfs of Weissa bverlooking the swoop of Weligarra Bay Here tne vision climbs a narrow tack rom the busy main toadana,efterafinal twist alscovers a treatntating view acres the ay rared by a grove cl swaying coconut ams, Tese hde a platoon o black column eda this horizontal root a simple pleasure Devilon onastepped pinih fecng towards te acean and the setting sun Forty years Left: Exterior, de Soysa House, Top: Cross-section, Kandalana Hotel. Above: Views of the Jayawarde Colombo, 1990. Centre: Exterior, Jayatody Hous Heuse, Mirisso, 1957 emo, 1993 0 Genius of the Place036 David Robson Bawe'slasttwohotels were xceuted with tho ure touch ofa maoter The Light 1ouse Hotel of 1995 ceties the southern ocean from a rocky ercrmontery cn the ou shirisofthoold Arab port ef Gale. Tho sea ‘inhespitatie~ huge breate’sralin inces: sentlyfrom the Incian Ocean ~ but the views aro stunning The etatogy ¢beth to contont he ebetlesscrashingol the waves end to provide contrasting areas of shelter and tranquility. The lar slopes ofthe reckare encased in rutbie retaining walls Housing the main entrance and services. A massive parte cochive leads east he reception desk joavertcal drum enclosing the main sia ‘shichspivals upwardsameng @ wring Tep left and right: Exterfor view and rin sxinming pacl, Lighthouse Hotel, Galle, 1995. mass of Dutch and Siehalese war Deulpted by Sener old frend Lali Sone rayake.Thelourges ard restaurants carry memoriesofoidrest houses and planters ‘lute, while the furnishing oftheterracae and veranda Sod ei rugged to with stand monsoons Nosnale soace is el ‘centainedor complete: each sin part the ‘consequence ofa previousspace anc the anticipationofa subsequent one: ech retains Tinks with te naighooursand with the outside 0 thatthe eye is contiwally invited to ‘expt the posses the building ters. "South of Coloma, the lus Water Hotel ‘atWadéuwa~one of thelast projects tha [Bawa supervised before tinal ness Botton Teft and right: Staircase, with Figures by Lak Serarayake, and Terrace, Lignthouse Hotelsits nan uninspvieg coconut gore between Arailwaylineard a lrg lat beach The design ‘sa reworking of Yaxiticnalreathouse, blown up toa massve scale with ongaes and vast courtyards to createa minimalist palace. a partect setting for caremoniogand celebrations, Bawa’s health had bees deteriorating foreometime bolor he eutfored hie fal stioke in early 1986. At the tmene was stil involved witha numberof projects and work tonthose centinued under the direction of his associate Charna Daswatte. Two of the oo fects, the Spencer House in Colombo and the accbsen House mn Tangalle Fave since Deer completedtother original designs, while a les ct the crgina bungalows are vistas. the main part ofthe house isan thir in Mumbai stl onsite In 1987 Bava’ butlest The final esutisanintro- evocation ota lost world a verandas and design fora naw Brasdortil Secretariat spective laayeinth of roomsand garden urtyarde. the tower sing above the car wes approved by the Present, but diving __courts thal together ereate the illusion of Dortisnothing les than a reworking of Le thefollowingyeartnestewas changedand —_infinte space. Wordslike nsideandoutside _Certusier’s Masson Cittohan, servirg asa the preectisnow being carried forward by asa ali mearing: here varooms without Deriseope asit ies roma shady nother Deswatte nthe spritel tecrigicaldesign. roofs and roofswithoutwals.ai/connected world to give vews out across the treetops {coking back over Bava’ career, byacemplex matric of axesand internal fowares the sea, twa projeetsseam tone the key toan understanding a his werk: the garden at Lunugange and ns own nause in Comba Beth have baen many yearsintherrabing and both have served a laboratories or new ideas. The town House Sa haven of peace. ecked away rom the busy andi ‘creasingly nestle ty an infinite garden ofthe ming constucee tie apuzele on ating urban pet. Incontast the estate at Londgange's acistant oteat an outpost onthe cage of the own worl, which cnet lenaestre intinteParizan of te coean to he west ard the endless switehbeck ct his tothe east. reducing avast open landscape 10a controle series ofovtdoor coms, a Ciulied garden within the larger garden of Sri Lanka. “The Coiombo rouse an essay in arch lectura synthesis. in 1958 Bawe bought the hiedin arowol fow eral bungalowsina stort qu de-sac at tne end ofa narrow subut ban lneandconverteditintoa peda ter sutha ving toom, bedroom, tiny hitehan and sn. When the fourth bungalow became vacant itwas colonized to serve as, Airing room ane socond living reom. Ten ears later the othe two bungalows were Acuiredandintegratedintothecompositon, the iret bang demolished to make way fora fourstoreystructure ncorporating a brary and oof terrace, ard the second becoming A guast wing ard later the "home cic (Ore the lest forty years the house has been subjecttoconstant change and the Top left ard right: View from the Contre and bottem: Cross-section ard entrance and central seating area of plan, Geoffrey Gawa"s house. Geottrey sewa"s nouse tn Colombo, 1958-68. ow Gontus of tho Place‘Tne gardenat Lunuganga sits astride ‘wolow ilson a premontary jutting to «brackish lagoon off the Bertcte River. In 146 there was nothing here tut an urdistin: uishea bungalow surrounded by25 acres of rubber tees. Sines ten hile have been moved, terraces cut, woods replantec anc new vistas opened, tutte orignal bungalow Survee within eeocoenot added veranda, Courtyards and loggas Looking south from the main entrance terrace. a cernidoroftrees famot a wow of alargo ur in the middle ie {ance marking the summit of Crnamon Hil ard pointing to @dstant Buddhist temple. ‘Thesarce to the eae ofthe bungalow has been transfcrmed inioa seiesof intercon nected terraces sterping down towards the lake's ecge and framed bya guest house, an office pevin anda sculpture gallery To the nerth a lawn runs fram the footot aspread- ingaralia tea lowards the undulatirg parapet ofasteep cif, offering views across a water ‘meadow towards the lee, “Tossa civilized widerness rata erden of tewers and fountain: tis a com Position in onoctreme, green'on green, fan evercharging play of ightand shade. successon of hidden surprises.and evden vistas landscape of memories and eas. Works of artare carefully paced toferm objects for contemplation, punctuation arkson outes, pointers or stent begcons: ‘leopard les in he éappled shade beside the ae. quercing the water gate young bey beckanson the edgeot theif ‘a grotesque Pan grins up from the edge ofthe peasy. LLurugangaseemsto he soratural so cetoblsned that itis hard toapprecite just ‘how much efort nas gone nfoits creation. Hardly a year has passed since 198 without ‘seme newelement boing aed, some re area being colonized The various buldengs Ccenstructedover the yeers appzer simply tohave gromnaut ofthe ground, careful restored rermantso! some earlier period ‘of occupation. messages ova palimpsest NNorisit apparent how much work poedoe tomaintan such caretulcasuainess. nore the garcen fora week andthe paths and staircases willeog upwith leaves: after 2 ‘month the lms wllrun wil va year the terraces will stat Iocrumble; and in wo lorthree years th jungle wil return Alter the pessage o! merethan fifty rmongaons Si Lenianasiostts innocence ‘ard Bawahas grown dd. Ashe sts in Fis wheelchair en the terrace and watches the sunsetting acrossthelace tmay be that he reflects on his achievernents Perhaps the garden had simply been waiting for hi toasscoverf beneath a canopy o jungle? Butthsisa work of ar, no of nature: iis the contrivance ofa single mind end hun fed parsothards, weruing with nature toprodice something ‘supematiral Plan. lunuganca Estate, scuthorn Soi Lenka, 1548-present. oo David Robson