Showcasing Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa’s marvel, Heritance Kandalama

A repository of novel ideas, says Daswatte
2023-04-12
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/ New Delhi
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Heritance Kandalama
Showcasing Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa’s marvel, Heritance Kandalama

Thirty years on Heritance Kandalama still holds its own as perhaps one of the most sustainable hotel projects (Photo: Nijhawan Group)

At a recently held event in New Delhi, Channa Daswatte, noted Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa’s last architectural partner, in conversation with artist Dayanita Singh, discussed Bawa’s works, notably his masterpiece, the Heritance Kandalama.
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In a unique gathering held recently in New Delhi, the Geoffrey Bawa Trust and Aitken Spence Hotels put the spotlight on the works of the late Sri Lankan architect Deshamanya Geoffrey Bawa and his final masterwork, the Heritance Kandalama. 

The highlight of the gathering was the conversation that Channa Daswatte, chairperson of the Geoffrey Bawa Trust and Bawa’s last architectural partner, had with Dayanita Singh, renowned Delhi-based artist, where the two discussed the unique style of Heritance Kandalama and Bawa’s other architectural marvels. 

In the heart of the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka, the Heritance Kandalama is one of Bawa’s greatest architectural marvels because of its innovative and sustainable design. Seamlessly integrating with its surrounding landscape and environment, its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification recognises the hotel’s commitment to sustainability and environmentally conscious design.

The distinctive Heritance Kandalama, built into a cliff face amidst dense tropical trees and surrounded by the Dambulla Rock Temple and Sigiriya Rock Fortress, was created by Bawa. Decades before sustainable hotels became the buzzword that they are today, Heritance Kandalama’s structures were covered in flowering plants and hanging vines in an effort to blend in with the surroundings. 

“In many ways, the Kandalama was one of the early hotels built 30 years ago where sustainability was a watermark. Today, everything is sustainable, but 30 years ago those were the beginnings of the movements that led to what we have today as full sustainability. But the proof in the pudding is that the Kandalama 30 years on still holds its own as perhaps one of the most sustainable hotel projects in Sri Lanka. So all the possibilities of being minimally dependent on outside sources is what we utilised back then, which was available thirty years ago. I’m sure there are many other ways in which things can be done today, the hotel is aware of these things and making the changes that are necessary to be updated on that. But as a piece of architecture, where only minimal air conditioning is necessary, that doesn’t change,” says Channa Daswatte. 

Bawa is known for his pioneering work in tropical modernism and significant contributions to contemporary architecture in Sri Lanka and South Asia. Widely regarded as one of the most influential architects in the region, his designs have become iconic examples of modern tropical architecture. 

“The Kandalama is really a repository of novel ideas. It is a sea of ideas about time, how time takes over buildings and is able to build the grace that allows the building to age. How does the environment eventually reclaim our buildings? Are we able to reclaim them as elegantly, gently, and so on. Those were ideas that Geoffrey Bawa was very concerned with when the hotel was built. He had said that the hotel will finally be complete when the leopards are roaming the corridors and bears are sleeping in troops. So it’s the idea that whatever we do, it turns to where it comes from. But can we do things where we allow it to return and in a way that is graceful, and not too harmful to the environment that we are already going through. So I think those are some of the ideas, quite philosophical in today’s setup. They are ideas of time, impermanence and decay and ideas of recurring nature,” Daswatte added.

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