Bawa Staircases

Aimed at architecture students and professionals. Bawa Staircases offers the reader a primer of how staircases are often the most dynamic and theatrical spatial elements of a building or landscape. It is a compelling addition to the literature on Sri Lanka's preeminent architect, Geoffrey Bawa and showcases his numerous and varied architectural and landscape designs for residential, public works, gardens and hotel architecture, with particular reference to the staircases he created. Throughout, lush photography by Sebastian Posingis and insightful texts by David Robson are accompanied by contextual shots, plans and illustrations, all illustrating this absorbing island and the work of an architectural master.

This book is all about giving the readers a peek view into the life of Geoffrey Bawa; Sri Lanka’s most famous architect… a book that reveals an insight into his work through his most famous projects accompanied by beautiful hand drawn illustrations. Alluring and simply authentic, these self-narrative illustrations are a result of a personal experience. This book will give readers an understanding of how successfully Geoffrey Bawa had inculcated spaces, vistas and landscape with that of the built environment bringing about a touch of Modern Tropism and fusing it together with the rich culture and traditions of Sri Lanka.

The story of two talented landscape designer brothers and their exquisite gardens set in the lush landscape of Sri Lanka The work of architect Geoffrey Bawa achieved a unique fusion of vernacular style and modern construction incorporating the lush tropical landscape of his native Sri Lanka. Although his architectural work and its influence have been well documented, less attention has been paid to his work on gardens. His most famous garden is the one he created for himself at his estate, Lunuganga, and it is rivaled by Brief, the lesser-known garden of his brother, Bevis. Evolving over several decades, these two gardens and their outbuildings and sculptures represent high points of tropical design, in which architecture and landscape are intertwined. Bawa: The Sri Lanka Gardens is the story of two brothers and their exquisite gardens. It begins with an overview of Sri Lanka’s rich horticultural tradition and the cultural background that inspired the Bawas’ sensitive treatment of architecture, and then records the familial relationship between Geoffrey and Bevis Bawa, and their distinctive individual differences and inspirations. David Robson takes the reader on a tour around Brief and Lunuganga through rich photo essays and revealing descriptions, while glorious images reveal the aesthetic considerations and architectural mastery of the gardens’ creators.

Sri Lanka Style showcases 30 of the finest traditional and modern dwellings in Sri Lanka. Reflecting its location and status as a hub of Indian Ocean trade from time immemorial, the tropical island of Sri Lanka has always been open to the movements and patters of world culture. Indigenous architects and cultural traditions, colonial incursions and the vagaries of living in a tropical environment have combined to produce a distinctive Sri Lankan architectural style: thick lime-washed walls, tall windows and doors, terracotta or granite tile floors, open pavilions and verandas, courtyard gardens, elaborately carved furniture and vibrant hand-looms. The Sri Lankan homes vary from private homes to retreats and resorts, all designed by the island's most creative architects and interior designers including some by the world-renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa that have never been seen before. These works demonstrate the essentials of the Sri Lankan spaces open to the elements and the natural use of space and decor, contributing to a palpable sense of peace and discipline. In addition, there are practical design ideas that can be applied to any tropical locale. Photographed entirely on location, Sri Lanka Style is an inspirational source book of contemporary tropical style.

This is a definitive and comprehensive monograph on one of the 20th century's greatest architects, Geoffrey Bawa, whose influence has extended to garden and landscape design.

Takes a look at Geoffrey Bawa's life and career and at the legacy of his influence through the work of contemporary architects working across southeast Asia.

This book answers some important questions about Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka's pre-eminent architect, and his legacy. A sizeable introduction to Bawa's world, life, education and work is reviewed by eminent Bawa scholar, David Robson. This precedes a site-by-site tour of 45 of his buildings scatterd throughout Sri Lanka, Many are considered "pilgrimage sites" by up-and-coming architects, designers and lay people interested in his extraordinary and enduring talent. Insightful texts, contemporary and archive photographs and a plethora of drawings illustrate the individual buildings that range from private dwellings to public buildings, schools and hotels. Each is representative of Bawa's pioneering work on tropical modernism. The book ends with a brief section on buildings that have been transformed, lost or are at risk for one reason or another