Geoffrey Bawa awards presented

Lalyn Collure and Shyamika Silva bagged the prestigious 2007/2008 Geoffrey Bawa Excellence in Architecture Awards at a ceremony at the Galle Face Hotel recently.

Collure received an award for designing the Boulder Garden Nature Resort, bordering the Sinharaja forest and Ms. Silva received the award for designing Nalin Indrasena?s House, a modern home built on 8.8 perches land.

The Boulder Garden Nature Resort is a 10-roomed boutique hotel designed for nature loving tourists. The objective in building the hotel was to provide accommodation close contact with nature. The site offers ecological systems that represents a wet zone forest.

Nalin Indrasena?s House, a minimalist home was surrounded by trees, all of which were incorporated into the design. The structure resembling a large white cube was built on 5.8 perches. The glass wall which opens the living space and garden is the main feature of the design.

Nela de Zoysa was commended for designing the Suzuki Maruti Complex on a 100-perch rectangular site. Palinda Kannangara was commended for designing an estate bungalow.

The Central Bus Terminal and Retail Shopping Centre in Dambulla, the Minneriya National Park Visitor Centre, the Thicket, the Saffron Beach Villa and the Bed Sitter properties were shortlisted for the award.

The winners were selected through technical assessments conducted by eminent architects of the Geoffrey Bawa Trust. The awards ceremony were held for the first time to recognise and reward excellence in architecture.

Geoffrey Bawa was Sri Lanka?s influential and prolific architect and a leading guru in tropical architecture in South Asia. His work spanning 50 years encompassed a wide range, mostly in the south-west of the country.

His fame spread across many countries as of the finest architects. He received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2001. Geoffrey Bawa died on May 27, 2003.