Camera Ready

Stunning views of a tropical paradise dictated the placement of this home, open on both sides to the elements.

- Janice Jones

When acclaimed Japanese architect Shigeru Ban was asked to design a holiday home for this dramatic clifftop site overlooking idyllic Weligama Bay in Sri Lanka’s south, he requested a chair and time alone. Walking up to the property’s highest point the architect sat down and contemplated the site, which is set in 30 hectares of lush jungle where wild peacocks and monkeys roam. He returned with sketches of three views – a sweeping seascape of the spectacular bay on the Indian Ocean, a square framed vista of distant cliffs from the main bedroom, and the third, a vertical slice of ocean seen from the jungle in the valley, framed by an outdoor corridor. These dictated the orientation of the multi-level structure which angles to drink in the stunning sea view and landscape.