Domus Srilanka Magazine - April 2015

In this issue

As an artist Laki Senanayake courts a path of expression paved with freedom and abandon. It produces a whimsical quality – a trait that runs through all of his multifarious skills and in turn, one could say, is a reflection of his personality. His paintings, drawings, sculptures, architecture, landscapes and innovation each defies the boundaries of rules and conventions. Ultimately it is his way of life.

Minnette de Silva was born in Kandy in 1918 and died, alone and forgotten, in a public ward of the Kandy hospital in 1998. A pioneer of Regional Modernism, she deserves to be better recognised for her intellectual achievements, and her few surviving buildings ought to be conserved.

The dean of the School of Architecture at the Royal College of Art in London asserts the importance of offering diverse approaches to making architecture. In the two-year master’s degree course, his set-up sees design as a blend of social commitment, graphic experimentation and inventive use of materials.

The interior by Nanda Vigo seen here before its definitive dismantlement brings us back to the elements of her architectural craft: space sequencing as narration; surfaces as the components of an optical device to generate a new geometry of spaces; and furniture as volume and presence – all in a domestic landscape that is fully based on perception.

Situated on an elevated plane, overlooking the Indian Ocean, the house designed by Archt Piero Trionfera, strikes a chord with its rustic and simple structure. Straying from complex architectural details, the house is designed to be a home that conveys a Sri Lankan touch, complete with unique spaces that drift between the contemporary and old.

Utilising an area of six perches and the unusual shape of the land the architect has been able to create a home that is modern and tropical.